Doug Friednash
| Doug Friednash | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Organization: | Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck |
| Role: | Attorney |
| Location: | Denver, Colo. |
| Affiliation: | Democrat |
| Education: | •University of California, Santa Barbara •University of San Diego Law School |
| Prior Experience | |
| Chief of staff, John Hickenlooper gubernatorial administration, 2015-2017 | |
Doug Friednash is an attorney in Denver, Colorado. From January 2015 to November 2017, he was the chief of staff for Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D).[1] From 1992 to 1996, Friednash was a member of the Colorado House of Representatives, and he has worked as an attorney in Denver since 1988.[2]
Career
Education and early career
After graduating with a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1984, Friednash studied law at the University of San Diego Law School, graduating in 1987. After receiving his law degree he worked on the campaign staff for Michael Dukakis' (D-Mass.) 1988 presidential campaign.[2] From 1988 to 1992, he worked in the enforcement section of the office of the Colorado attorney general.[3]
Colorado House of Representatives
From 1992 to 1996, Friednash represented Southeast Denver in the Colorado House of Representatives.[2]
Denver city attorney
Friednash served as the city attorney for Denver from 2011 to 2013, where he represented the city in collective bargaining negotiations, negotiations regarding the Denver International Airport, and in litigation filed against the city by citizens.[4]
Comments on excessive force lawsuits, 2012
In 2012, Friednash was criticized by the ACLU for his approach to handling complaints against Denver police for what some claimed was the use of excessive force. Friednash said the city aimed to settle the lawsuits rather than litigate them out of economic concerns, saying, "It’s easy to look at these cases and try to make a media splash. In none of these cases do we admit liability. You have to look at the economics as a steward on behalf of the taxpayers."[5]
Private practice
In 2014, Friednash entered private practice as a shareholder in the Denver law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. He was in charge of the firm's public policy and government relations work.[6]Law Week Colorado summarized the nature of his work at the firm in 2015, writing:[4]
| “ | In his capacity handling private sector cases, Friednash litigated public sector and complex commercial litigation. This includes chairing a national securities fraud case, representing pharmaceutical benefit management company and the largest privately-held jeweler in the United States in complex commercial litigation and trademark infringement issues.[7] | ” |
John Hickenlooper chief of staff
Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper (D) announced that Friednash would serve as his chief of staff in January 2015. Friednash replaced Roxanne White.[8] According to The Denver Post, Friednash had previously worked with Hickenlooper during his 2014 re-election campaign. Friednash played the role of Republican candidate Bob Beauprez in practice debates.[9]
According to a statement from Hickenlooper at the time, Friednash was hired "oversee the management of state agencies, advise the governor and cabinet members on state issues and provide crisis management support, [and] help to fill critical positions within the cabinet and senior staff."[10]
Friednash left the administration in November 2017 to rejoin the law firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. He was succeeded by Pat Meyers.[1]
Chief of staff
- See also: Gubernatorial chiefs of staff
In 2017, Ballotpedia identified Doug Friednash as a gubernatorial chief of staff. A chief of staff is the lead staff member of an administration and is responsible for implementing the governor's agenda.
The role is both a managerial and advisory position, although specific duties vary by administration. The chief of staff typically has the following responsibilities, according to the National Governors Association (NGA):[11]
- Control access to the governor and manage the governor's calendar;
- Monitor the flow of information to the governor on policy issues;
- Oversee gubernatorial Cabinet and staff; and
- Manage and communicate the governor's policy agenda to the state legislature and the public.
In terms of policymaking, the NGA notes that a chief of staff is responsible for bringing policy and communications together: "The chief is responsible for overseeing the development of the governor’s policy agenda. The policy director or advisor is typically responsible for shaping the general concepts and specific details of the agenda with input from the communications director, policy staff and cabinet members. The chief often must take charge and bring the pieces together coherently."[11]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Doug Friednash'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kiowa County Press, "Hickenlooper’s Chief of Staff Steps Down, Replacement Named," November 28, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 LinkedIn, "Doug Friednash," accessed August 2, 2017
- ↑ Denver Public Schools Foundation, "Douglas J. Friednash," accessed August 2, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Law Week Colorado, "Hick Names Doug Friednash As Chief Of Staff," January 12, 2015
- ↑ The Denver Post, "Denver pays $1.34 million to settle police brutality cases," January 12, 2012
- ↑ Governor John Hickenlooper, "Douglas Friednash," archived August 2, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Denver Post, "Hickenlooper appoints Doug Friednash chief of staff," January 11, 2015
- ↑ The Denver Post, "Governor names Friednash as chief of staff," January 11, 2015
- ↑ Denver Business Journal, "Hickenlooper names Doug Friednash his chief of staff," January 11, 2015
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 National Governors Association, "The Many Roles of the Governor’s Chief of Staff," accessed April 20, 2021
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