JACKSON - Gov.-elect Haley Barbour's staff continued to take shape this week as two experienced political professionals signed on for duty.
Barbour earlier this month announced the appointment of former state Rep. Charlie Williams as his chief of staff. Joining Williams as deputy chief of staff will be former Gov. Kirk Fordice's communications director John Arledge of Brandon.
After leaving the Fordice administration, Arledge joined the staff of the statewide Community Bank system - rising to the post of senior vice president for marketing.
Arledge's prior gubernatorial staff experience plus the statewide private sector networking accomplished in his banking career makes his service valuable to the new governor.
Despite clashing frequently with the media during Fordice's tenure over policy issues, Arledge maintained a solid working relationship with most of the state's media outlets and while a banker served a term as a member of the Clarion-Ledger's Editorial Board.
With Barbour campaign spokesman Quinton Dickerson set to pursue other professional interests, Arledge will fill a challenging media and public relations void for the new governor and do so able to hit the ground running.
Arledge is perhaps best remembered during his Fordice administration tenure for orchestrating Fordice's successful 1995 campaign debate with Democratic challenger Dick Molpus at the Neshoba County Fair. Seen as a gamble for Fordice in Molpus' political backyard, Arledge had his candidate primed and ready for a street fight. Fordice left the fairgrounds with a commanding lead in that race.
Arledge has strong ties to Mississippi State and to the state's business community.
he other bright young political operative who will become a key lieutenant in the Barbour administration is Jim Perry of Jackson.
Perry, a former legislative assistant to 1st District U.S. Rep. Roger Wicker and a veteran of both President George W. Bush's 2000 campaign staff and Barbour's 2003 campaign staff, will serve the new governor as policy director - the same post he held during the Barbour campaign.
A graduate of the University of Virginia, Perry - a Neshoba County native and the son of longtime Republicans Pete Perry and Alice Perry - brings to the table an encyclopedic knowledge of GOP politics and knows how to maneuver inside the Beltway in Washington. His working knowledge of the federal grant system from his days on Wicker's staff will enable him to help Barbour leverage his Republican relationships on Capitol Hill to the state's maximum benefit.
The troika of Williams, Arledge and Perry gives Barbour a solid team on which to build his administration. Couple those solid political players with a diverse, interesting mix of transition committee members and Barbour's prospects for success appear bright.
But as with all governors, Barbour faces a relatively short honeymoon and there are those individuals in the Legislature like state Rep. Steve Holland of Plantersville who feel duty bound to remind the state's chief executive officer that it is the legislative branch of state government that wields the lion's share of power.
While that reality remains, Barbour has to date surrounded himself with people who know the system and can be immediately effective. With money still tight across the board in state government, Barbour will need every advantage he can muster.
