It's a passion that has now infected his wife and his pet, and it has nothing to do with politics.

In fact, for Sen. John Valentine, R-Orem, who will take the helm of the Senate as its president when the Legislature's 2005 General Session opens Jan. 17, his commitment to his work as a member of Utah County Search and Rescue almost stopped him from running for office. When coupled with his family responsibilities and his full-time work as a tax attorney, adding "elected official" to his duties seemed simply overwhelming.

"I was a career brochure passer-outer, and always a county and state delegate," says Valentine, 55. "But I never really expected to run for any office."

That changed, however, after federal and state tax increases in 1986, state tax rebates in 1987, and a proposal to turn 800 North in Orem into a highway similar to the Salt Lake area's 2100 South highway. With all three things, he became a vocal and eventually public critic, garnering enough attention for his opinions that other people began to push him toward running for office.

Finally, in 1988, Valentine decided to pursue the House seat opened up by Craig Peterson's move to the Senate. Although running against "bigger names, and I was a nobody," he defeated six candidates to win what eventually led to a 10-year stint as a state representative.

In 1998, former Gov. Mike Leavitt appointed him to the Utah Senate, where he quickly ascended to leadership positions, including majority whip for the past four years. Having also served in leadership positions in the House, he said that the most marked difference between the two bodies is the "styles of persuasion," primarily because of the numbers.

"In the House, you have to persuade groups," especially the "sub-groups" that are based on regions or philosophies within the Republican caucus, he said. "But in the Senate, you have to persuade individuals. It's very one-on-one, and each senator has different ideas."

While he enjoyed his time in the House, Valentine said he prefers the individual persuasion the Senate requires. That personal relationship building was also something he employed throughout the previous two years as he campaigned among his peers for the presidency of the Senate.

"We basically got to know all of the people in the Senate," he said. "If I was going to be president, I felt I needed to get to know all of their interests, their concerns and what they wanted to accomplish."

Yet even this year, as he prepares to become one of the highest elected official in the state, Valentine points to his continued work as a member of the Search and Rescue team as the area of service where he does the most good. After all, when you pull a technically dead boy out of a lake — as he has done — and revive him, it's practically impossible to find anything more rewarding.