Arnold's new mouthpiece

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has hired a new press secretary. Aaron McLear, 29, most recently served as regional press secretary for the Republican National Committee in the Northeast. Prior to that, he was communications director for President Bush's re-election effort in Ohio.

"He is a very capable media professional and will do a tremendous job," said Adam Mendelsohn, the governor's communications director and McLear's new boss.

His salary will be around $118,000.

McLear replaces Margita Thompson, who recently left the horseshoe (the suite of governor's offices in the Capitol) to do communications work for Woodland Hills-based HealthNet after serving as press secretary for the governor's entire first term.

My reportorial colleague Kate Folmar of the San Jose Mercury News (a sister paper to the Daily News) spoke to McLear today. Here's her blog entry with more extensive biographical data (and many, many links), including the tidbit that the Ohio State grad once played the Buckeye mascot, Brutus.