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Senator Werk Elected to State Senate Leadership
Post Note: It is with great sadness that the
Senate Democrats were forced to elect new leadership. We all look forward
to the return of our leader - Senator Stennett
Senate Democrats reshuffle
in Boise after Stennett departure - The
Times-News
By Jared S.
Hopkins
Times-News writer BOISE - Senate Democrats shook up their
leadership team Wednesday, electing a three-person faction from Boise and
replacing Clint Stennett as minority leader with Kate Kelly.
The seven-member caucus also
elevated four-term lawmaker Elliot Werk to assistant minority leader from
caucus chairman, a position filled by Les Bock, who moved over
from the House this year.
Democrats said the changes came only
because Stennett announced Monday he'll miss the entire 2009 session. The
Ketchum senator who was recently elected to an eighth term is undergoing
treatment after undergoing brain surgery a year ago. Jon Thorson has been
serving as his temporary replacement.
"We just feel we need a strong leadership
team to move the caucus forward," she said. "We've been talking about this
and it's been difficult. We'd been hopeful he'd come back (this
session)."
Kelly said Stennett was consulted before
the vote and upon his return the caucus will review the leadership
team.
"When he returns we will review the
issue," Kelly said. "We want him back and to be minority leader."
Idaho legislative Democrats elect new leaders - Edition Date: 12/03/08 The Idaho
Democratic Legislative Caucus elected new leaders at its organizational
meeting Wednesday night. Clint
Stennett (D-Ketchum) remains Senate minority leader while former House
caucus chair John Rusche (D-Lewiston) was elected House minority
leader. In
addition to Stennett, the Senate leadership will include Kate Kelly
(D-Boise) as assistant minority leader and Elliot Werk (D-Boise)
as caucus chair. In addition to Rusche, the House leadership will
include James Ruchti (D-Pocatello) as assistant leader and Bill Killen
(D-Boise) as caucus chair. Longtime
House Minority Leader Wendy Jaquet begins a new chapter in public service
as a member of the Joint Finance Appropriations Committee. Jaquet
(D-Ketchum) became House Minority Leader in 1998. During her decade in the
job, she increased the size of the caucus, established a year-round caucus
operation with a professional staff member, started the popular statewide
“Pizza and Politics” series and helped build the Democratic brand across
the state. But she has been interested in JFAC since her first run for the
legislature in 1994, and she said the time is right to move into that
role. Leaders
Stennett and Rusche are also members of the bipartisan Legislative
Council. Joining them will be Kate Kelly and Nicole LeFavour from the
Senate and Anne Pasley-Stuart and Donna Pence from the
House. Here are
brief biographies of each lawmaker in leadership: Senate
Minority Leader Clint Stennett: Raised on a dairy farm in southern
Assistant
Senate Minority Leader Kate Kelly: A 22-year resident of District 18,
Kelly was a manager at the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and
served six years as a deputy attorney general before her 2004 election to
the State Senate. She is a graduate of the University of Idaho College of
Mines, the University of Utah College of Law, Senate
Caucus Chair Elliot Werk: A member of the Idaho State Senate
since 2003, Werk has served on the education, health and welfare, local
government and taxation, commerce, and finance committees. Werk is the
president of the Borah Neighborhood Association and is very active in
quality of life issues in House
Minority Leader John Rusche: Born in
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