Cosmetic Change

Being the suspicious, cynical sort, Buzz couldn't help but salivate a little bit when we heard that Mayor Laura Miller's chief of staff, Crayton Webb, quit his job not long after the strong-mayor proposal was defeated.

Not to paint an unduly harsh picture of Webb, who's always been friendly, helpful and honest toward us, but thoughts of sinking ships, "Nearer My God to Thee" and scurrying rodents filled our head. Was Webb getting while the getting was good?

Not exactly, he told Buzz. Webb says he got married on April 30 and, thinking about his family, decided it was time to head into the private sector. Last week, he began a job as director of government relations for Mary Kay Cosmetics, a post that will involve working with nonprofit groups, lobbying government and perhaps some international work as Mary Kay looks to expand its markets abroad. (He won't be lobbying the city for at least a year, under city regulations.)

Yeah, yeah, we said as he told us this. Congratulations and all that, but what about some dirt? You're out now, so dish.

"[Miller's] a friend and someone I really enjoyed working with," he said.

That wasn't exactly what we were looking for, we thought, as Webb went on about the many friends he made at the mayor's office and the many happy days he spent working there over the past three years. "I'm really a 'glass is half full' kind of guy," Webb said, as he continued on about the joys of public service.

Buzz, being a glass is half empty--of bourbon--kind of guy, pressed again. OK, we asked, but who will you miss least at City Hall? C'mon, name names.

He said something else about friends and great work and blah, blah, blah. We stopped listening. Apparently, Webb has the perfect temperament for work at the preternaturally sunny Mary Kay. The company thinks so, too: "They rolled out the proverbial pink carpet for me," he said.

Sigh. Don't you just hate nice people? You do? Then perhaps we have a line on a job for you. The mayor's office is looking for a new chief of staff, a spokesman said, and the job will be posted until June 3. One caveat, though. Given the way things are going politically lately for the mayor, who's facing yet another recall petition drive and is up for re-election in 2007, you might want to consider it temp work.