-snip- Although Fehrnstrom is one of Romneys longest-serving aides, he, like his boss, has no roots in the conservative movement. Fehrnstrom started out as a reporter covering alderman meetings in Boston and lives in liberal Brookline, Mass. His work as a GOP operative has been confined to New England a region, as he often notes, thats pretty rocky terrain for Republicans. To some influential conservatives, Fehrnstrom is an enigma.