Koski, a proud University of Oregon alum, will manage the day-to-day operations in the office while continuing to handle some legislative issues. No word yet on whether his duties include maintaining the close color coordination, familiar to Hill regulars, between Blumenauer’s bowties and his lapel pins.

Assuming Koski’s former post as legislative director will be Portland native Janine Benner. Another veteran Blumenauer staffer, Benner, 27, worked previously as a consumer associate for the California Public Interest Research Group. She graduated with a degree in history and French from Princeton, but she swears Blumenauer’s legislative portfolio won’t take on a distinctive Francophile slant.

New legislative assistant Judah Ariel, 24, will handle Blumenauer’s work on the International Relations Committee. Ariel, a 2004 Brandeis College graduate in sociology, will help Blumenauer as he focuses on international water and environmental issues for the committee. Ariel hopes to curry favor with his boss, who co-founded the House Bike Caucus, by pedaling to work daily on his new set of wheels.

Koski is not the only University of Oregon alum in 2446 Rayburn; joining Blumenauer’s staff is 2003 University of Oregon journalism graduate Jackie Lynn Ray. Ray, 24, who spent last year working in fundraising for the Kerry campaign, is proud to represent the eastern Oregon high desert in the Portland-centric office. Ray will serve as Blumenauer’s personal executive assistant and office manager, and she fears her new position will require her to accompany Blumenauer, Congress’s top marathoner, on his frequent jaunts around Capitol Hill.

Rounding out the new additions to the Capitol office is wet-behind-the-ears office staff assistant Katie Drennan, fresh out of Smith College. Drennan, 22, graduated magna cum laude and hopes to help out on legislative affairs, particularly in the international arena, in addition to taking phone calls from opinionated Portlanders. Drennan, an outdoors aficionado, should fare well in one of the most fitness-minded offices on the Hill.

Finally, Blumenauer’s district office in Portland has a new look, too. Willie Smith, a familiar face in Oregon Democratic politics, comes to the office as a senior adviser after working for six years for Rep. Darlene Hooley (D-Ore.) and managing the successful reelection campaign last year of state Secretary of State Bill Bradbury. Smith is involved with policy and local government issues in addition to making sure the lawmaker’s reelection campaign runs smoothly. Smith is also involved with a media production firm and helped put together the innovative Social Security DVD and videoconference Blumenauer hosted in April. Says Smith: “We’re finding new ways to communicate with the public about issues, not just campaign politics.”

It’s a mentality that may serve Blumenauer and his constituents in the Rose City well.