By Ed Fitzpatrick

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- In January, John R. "J.R." Pagliarini will begin working as the campaign manager for former U.S. Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee, the Republican-turned-independent who is running for governor.

Pagliarini, 48, of Warwick, was director of Chafee's Rhode Island office when he was a senator. And when Chafee was mayor of Warwick, Pagliarini served as his communications director (1993-97) and his community development coordinator (1997-98).

"We have worked well together as mayor and senator," Chafee said Friday. "He's got terrific attention to detail, and he knows Rhode Island very, very well. He knows how the State House works -- something I do not. I have local and federal experience, but I don't have that great knowledge of the State House."

In recent years, Pagliarini has been a state associate commissioner of higher education and was listed as interim executive director of the RIC Foundation, the fund-raising arm of Rhode Island College. He was Governor Carcieri's deputy chief of staff for about a year (2007-08). He was a policy associate-deputy chief of staff for former Gov. Edward D. DiPrete (1986-90) and lobbyist-director of government relations for UnitedHealthcare of New England (1999-2003).

Pagliarini received a bachelor's degree in political science from Fairfield University and a master's in public affairs from George Washington University. He graduated from Bishop Hendricken High School, in Warwick.

Chafee said James V. DeRentis had served as his exploratory campaign manager until the end of October, but he said DeRentis wanted to "phase out of that role" and "just help with fundraising."

When it comes to fundraising, Chafee has been trailing the Democratic candidates -- General Treasurer Frank T. Caprio and Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch. And on Friday, he reiterated that, "This has been the most difficult year to be fundraising, with the economy being the number one factor."

But Chafee said he expects people to begin focusing on the race more in the new year, and he said he expects to officially announce in January that he is running for governor.