Deputy chief of staff named to top post in Griffin’s office

Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin has promoted his deputy chief of staff and communications director, David Ray, to chief of staff, Griffin said Monday.

Ray replaces Scott Burton, who said he’s going to be a director of governmental relations for Motorola Solutions in the Midwest and his territory won’t include Arkansas. As Griffin’s chief of staff, Ray will be paid the $95,000-a-year salary that Burton made — an increase over his previous salary of $70,000 a year.

Burton, an attorney, had been Griffin’s chief of staff and general counsel since October 2015. Burton assumed the post after Griffin’s initial chief of staff, Annamarie Atwood, resigned when her husband, who is in the U.S. Air Force, was transferred to Los Angeles.

Ray started working for the lieutenant governor in May of this year. He previously worked as state director for the Americans for Prosperity group, communications director for U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., during the 2014 election and communications director for the state Republican Party.

He also worked for the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2008 and managed congressional campaigns of several Republicans: Tim Huelskamp of Kansas in 2010, Ann Marie Buerkle of New York in 2012 and Griffin in 2013. Griffin decided to run for lieutenant governor instead.