Brunson Named Deputy Governor, Elkins General Counsel
From The Associated Press: Gov. Phil Bredesen on Friday named Stuart Brunson to succeed Dave Cooley as deputy governor. Brunson, who operated his own Nashville-based lobbying and public relations firm during 2004 and 2005, was in charge of Bredesen’s 2002 campaign for governor and this year’s re-election campaign. He also worked on Al Gore’s campaign for president in 2000 and numerous other Democratic campaigns.
The deputy governor works as the governor’s top political aide and is not in the line of succession. Brunson’s salary for the job has not been determined, a spokeswoman for the governor said.
Brunson, 39, was not present as Bredesen made his announcement Friday, but said by telephone that he’s looking forward to making the transition from campaign staff to deputy governor.
“I have one goal with this job and that is to help Gov. Bredesen implement his agenda,” the Moscow, Tenn., native said.
Bredesen said Brunson’s strengths include that he’s “very intelligent, very quiet and very soft-spoken.” He said Brunson’s personality differs greatly from Cooley’s.
“It is a clean start. But that is in no way a criticism of Dave Cooley,” Bredesen said.
Cooley announced Dec. 1 that he was resigning to return to the private sector. He caused some controversy about his role in the dismissal of a speeding ticket he got from the Tennessee Highway Patrol deputy and his work with the troubled Department of Safety.
At the same announcement, Bredesen said he was promoting Steve Elkins to the position of legal counsel to replace Bob Cooper. Elkins had been deputy legal counsel to the governor, and Cooper was recently named attorney general.
Bredesen also plans to create a new chief of staff position and has said he plans to fill that position by Jan. 15.
Among Brunson’s past lobbying clients was 1Point Solutions, a Dickson-based manager of flexible-spending and employee-retirement accounts that has been accused in lawsuits of misappropriating or failing to deposit more than $7 million in clients’ funds.
1Point owner Barry Stokes was arrested in October on federal charges. Brunson said the extent of his services with 1Point was one meeting with Stokes.
His 22 other past lobbying clients include health care and health management companies, such as Community Health Systems in Brentwood and Wellmont Health System in Kingsport.
He also represented Chattanooga utility EPB, development companies JCH Development Co. in Nashville and Southland Capital in Memphis, the nonprofit Friends of the University of Memphis and Service Employees International Union, Local 205 in Gallatin.
Brunson said he wouldn’t let his former role as a lobbyist interfere with his duties as deputy governor.
“I’m simply in a different role now as a lobbyist and representative for a firm,” he said. “My job was to give them good advice and try to push their agenda. My job now is to give the governor good advice and try to push his agenda.”
Bredesen said Brunson was ethical and would know to involve other staff if a situation arose with any of his past clients.
Brunson also worked for about a year and a half as a vice president for Qualifacts Systems Inc., a software development company founded by Bredesen. He has worked for McNeely Pigott and Fox Public Relations and holds a degree from the University of Mississippi and a law degree from the University of Memphis.
By Beth Rucker
12/09/2006
