Steve Beshear

Staff reshuffling in the office of Gov. Steve Beshear (D-Lexington) continued today, with the announcement that communications director Dick Brown will be replaced by Jay Blanton.

Blanton comes to the position after a nearly four year tenure as executive director of marketing and public relations for the University of Kentucky. Prior to that job, he served as deputy communications director for Louisville's Democratic mayor, Jerry Abramson.

He also worked with the public relations firms Guthrie-Mayes and Preston-Osbourne.

The switch in the office comes seven months into Beshear's first term as governor and just a week since an earlier change by Beshear brought Adam Edelen in as chief of staff.

Former U.S. Rep Carol Hubbard (D-Lowes) speaks on Monday in Murray: Politicker Photo

MURRAY -- Speaking to Democratic activists at the Purchase Area Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in Murray on Monday night, former U.S. Rep and state Senator Carroll Hubbard (D-Lowes) put his race for the 1st state Senate district on a list of three key races he said could help swing the Republican-controlled state Senate back to the Democrats.

In addition to his own bid, Hubbard said wins by Democratic challengers Steve Newberry in the 9th district and Kathy Groob in the 23rd district would push the minority party in the Senate to within one seat of a majority.

Republicans currently hold a 22 to 15 advantage over Democrats in the Senate, with one independent. Democratic wins in Hubbard's proposed targets would push that advantage down to 19 to 18.

Then, Hubbard suggested, Democratic Governor Steve Beshear (D-Lexington) might take over the rest of the work in putting the Senate back in Democratic hands.

The lexicon in the office of Governor Steve Beshear (D-Lexington) may be changing with the arrival of Adam Edelen, who took the helm as Beshear's new chief of staff last week.

In an interview with PolitickerKY.com conducted last Friday, Edelen says he is bringing the lessons of his experience in the private sector with him into Beshear's office, noting he wants the administration to become more "customer service oriented" in its dealings.

"It's important to note I am not a political professional. I would bristle at the term," Edelen said. "I am a businessman who has been involved in politics and not the other way around."

Edelen joins Beshear's staff after a stint heading Kentucky's Office of Homeland Security. With Beshear already having faced a fair share of struggles in his first 6 months in office - including stalls in the legislature on his proposed expanded casino gaming and tobacco tax initiatives - Edelen has his work cut out for him in the high-pressure chief of staff role.

Still, the 33 year-old University of Kentucky graduate - who began his career working as an aide to former Democratic Governor Paul Patton - says his business training and his close relationships with many of Frankfort's prominent faces will help him push Beshear's agenda forward.

In the interview below, Edelen says he plans on helping Beshear "invert the pyramid" of traditional leadership models by having the governor bring his policies to the people of Kentucky more frequently, with the expectation that Beshear will be increasingly visible across the state

The special session in the Kentucky state legislature seems to have passed without a hitch, as Governor Steve Beshear (D-Lexington) signed pension reform legislation this afternoon, ending five days of overtime for state legislators in Frankfort.

"The quick action by House and Senate leadership has brought about the intended results I outlined when I first challenged the General Assembly on May 29 to act on this issue," said Beshear, in a statement released after he signed the bill.

The pension legislation sailed through the state legislature during the session, passing the Democratically-controlled House 98-0 on Wednesday and the Republican-controlled Senate today, 35-1.

Everything seems to be going as planned during this week's special legislative session in Frankfort, with pension legislation sailing through the House today on a 98-0 vote.

The draft legislation - agreed to by House and Senate leaders as a pre-condition for Gov. Steve Beshear's (D-Lexington) calling of the session - passed through the House's state government committee with ease on Monday.

The bill will now move to the Republican-controlled state Senate. Passage of the legislation is expected by Friday - the last scheduled day of the five-day special session.

Gov. Steve BeshearFRANKFORT -- With progress on the passage of pension reform legislation moving quickly during this week's special legislative session, Gov. Steve Beshear (D-Lexington) told a joint session of the state legislature that successful policy making over the next five days could foster hope for cooperation in the divided state government.

"I am optimistic about the future," said Beshear. "A quick and successful special session can signal the beginning of a new era in Frankfort, one where cooperation on critical public policy is the norm and where politics and partisanship are reserved for campaigns."

Today, the draft pension legislation agreed upon by House and Senate leadership prior to the anticipated five-day special session met a successful vote in the House state government committee. It could now find its way to a Senate vote by Thursday.

The progress comes after negotiations on pension reform collapsed in the last days of the regular legislative session. For Beshear, that stumble was one of several during the session on priority legislation. His initiative to significantly raise the state tobacco tax failed to pass muster with the Republican-controlled state Senate while a vaunted constitutional amendment on expanded casino gaming failed to see a vote even on the floor of the Democratic state House.

Pension reform legislation - passage of which is the reason for this week's special legislative session - quickly zipped through the House's state government commitee today.

Polwatchers reports the bill was debated for just an one and a half hours in committee before it was sent to the House floor, where it will be considered over the course of the next two days. The bill is then expected to hit the state Senate.

Governor Steve Beshear (D-Lexington) called the special session in Frankfort to address shortcomings in the state pension system. House and Senate leadership have already agreed to the draft legislation in question - a pre-condition of Beshear calling the session - making a brief stay in Frankfort likely for legislators.

Beshear will address a joint session of the House and Senate at 7pm tonight with regard to the legislation.

Gov. Steve Beshear's office confirmed this morning that his chief of staff, Jim Cauley, has decided to leave his administration to start a political consulting business.

Cauley will be replaced in the position by Adam Edelen, who is presently serving as the executive director of the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security.

"With his political acumen, strategic mind and never-failing good humor, Jimmy has been an integral part of my team and will be sorely missed," Governor Beshear said in a statement released today. "Without him, I would never have been elected. We know this was a tough decision for Jimmy, but we understand that this is the right time in this talented young man's career to move on to other opportunities."

Cauley previously served as campaign manager for Beshear's succesful 2007 governor's run. That position brought him back to Kentucky after he ran Barack Obama's 2004 bid for the open U.S. Senate seat in Illinois.

Gov. Steve Beshear (D-Lexington) made it official this afternoon - the Kentucky state legislature will meet for a short special session to consider the pension reform package upon which House and Senate leadership are said to have largely agreed.

"The current condition of the public employee pension systems in Kentucky puts the retirement of Kentucky's teachers, firefighters, police officers, emergency workers and city, county and state employees at risk," said Beshear in a statement released today. "These people have worked hard and earned the right to be financially secure when they retire. The reforms that the House and Senate leadership and I have agreed to will go a long way toward placing the pension systems on a sound financial footing."