Top Huntsman aide a true wonk
Yes, Neil Ashdown is a full-fledged wonk. And why not? He holds a doctorate in political science from the University of Albany in New York and has published a book titled, "The Impact of Banking Policy on Trade and Global Strategy."
This is a man, after all, who planned to pursue an academic career after leaving his hometown of Lander, Wyo., to attend the University of Utah. Although the 35-year-old studied politics and public policy, his goal was to stay in the ivory tower.
He'd even considered teaching in a foreign country, after tutoring Lebanese officials about government as a graduate student in Albany. A similar assignment in Zimbabwe fell through when the African country erupted into chaos.
About five years ago, Ashdown had reluctantly turned down a post at a college in Mexico that would have taken him off the tenure track when he was offered what he thought would be a temporary break from higher education.
It was a job with — yep — the state Office of Planning and Budget under Gov. Mike Leavitt.
He attracted the attention of a number of politicians eager to better understand Utah's economic situation, including several candidates for governor in the 2004 race. One of those was Jon Huntsman Jr.
After Huntsman was elected governor, he tapped Ashdown to be his deputy chief of staff and made his campaign manager, Jason Chaffetz, his chief of staff — arguably the executive branch's most powerful appointed official.
As deputy chief of staff, Ashdown was in charge of policy. He spent a lot of his time studying the state's tax system as one of the governor's appointments to the Legislature's Tax Reform Task Force.
Chaffetz, who focused more on politics, decided earlier this year it was time to leave state government. He's returning to helping elect candidates as a partner with his brother in a public relations firm that, for now, will focus on Colorado races.
Ashdown took over the top spot last month, just in time to immerse himself in readying the governor's budget and agenda for the legislative session that begins Jan. 16. And he couldn't be happier.
"This is the time of year I'm constantly thinking about the budget anyway," Ashdown said. "The budget for me and policy go hand in hand. You can identify what's really important to the administration by where you put your dollars."
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