Tim Bee

Incoming Senate President Tim Bee terminated the employment of the chamber’s top four administrators earlier this week.
Those who will be leaving in a few days will be Greg Jernigan, chief of staff/general counsel; Rob Dalager, operations and legal adviser; Mark Swenson, senior policy adviser, and Nick Simonetta, communications and policy adviser.
Mr. Bee said he wanted to build a staff that was supportive of both the members and the public. He also said he felt the long tenure of many of the staffers fired had become a detriment.
“The staff that we have has served us very well, but they’ve been here for a very long time, and I felt it was time for some new blood,” he said. “When you have staff that’s been here longer than members, there sometimes can be a blurring of the lines in the roles.”
Victor Riches, a senior policy and operations adviser for the House of Representatives, will be the new Senate chief of staff. He said he begins his new duties Nov. 20.
“There’s obviously some holes there, so I need to get over there as soon as I can,” he said.
Mr. Riches has worked in the House for two years. Prior to that, he spent eight years in the Senate, where he worked on the research staff before joining the majority staff as a policy adviser.
“It’s been a real honor to work at the House for the past two years and I look forward to going back to the Senate and helping out the Republican caucus,” he said.
Mr. Bee said he selected Mr. Riches as his top adviser because of his track record at the Legislature.
“My experience with Victor has always been one of excellent service to all of our members, and I’ve been impressed with his leadership at the House and felt he would serve us well,” Mr. Bee said.
Outgoing Senate President Ken Bennett said Mr. Bee did not consult with him on the terminations, but expected him to make a couple of changes.
“He went beyond that, but that’s his prerogative,” Mr. Bennett said.
He said Mr. Bee will want to get his new people in fairly soon, and a complete transition of personnel will be finished by the end of the year.
Incoming Majority Whip John Huppenthal, R-20, said he interprets the move as putting a fresh face on the Senate.
“I think what Tim wants to do is send a real clear signal of service to the body that supports the legislators, a body that supports the citizens, and he is looking for, in a sense, some fresh faces to take on the challenges that we are going to face in this session,” he said. “I think he wants to put his stamp on the direction.”
Reporter Jim Small contributed to this story.