Gov.-elect Bill Ritter on Wednesday picked three skilled political hands to lead his administration.
Jim Carpenter, who manages U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar’s Colorado office, will become chief of staff – a role that requires equal parts political skill, policy smarts and administrative diligence.
Thomas M. “Trey” Rogers III, a partner with the Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons law firm, was named chief legal counsel.
Mary Kay Hogan, a statehouse lobbyist who has represented hospitals, lawyers and school districts, will become Ritter’s legislative liaison – the eyes, ears and voice of the administration in its meetings with state lawmakers.
The trio are a new generation of leaders for the Capitol, bringing fresh perspective to the governor’s office – currently held by term- limited Bill Owens, a Republican – while being familiar with some of the old battles.
“I think the very fact that nobody goes ‘Oh, no’ when you say their names is very good,” said Katy Atkinson, a Republican political operative who supported Ritter’s rival, U.S. Rep. Bob Beauprez. “The absence of negatives can be very positive.”
Carpenter, 46, said he wanted to return to the Capitol, where he worked for Democratic Gov. Roy Romer in the final four years of his administration.
“I have a very good job,” said Carpenter, who will be paid $140,000 a year as Ritter’s right-hand man. “As I told my colleagues on the staff today, this is the only thing that would get me out of here.”
Carpenter, who ran Salazar’s successful 2004 statewide campaign to beat businessman Pete Coors for a U.S. Senate seat, will serve as an experienced political guide for Ritter.
“He has administrative skills,” Romer said. “He has a relation to substantive issues. He has political skills. The chief of staff is very important to the governor in arranging time and appointments for the governor.”
Carpenter was Romer’s communications director before taking over as chief of staff in the final five months of the Romer administration in 1998 – a lights-out period that Carpenter acknowledged will be significantly different from starting up the Ritter era.
Still, Romer dismissed that difference, saying that the skills needed to succeed in the job are necessary at the beginning and the end of an administration.
“I don’t think that’s a distinction,” Romer said. “I don’t think it cuts that much differently.”
The three will play key roles in steering the Ritter administration.
“All three of those jobs are traffic-cop jobs,” said Mark Grueskin, a top Democratic elections lawyer. “Each one of them will have to say, ‘This is where the governor is coming from.’ And they will have to say to the governor, ‘These are some key considerations’ and ‘You may be going too far’ or ‘You may not be going far enough.”‘
Gov.-elect Bill Ritter s selections for his administration
Chief of staff
James Farlin Carpenter
Age: 46
Born: Denver
Education: Bachelor’s degree, political science, University of Colorado at Boulder, 1985
Career: State director and campaign manager for U.S. Ken Salazar, 2004 to present; director of public affairs, National Jewish Medical and Research Center, 1999-2004; press secretary, director of communications and chief of staff for Gov. Roy Romer, 1995-99; political consultant, 1993-94; various duties with U.S. Rep. Tim Wirth and his campaigns, 1980-92; associate, National Strategies consulting firm, 1987-88.
Family: Wife, Nancy, and two children, Emma and Nicholas
Chief legal counsel
Thomas M. “Trey” Rogers III
Age: 39
Born: Enid, Okla.
Education: Bachelor’s degree, finance and real estate, University of Colorado, 1989; law degree, George Washington University National Law Center, 1997
Career: Partner with Denver law firm
Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons, 1997- present; attorney for Bill Ritter’s gubernatorial campaign and counsel for the transition team; eight years of experience as a political and nonprofit fundraiser and fundraising consultant in Colorado, Oklahoma and Washington, D.C.; counsel for John Kerry’s presidential campaign in Colorado, 2004
Family: Wife, Laura, and two children, son Jamie and daughter Caroline
Legislative liaison
Mary Kay Hogan
Age: 36
Born: Lakewood
Education: Bachelor’s degree, University of Arizona, 1992; law degree, University of Denver, 1996
Career: Formed the lobbying firm of Aponte Hogan and Busam in 1999, with clients including The Children’s Hospital, Colorado Bar Association, Colorado Counties, Donor Awareness Council in Colorado, Arapahoe House, Colorado Nonprofit Association, March of Dimes, and public school districts in Colorado Springs
Family: Husband, Matthew, who is the son of former Lt. Gov. Mark Hogan
