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By Anjeanette Damon (contact) 
Thursday, Aug. 16, 2012 | 4:18 p.m.
Heidi Gansert
Former Assemblywoman Heidi Gansert announced today she was stepping down as Gov. Brian Sandoval’s chief of staff, becoming the second high-ranking staff member to leave the administration this summer.
In a statement released Thursday afternoon, Gansert said she was leaving now to give the new chief of staff time to help Sandoval build his budget and agenda for the next legislative session, which begins in February.
“After weeks of discussion with my family and subsequently with Gov. Sandoval, I have decided this is the right time for me to step down as Gov. Sandoval’s chief of staff,” Gansert said. “As most everyone who is involved in state government knows, the chief of staff position requires an extraordinary commitment and I have given it my all since helping lead the transition and from our first day in office.”
Sandoval said he was “sorry to see” Gansert leave the administration.
“Heidi’s expertise with the state budget and policy matters was tremendously helpful during the legislative session and she has been a steady hand with my Cabinet and the operations of state government,” he said. “I am grateful she agreed to serve during these important first two years.”
Gansert is a former three-term legislator and leader of the Assembly Republican caucus. She came to the administration with a conservative fiscal philosophy and helped lead Sandoval’s budget debate during the 2011 legislative session.
Last month, Sandoval’s senior adviser Dale Erquiaga resigned to move closer to his family in Arizona.
A huge loss
Like rats jumping from a sinking ship.
I'm sure Governor Sandoval will take this extraordinary opportunity to put people in place who will be even more ruthless towards slashing education, giving the savings to wealthy casinos/mining in the form of subsidies/tax breaks, and just generally continue to pulverize the working people of this State into dust.
Something is rotten and they do not want to be their when it hits the fan. The "Apple" deal is beginning to smell a little rotten.
Or maybe running a state in the middle of the great recession is exhausting, public servant pay is paltry compared to what a similarly qualified person can make in private practice, and the title "chief of staff" provides good exit options.
Ms. Gansert was always tax and tax and tax to spend, spend, spend on K-12, on higher ed, on anything but had no time to look into why we "should" spend endless amounts with no accountability. I hope she's learned a lot from the Governor's staff and that she reforms her outlook. Could the taxpayers get some respect instead on constant insults?