Lunderville shifts roles in Douglas administration

This week, we learned more about rumored shifts in the leadership of the most influential agencies in state government. We learned that Neale Lunderville will be moving from secretary of transportation to secretary of administration. There he will be responsible for passing the Gov. Jim Douglas' budget.

Lunderville cut his teeth on the campaign trail running the Governor's campaigns. But he has ably run the department of transportation. With the scare of the bridge collapsing in Minnesota last year, Lunderville proactively reached out to the press and handled the department's management of the issue extremely well. Lunderville is far more than a political operator. He has a keen since of management, but his most important attribute currently is the absolute trust the governor has in him.

Many said Lunderville's appointment to the secretary of transportation was inappropriate, but he proved an able leader of an extremely important agency. Now, he will go to an even more difficult job. But we are predicting equal success.

The one worry Douglas should have is if McCain were to win the White House, Lunderville's long-time political pal, Jim Barnett, now political adviser to McCain, may entice Lunderville to return to Washington, D.C., where they both went to school at American University.