10:13 PM Tue, Jun 17, 2008 | Permalink Mark Hebert
Governor Beshear is expected to announce later this week that his Chief of Staff, Jim Cauley, will be leaving. And speculation is centering on Department of Homeland Security Director Adam Edelen as Cauley's replacement. Edelen is a likable young guy with an eye on running for office someday. The question is, can he help Beshear recover lost brownie points with unions, county officials and others who complain that the man they supported for governor won't return their phone calls, much less see them in his office. Chief of Staff is a grubby, political, problem solving job. We'll see if Edelen is up to it.
2 Comments
Anonymous said:
Cauley leaving will be the best thing to happen
since Fletcher left. Cauley's expertise lay in
the winning of campaigns, a vocation which I
heartily hope he takes back up. As a campaign
manager, he is successful, as a Chief of Staff he
is not. I hope he is replaced with someone who
has both political gravitas and strong management
skills. Edelen hasn’t shown he has both of those
in sufficient quantity to hold the Chief of Staff
post. Adam would be a good Chief of Staff with 10
more years of experience. Unfortunately, this
post isn’t the place for on the job training.
Frankfort Watcher said:
It is unfortunate that you are attempting to trash Edelen before he is even given a chance to do the job. He is a proven leader in business, government and politics. Name one other person under the age of 40 (much less 35) who has chaired the Metro United Way campaign, served on the Pritchard Committee and chaired the KET Board. He is a superstar, period.
He has hands-on experience in the Governor's office too. Having spent several years under Skipper Martin, he is blessed with the knowledge of knowing what works and what doesn't. I can guarantee you that one lesson he learned a long time ago is the necessity of returning phone calls and solving problems. I think he will do a fantastic job. Do us all a favor and wait until the guy has a chance to do the job before you trash him. That's only fair.
Cauley leaving will be the best thing to happen
since Fletcher left. Cauley's expertise lay in
the winning of campaigns, a vocation which I
heartily hope he takes back up. As a campaign
manager, he is successful, as a Chief of Staff he
is not. I hope he is replaced with someone who
has both political gravitas and strong management
skills. Edelen hasn’t shown he has both of those
in sufficient quantity to hold the Chief of Staff
post. Adam would be a good Chief of Staff with 10
more years of experience. Unfortunately, this
post isn’t the place for on the job training.
It is unfortunate that you are attempting to trash Edelen before he is even given a chance to do the job. He is a proven leader in business, government and politics. Name one other person under the age of 40 (much less 35) who has chaired the Metro United Way campaign, served on the Pritchard Committee and chaired the KET Board. He is a superstar, period.
He has hands-on experience in the Governor's office too. Having spent several years under Skipper Martin, he is blessed with the knowledge of knowing what works and what doesn't. I can guarantee you that one lesson he learned a long time ago is the necessity of returning phone calls and solving problems. I think he will do a fantastic job. Do us all a favor and wait until the guy has a chance to do the job before you trash him. That's only fair.