Ensign begins to fill out staff

Monday, Nov. 20, 2000 | 4:53 a.m.

Three key staff members for Sen.-elect John Ensign already have been chosen, and it appears he's looking favorably upon minorities and people who worked for him when he was a congressman.

The top job, chief of staff, goes to Scott Bensing, who was Ensign's legislative director for the four years Ensign was in the House. During this year's campaign, Bensing worked out of Reno as deputy campaign manager and policy director. He is the only white male among Ensign's first three hires.

Sonia Joya, who worked on Ensign's Senate campaign and was head of his Las Vegas office when he was a congressman, is a Hispanic who will become the state director in his Senate office.

Television reporter Traci Scott of KLAS-TV, Channel 8, will be Ensign's communications director in Washington, D.C., moving from the position of questioning him to speaking for him.

"People want to know why a black woman will be working for a Republican guy," she said Friday. "He's trying to put his money where his mouth is if he's hiring a person like me."

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