Jayne Nelson was a good landlord.

Every intern who has walked through the University of Utah's Hinckley Institute of Politics knows what I'm talking about: You're living for the first time on the other side of the country in D.C. Struggling to pay for a beige apartment, a Metro pass and food. Jayne was your anchor to home. She always recognized your voice.

Still does.

After 20 years of watching bosses and politicians come and go, Nelson is the warm center of the Institute.

Current director Kirk Jowers says he plans to stay just "one day after Jayne Nelson leaves."

And Nelson sort of fell into her avocation. In 1989, with her youngest starting college, she took a job in the political science department. Former Hinckley Director Ted Wilson quickly recruited her across the hall.

She has worked with the legends: R.J. Snow, J.D. Williams, Wilson. Usually, she was in the background -- fiddling with the sound system for KUER Radio West broadcasts, poring over the books, collecting rent checks or persuading reluctant politicians to speak.

"She's so unassuming," says Wilson. "But she developed a reputation among politicians in the state. When Jayne called, generally, it worked. She was really good at luring people up there."

Scrupulously apolitical, Nelson doesn't mind the heated debates or the hard questions.

She likes to joke that eating ice cream with nuts is as crazy as she gets.

The

one thing that bothered her was a protest years ago when Sen. Orrin Hatch was supposed to speak. That's just rude.

"I'm not a big person for controversy," she says.

Jowers struggled to think of a funny story --- the reporter's crutch when writing a profile -- about Nelson.

"Great stories typically come out of disasters, unexpected events, etc.," Jowers says. "With Jayne, life is a joy and everything goes very smoothly."

And he means it. It's the quiet, efficient ones who keep the world spinning for the rest of us.

Now, Nelson is nearing retirement. At 64, she has eight grandchildren. Pollster Dan Jones is trying to persuade her to join the game and run for office.

Ever diplomatic, she's still an idealist.

"It's made me really appreciate politics. It's all compromise," she says. "Most people are trying to do the right thing for the right reason."

Over all those years just one thing has changed: Nelson took the job as a staunch Republican. Now, after listening to Utah politicians for 20 years, she's leaning the other way. "I really thought I was a conservative Republican," she says. "But the more I've worked here...," her voice trails off.

walsh@sltrib.com