Rep. Weissman to serve as House Dems' chief of staff

The House Democratic caucus has chosen a legislator with long experience at the capitol to serve as its chief of staff for the 68th General Assembly.

Rep. Paul M. Weissman, D-Louisville, will lead the new minority party's team of employees, and provide strategic guidance to members of the caucus, after serving four terms in the House and one in the Senate between 1993-97.

Weissman, 46, is term-limited in the House.

"I feel like we snagged the big one!," minority leader Sal Pace, D-Pueblo, said in a statement. "Paul has managed the Blue Parrot restaurant in Louisville for years, and he understands how to run government like a business, with an eye on the bottom line and balancing the budget. He is widely respected in the Capitol and among stakeholders for his commitment to bi-partisanship. His deep understanding of the issues and of legislative process, and his integrity and ethics make him a natural fit. It doesn't hurt that like all good bartenders, he has a great sense of humor and an ability to listen to others."

Statehouse Dem spokeswomen leaving for private sector jobs

The Democratic caucuses in the state Senate and House of Representatives will have new chief media relations officers next year.

Veteran House Democratic spokeswoman Katie Reinisch and Democratic Senate caucus spokeswoman Abigail Vacanti are returning to the private sector.

Reinisch and her husband aim to become entrepreneurs. They plan to open a frozen yogurt franchise in Denver, Reinisch said in an e-mail message.

"After four wonderful sessions in the majority, working for the inspiring Speakers Romanoff and Carroll and with top-notch bosses Kelly Nordini, Will Coyne and Jen Walmer, I had decided months ago that if we lost the majority in the House, I would leave," Reinisch said.

"There's many reasons why: I'm too old and spoiled to lose the clout of the majority, to face a one-third pay cut in the minority, and to have to cut back programs I believe in so that we can continue to balance the budget," she continued.

Reinisch said that her and her husband want to "leave something for our teenage girls to build upon."

"And we hope we will have more money and time for philanthropy, especially with ASAP which brings Denver volunteers to Tanzania to work alongside locals building schools," she explained. "Our whole family is returning this summer for our second ASAP trip."

ASAP is an acronym for The Africa School Assistance Project.

According to a report in the Denver Post, Vacanti will join a public relations firm.

Vacanti was unavailable for comment as this article was posted.

The story by the Post's Jessica Fender indicates that the House Democratic caucus' chief of staff, Jen Walmer, is also leaving her job.