Kulongoski makes changes in key staff positions

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Gov. Ted Kulongoski has made some more changes at the top.

The governor is replacing Pat Egan, his current chief of staff, with Chip Terhune, the chief lobbyist of the Oregon Education Association, the group that ran an influential advertisement on Kulongoski’s behalf during this fall’s elections.

And another key figure with a background in organized labor, former Oregon AFL-CIO President Tim Nesbitt, will become a deputy chief of staff, concentrating on education, health care, public safety, and natural resources.

The governor is also planning to hire a second chief of staff who will focus on economic development and other business related issues.

Anna Richter-Taylor, who was the chief spokeswoman for Kulongoski’s re-election campaign, will become Kulongoski’s new communications director. The current chief spokesman for the governor’s office, Lonn Hoklin, will move to the Department of Administrative Services.

Terhune will be Kulongoski’s fourth chief of staff, after Columbia Sportswear lawyer Peter Bragdon, budget specialist Theresa McHugh and Egan.

Word about the changes was first reported by Willamette Week on its web site.