Barrett Marson Bids Adieu as House Speaker's Spokesman and Capitol Blogger

Barrett Marson, spokesman for outgoing Arizona House Speaker Jim Weiers, says in an e-mailed farewell that he'll look back fondly on his four years dealing with the "jackals" in the media, some of whom he may have even enjoyed getting to know. Friends and acquaintances of Marson's know he's just joshing...

By Ray Stern

December 10, 2008

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        }
      ]

Barrett Marson, spokesman for outgoing Arizona House Speaker Jim Weiers, says in an e-mailed farewell that he'll look back fondly on his four years dealing with the "jackals" in the media, some of whom he may have even enjoyed getting to know.

Friends and acquaintances of Marson's know he's just joshing about the jackals. Mostly, anyway. The jovial, hirsute voice of Republican leadership at the State Capitol was a reporter once himself for the East Valley Tribune and Arizona Daily Star.

While at the capitol, Marson used his insider knowledge to produce a political blog that sometimes broke news, though he had to play it rather straight to keep his Republican bosses happy. Marson says he won't be writing on the blog anymore, and the whole thing may come down soon. We appreciated that he was one of the few Republican bloggers in town who didn't hide behind a fake name.

"I'm still weighing my opportunities for the future," Marson says when asked what he's doing next.

Marson's farewell e-mail follows:

Hello,

As you may have heard or read, I am leaving the House of Representatives after 4 glorious years serving House Speaker Jim Weiers, the House Republican Caucus, the people of Arizona and yes, the jackals of the media. I truly enjoyed my time at the House and enjoyed getting to know so many people, including maybe even you. I will always look back fondly on this job and all the great people who made getting up in the morning a precious event. I never imagined having a rewarding career after newspapers until Speaker Weiers asked me to join his staff. And for that, I owe him a great amount of gratitude. I look forward to the many opportunities the future holds and hope to stay in touch with you as time goes by. Thank you for welcoming me into your world, whether you wanted me there or not. (Cell phone number deleted -- sorry, all you would-be crank-callers. I am always here for you if'n you need anything. And if you wanna go to Vegas, you now know how to get a hold of me!

Barrett Marson
Director of Communications
Arizona House of Representatives
602-926-3233
http://www.azhousegop.blogspot.com

-- Ray Stern

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.

Ray Stern is the former news editor of Phoenix New Times. He worked as a newspaper reporter in Arizona for more than two decades. He's won numerous awards for his reporting, including the Arizona Press Club's Don Bolles Award for Investigative Journalism.