Former Fife Symington chief of staff Chris Herstam called Eileen Klein a "superb choice... due to her extensive state capitol experience and her brains." But Herstam said it's important to keep the shake-up in perspective. "There's always a six to nine month settling process in a new gubernatorial administration," Herstam said, pointing out that Symington had five chiefs of staff in six-and-a-half years.

Gov. Jan Brewer announced that Kevin Tyne, her embattled chief of staff, is leaving her administration and will be replaced by budget chief Eileen Klein. Tyne will stay on with the Governor's Office for the next few weeks to assist Klein with the transition, but Klein will take over as chief of staff immediately, according to Brewer spokesman Paul Senseman. Tyne will join the Republican Governors Association as an adviser, assisting the organization in Arizona and other Western states.

To say that much has occurred since the 2008 Leaders of the Year in Public Policy Awards event is quite an understatement. An economic meltdown leading to a near-depression, the election of the first African-American to the U.S. presidency, a changing of the guard in the Executive Tower and chaos in the Legislature while attempting to deal with Arizona's worst budget deficit ever are just a few of the tumultuous events that mark the past 12 months

Gov. Jan Brewer is going to have to finish the arduous budget process without her top finance advisor. Tom Manos, Brewer’s deputy chief of staff for finance, retired from the governor’s administration July 31, according to the Governor’s Office. Eileen ...

Tax increases. Prison privatization. Lottery securitization. Fund sweeps. Deep spending cuts. Numerous points of contention exist between Gov. Jan Brewer and the Legislature regarding the budget. But before the two sides can sort out those disagreements, they will have to determine exactly how big the fiscal 2010 deficit is.