Eliminating state offices is not a novel concept. The Little Hoover Commission, initiated by Rampton in 1966, suggested the state treasurer was no longer needed. The 1996 Democratic nominee for state treasurer, the charming and delightful D'Arcy Dixon Pignanelli, promised to abolish the office if elected. No one could articulate why a gubernatorial appointment could not complete the same tasks at a lower cost. Statewide elected officers are not needed for duties that are duplicated, or can be effectively performed, by other officials. Gov. Huntsman is demanding a complete overhaul of state government to maximize efficiency. All would know he means business with a proposal to eradicate the lieutenant governor, treasurer and auditor positions. The best makeovers start at the top with a haircut — and so should a restructuring of state functions.

Webb: So, Frank wants to eliminate the office of lieutenant governor. Truly a dumb idea. It's such a bad suggestion on so many levels that surely only a fuzzy-thinking Democrat could have dreamed it up.

There is, for example, the little problem of succession. Suppose the governor were to die in office, become incapacitated or take another job (as Mike Leavitt did). Who would become governor?

The Senate president (currently next in line after the LG) or House speaker could move up, but then we'd have a governor who was elected by only a small fraction of the state's voters, and not for that specific job. A special election could be held, but it would be expensive and disruptive.

Utah's current system makes a lot more sense: The lieutenant governor runs in tandem with the governor, voters fully understanding the LG is next in line, ready to ascend to the governorship if necessary. If the governor leaves midterm, you have continuity and a smooth transition. Just like president and vice president.

In addition, great value exists in having two elected people in the governor's office. They can cover more ground and more issues. The merit of the office of lieutenant governor is nicely demonstrated by our current lieutenant governor, Gary Herbert. He is tackling some of the state's toughest problems and is able to bring to bear the weight of the governor's office on some crucial issues.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has assigned Herbert four key and meaningful tasks, in addition to his statutory duties of overseeing elections:

• Transportation. This is an enormous responsibility. Herbert said if citizens knew how serious our transportation challenges are, "they'd be shaking in their boots." He is point person in putting together a comprehensive, long-term, transportation plan that will include a transportation summit in the fall.