OLYMPIA, WA: Kerry Coughlin, communications director for Gov. Christine Gregoire (D-WA), is leaving after just five months on the job.
"[Gregoire] didn't previously have a communications director, and I accepted the appointment without knowing where things would go over the long term," said Coughlin, who started with Gregoire in June. "We've talked about what I need in the long term."
Coughlin is returning to Seattle to be closer to her family and said she will consider her options before deciding what to do next.
The governor's office plans to hire a new comms director, and Coughlin said she will not be involved in that decision.
Before joining Gregoire's staff, Coughlin was a corporate communications manager for The Seattle Times for eight years.
Coughlin joined Gregoire's staff after the state's most contentious gubernatorial race came to a close. Gregoire won the election after two recounts and by the slimmest of margins - 129 votes out of about 2.9 million ballots cast.
