Dawn Gibbons plans to help form a task force to focus attention on what the state can do about autism research and care. Photo by The Associated Press

The first lady who moved into the Governor's Mansion with a pledge to ban alcohol from most of its functions has hired as her new right-hand woman the former manager of a vineyard.

Dawn Gibbons last week parted ways with her chief of staff, Ande Engleman. Engleman's replacement, Gibbons said last week, is 26-year-old Katarena Arger, a Reno native whose resume consists of running her father's Napa Valley vineyard in California, Arger-Martucci Vineyards.

Arger will not have the title of chief of staff; she'll be known as Gibbons' executive assistant.

Gibbons said she was excited to work with someone who is smart, motivated and like-minded.

"What I like about her is she's passionate about issues, and they happen to be issues I care about too," she said.

Gibbons got rave reviews last week for a presentation on methamphetamine she teamed up with Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto on.

Gibbons said the next issue she hopes to tackle is autism. She said the state should see what it can do about autism research and care, to help all the parents of autistic children who are too exhausted to speak for themselves.

Gibbons said she was working with Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, and state Sen. Randolph Townsend, R-Reno, on the issue.

"I'm just getting people together," she said. "That's what I do."

Gibbons said she and her allies would look at forming a task force to focus attention on the autism issue.

As for the potential irony of Arger's old job and new circumstances, Gibbons laughed.

"She looked at the wine in the mansion and said it was really crappy anyway," the first lady said.

BERKLEY REBUKES KARL ROVE

Presidential adviser Karl Rove probably didn't know what he was wading into last week when he unleashed the wrath of Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev.

Rove reportedly told a Republican women's luncheon in Washington, D.C., that immigrant labor was necessary because he didn't want to see his 17-year-old son forced to "pick tomatoes or make beds in Las Vegas" for a living.

Berkley, whose district includes the Strip, took umbrage.

"Your remarks insinuate that physical labor is only for people you see as lower class, and beneath the dignity of those born into privilege," Berkley wrote in an open letter to Rove.

"Making beds in Las Vegas for a living may not provide the perks you are accustomed to as a senior White House staffer, but on average, these jobs pay good wages and in most cases, offer affordable health care coverage and other benefits.

"In the future, I hope that you will think twice before demeaning the jobs of hard working Nevadans and others like them all across the nation who are the backbone of our economy. Unlike you, they may never get to travel the world or take home a big salary courtesy of the American taxpayer, but these men and women know the meaning of hard work and the value of a day's pay. I urge you to respect honest work, not denigrate it."

ENSIGN PULLING PUNCHES?

Republican Sen. John Ensign has become one of the more vocal supporters of the U.S. troop surge in Iraq. But he is bending over backward not to directly criticize his Nevada counterpart, Harry Reid, the leader of the Democrats' campaign against the plan.

In a speech Wednesday, Ensign charged a half-dozen Democrats with flip-flopping. They once were open to putting more soldiers on the ground in Iraq but oppose it now that it has been proposed by President Bush, he said.

Ensign singled out Democrats John Kerry of Massachusetts, Richard Durbin of Illinois, Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, Joe Biden of Delaware and Jack Reed of Rhode Island, based on "inconsistencies" in their remarks on talk shows and in hometown newspapers.

Not mentioned was Reid. On Dec. 17, the Senate majority leader told "Meet the Press" host Tim Russert he would be open to a troop surge under some conditions. Two days later, Reid said he did not support the idea.

Asked about the omission, Ensign said he was aware that Reid's position had shifted "now that you mention it," but it was not in the research prepared by his staff.

Despite being on opposite sides, Reid and Ensign are friends who have agreed not to criticize each other personally.

That arrangement is being tested as never before now that Reid is Senate leader and Ensign, as Senate campaign chairman, has a higher profile to carry competing GOP messages.

For instance, talking to reporters on Thursday, Ensign complained about how "Democrats" were handling a major spending bill set for debate this week.

That left it to Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., sitting nearby, to mention Reid's role in controlling amendments.

Ensign and Reid have always had policy differences, but both have said it would serve no purpose for them to personalize or broadcast their disagreements when they need to work together on local issues like Yucca Mountain.

But some activists believe Ensign isn't being a true conservative if he is pulling punches, said Chuck Muth, an outspoken Nevada conservative.

"A lot of Republicans are frustrated, and a lot of Democrats are just as frustrated with Reid," Muth said. "It is nice to be civil and to work in a bipartisan manner for the state when possible, but there are some issues where Reid and Ensign are going to be on opposite sides, and there is nothing wrong with airing that out."

LEGISLATIVE ADDRESSES

Most members of Nevada's congressional delegation have scheduled their ritual addresses to the Legislature.

Reid is to speak at 5 p.m. Feb. 20, and Ensign is to speak at 5 p.m. Feb. 21. Berkley's address is scheduled for 5 p.m. Feb. 26.

Although Republican Reps. Jon Porter and Dean Heller hadn't yet scheduled their speeches last week, they were expected to fall around the same time. Congress is in recess the week of Feb. 19.

KROLICKI STEPPING IN

Next week, Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki will have his first moment in the sun as the state's acting governor. Gov. Jim Gibbons will be off duty on Feb. 23 as he attends the National Governors Association meeting in Washington, D.C.

Krolicki said last week he's not planning to steal the spotlight as some of his predecessors have done, using their temporary powers to wreak havoc.

"It'll be business as usual," he said. "It will be a moment that I'm very proud, but it's just a day I do what I'm supposed to do, go to work and do my job."

Krolicki said he didn't even plan to use the governor's parking spot for the day, since "I have one right next to it."

Before becoming lieutenant governor this year, Krolicki was state treasurer for eight years and in the treasurer's office for eight years before that. But the lieutenant governor's position is technically a part-time one, meaning he's looking for work for the first time in a long time.

The lieutenant governor's salary is $60,000 per year, down from the $80,000 annual pay Krolicki received as treasurer.

For now, Krolicki said, he's devoting himself full time to the post nonetheless.

"It's a new job, a new experience," he said. "There's a learning curve. There's a lot of people in different places that I need to know. For me, it's a full-time endeavor right now."

After the legislative session is over and things cool down in six months or so, Krolicki said, he will examine his employment options.

"I'm a financial person. I come from a Wall Street environment, so it'll probably be something related to asset management or banking," he said.

Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault contributed to this report. Contact political reporter Molly Ball at 387-2919 or MBall@reviewjournal.com.