bye bye love baby.

As of October 3rd, Premier Klein will a new chief enforcer.

The (twice, third time?) resignation of the perennial Chief of Staff of the Premier's Office, Mr. Rod Love, has happened again.

Mr. Love, who recently announced his departure from the Premier's office, will be returning to the private sector.

Mr. Love, who served as Klein's Chief of Staff from 1992 to 1997, replaced Peter Elzinga as Chief of Staff earlier this year (Elzinga, who served as the PC MP for Pembina from 1974 to 1986 and the PC MLA for Sherwood Park from 1986 to 1993, replaced Steve West as Chief of Staff following the 2004 Election and later replaced defeated Tory MLA Drew Hutton as the Executive Director of the Alberta PC Party - a position he currently holds).

Mr. Peter Kruselnicki will replace Mr. Love.

According to a press release from the Premier's Office:

"Peter Kruselnicki, a former deputy minister and long-time public servant, will assume the duties of Premier Ralph Klein's Chief of Staff effective Monday, October 3.

...

Mr. Kruselnicki is currently on secondment from the government of Alberta to the University of Victoria, Wellington, New Zealand, Faculty of Public Administration."

Mr. Kruselnicki was Alberta's Deputy Minister of Labour under former Minister Murray Smith (now Alberta's "Ambassador" to Washington DC) and Deputy Minister of Finance under former Finance Minister's Stockwell Day (before Day's jump into the Canadian Alliance leadership race), Steve West (who didn't seek re-election in 2001 and was Klein's Chief of Staff before Elzinga), and Pat Nelson (Nelson did not seek re-election in 2004). Mr. Kruselnicki left for New Zealand following the November 2004 election.

Just as interesting as the incestuous nature of Alberta PC politics is that this seems to be the first "non-politico" to fill the Chief of Staff position in as far back as we can remember... (props to Duncan for pointing this out to us).