Governor Caricieri's office just announced that Kerry King will be joining the administration as its executive counsel in late September, replacing the departed Andrew Hodgkin. The move is particularly interesting since Carcieri enthusiastically endorsed King when he jumped into the 2006 lieutenant governor's race, and then, like many Republicans, backed away when eventual primary winner Reggie Centracchio got in after a fair bit of wavering. The change led King to charge at the time that the process was rigged.
King, of course, had spent much of his recent life out-of-state, making himself susceptible to charges of being a carpet-bagger. And with Elizabeth Roberts handily beating Centracchio last year, the GOP choice didn't seem to matter all that much.
Carcieri is now talking nice about King.
From a statement:
“Kerry King will be a great addition to my team,” Governor Carcieri said. “He has the legal background necessary to provide me with excellent advice over the coming years. As a seasoned manager, Kerry will also help oversee legal services throughout state government.”
Not coincidentally, the same statement mentions how Claire Richards, the governor's special counsel since 2003, will be leaving state service in a few weeks, so King's hire seems like an opportunity to mend fences while plugging what could become a growing number of administrative departures in the run-up to 2008.