Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell’s first staff appointments, announced Thursday, included two people with Lynchburg-area connections.
His chief of staff, Martin Kent, is a native of Hurt in Pittsylvania County. Kent practiced law in Altavista until 2001, when he became an attorney in the office of attorney general.
After McDonnell was elected attorney general in 2006, he appointed Kent as his chief counsel to work with the governor’s office and General Assembly.
McDonnell said Kent is both a lawyer and certified professional accountant, and that he was “not partisan” in his relationships with the governor and legislators.
Eric Finkbeiner, who said he’s a graduate of Jefferson Forest High School, was named McDonnell’s senior advisor for policy. McDonnell said Finkbeiner would serve in a cabinet-level capacity.
Previously, Finkbeiner served under governors Doug Wilder and George Allen, handling communications duties associated with criminal justice for Wilder. He was Allen’s policy adviser on public safety and transportation issues.
Finkbeiner leaves a partnership-level position with the McGuireWoods law firm in Richmond, where he has worked since 1999, doing lobbying work as well as handling legal matters.
McDonnell announced three other staff appointments Thursday.
Ric Brown, who has held top-level jobs involving the state budget since 2001, will stay on as secretary of finance for an undetermined period, McDonnell said.
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine appointed Brown to the secretary position in 2008.
Earlier, it had been expected that Brown would retire, but McDonnell said his knowledge of the state budget was essential as more revenue shortfalls loom.
Kaine has said Virginia’s next two-year budget will be $3.6 billion smaller than the current one.
Brown is overseeing the task of keeping expenses within revenues.
McDonnell also reached into the Office of Attorney General staff for another appointment. He named Marla Decker as secretary of public safety. She has been an assistant attorney general for 26 years, focusing on public safety and law enforcement.
McDonnell also announced that Tucker Martin would be his communications director. Martin also was director of communications for McDonnell’s gubernatorial campaign against Democrat Creigh Deeds.
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