"Speaker of the House Jody Richards had just finished the first of many tours he'll being giving in the next few months around the Capitol for new members and associates of Democratic House delegation when he talked with Business Lexington.
Not only will Richards once again have a super majority in the House, more than 60 of the House's 100 seats, which enables the Democratic bloc to override gubernatorial vetoes and push through appropriation bills without needing support from GOP members, Richards will also have a new lieutenant manning the day-to-day operations in his office.
Louisville attorney and Lexington native David Kaplan was chosen to succeed the retired John Gillig as the third chief of staff in 12 years to work for Richards, the longest-serving speaker in the commonwealth's history. Beyond overseeing the office staff, Kaplan, 35, will advise the speaker on legislation, gauge support within the house and coordinate between other member's staffs, act as a gatekeeper to the now more powerful speaker's ear and serve as general counsel.
Though familiar with state government and the House Democratic Caucus (he spent two years as an assistant attorney general under Ben Chandler and served as the caucus' first treasurer in its fundraising efforts from May 2005 until this August), Kaplan said there still will be a learning curve, which he hopes will be fairly short, with session officially gaveling a month and a half after his recent start date of Nov. 13.
"I need to go in and work with Jody and do an assessment with him for what the needs in the office are. I think continuity and getting me up to speed are going to be priorities, but I'm sure I'll bring my own skill set and my own perspectives to the job, and I think the way the office runs will reflect my own personal style," Kaplan said.
Richards pointed to Kaplan's two graduate degrees from Harvard, including magna cum laude status as a graduate in law, to show his ability to prepare for the needs of 2007's short session of the general assembly.
"He'll be ready to hit the ground running. He has done some significant familiarization with the office already," Richards said.
When interviewed in the days before the election, Kaplan said he hadn't discussed what the legislature's agenda would be for the year, as he was trying to tie-up loose ends with his legal practice at Frost, Brown and Todd.
While he said he had some thoughts on ways his new job could help improve the business climate in Kentucky, he felt it best to keep them to himself until he could discuss those ideas with the speaker.
"My priority will be to communicate with and on behalf of the speaker, with all the folks who have dealings with the legislature and legislative leadership. And what they can expect from me is good, honest, candid communication on all issues that come past the speaker's office," he said.