November 9, 2004 in City

McMorris names chief of staff

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Former Spokane resident Connie Correll Partoyan was named Monday as the chief of staff for Cathy McMorris, who was elected to Congress last week.

Partoyan, who previously worked for Sen. Slade Gorton, Rep. Rick White and the Bush administration, will leave her job as a lobbyist at the law firm of Preston Gates. She called the job of building a successful congressional office “a long-term proposition.”

“My experience has taught me that freshman members rarely get good committee or room assignments in their first term,” she said. “That is why from Day One we are going to focus on the long term, be deliberate about building our team and take the time to find people who are committed to serve the 5th District.”

McMorris replaces Republican George Nethercutt, a 10-year veteran, and is the first person to win an open seat in Eastern Washington’s 5th District in 62 years. She said she was thrilled to have someone with Partoyan’s experience.

“We are going to reach out across the district and across the state to attract the best and brightest to serve on the staff and in advisory roles,” she said.

Todd Reuter, a partner in Preston Gates’ Spokane office, said Partoyan would be a strong advocate for the Inland Northwest because she grew up in Spokane and has worked on projects for the Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce and Washington State University.

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