But local public relations/ campaign consultant Bill Paulos says: "It's refreshing to have a new regime up there; see Huntsman use some political capital." State government has been run by the same group for 16 years, notes Paulos.

"Sometimes it's shocking to make changes, like in economic development. Can't say I liked the style in which it was done, but the substance may be exactly what the state needs."

Finally, in his first six months in office Huntsman officially became a multimillionaire in his own right. His father, Jon Huntsman Sr., started and ran a billion-dollar international petrochemical firm, and the governor's only non-federal-government jobs have been working for the family businesses.

Huntsman LLC went public in January, and the governor, as he pledged to do during his campaign, recently sold his stock and placed the proceeds in a blind trust, from which he can pull money if he wants. Huntsman has never said exactly how much his stock was worth, but estimates place it between $15 million and $25 million.

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