Valentine and Curtis consider themselves political conservatives (as do most Republicans in the Legislature). But they were up against Sen. Michael Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, and Rep. Dave Ure, R-Kamas. Now, those two guys are really conservatives — Waddoups known for his gun-rights legislation (he's led the fight against the University of Utah's push to ban all guns, even legally permitted concealed weapons, from its campus) — while Ure is a member of the conservative Cowboy Caucus in the House.

Ure at one time also enjoyed tweaking former GOP Gov. Mike Leavitt's nose about legislative matters, and Waddoups is no shrinking violet.

It would have been interesting to see how a Waddoups-run Senate and Ure-run House would have gotten along with freshman Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.

Waddoups and Ure also seemed to enjoy bantering about with another Capitol Hill power — the media. While not a requirement of legislative leadership (some past leaders have barely tolerated the press), Valentine has cultivated press contacts, religiously returning telephone calls. A volunteer paramedic and Utah County Search and Rescue expert, Valentine once returned one of my calls via cell phone from the top of a mountain as he oversaw a rescue operation.

Curtis, a local government attorney for years, also got along well with the media — although that relationship was strained this spring after he resigned as Salt Lake County Mayor Nancy Workman's legal adviser over a state mileage reimbursement flap.

The upcoming 2005 Legislature — like all legislatures — will be trying. Not only are there new leaders in the executive and legislative branches, but lawmakers, the public and press are crowded into temporary quarters in a new office building as the Capitol itself undergoes a four-year renovation.

Patience and good-humor will be tested. Valentine and Curtis have shown both traits in previous leadership posts. And they may need it for longer than two years. Both Valentine and Curtis declined to self-limit their top leadership terms, saying they may run again for president and speaker after the 2006 elections.

Retiring House Speaker Marty Stephens set a record in being elected to three two-year terms. Senate President Al Mansell decided to step down as president after serving two terms. Mansell's four years as president isn't close to a record — former Senate president Arnold Christensen served a decade in the top post, two other presidents serving six years.

But the tenor in both bodies these days seems to favor leadership turnover.

We'll see how Valentine and Curtis do over the next two years, remembering that two of the most powerful politicians in the state serve in their posts at the pleasure of a handful of Utahns.

---

Deseret Morning News political editor Bob Bernick Jr. may be reached by e-mail at bbjr@desnews.com