Is this another example of media objectivity? I know it's an opinion piece, but good grief, it looks like a campaign announcement from Ellis. I don't know either of the Republicans, but I will have to choose to vote for one of them in the primary. I'd say this amounts to an endorsement of a candidate, something I really wish news organizations would not do.

The State Treasurer is the one who invests our billion dollar State School Fund that is the sole source of funding the School LAND Trust Program, the only discretionary money each school gets. That means that the State Treasurer decides what investments to put the money in and how much to put in each investment. In other words, the decisions made by the State Treasurer can make a difference of tens and hundreds of millions of dollars in terms of how the fund grows or is lost and in terms of how much it throws off in interest and dividend returns. There is an Investment Advisory Committee, that can yell to high heavens if an unwise, imprudent investment occurs, but as their title implies, they are only “advisory.” This is what the furor is over. People in the education community are very protective of this money, and they have reason to be. It's a fund that just continues to grow and there is no doubt that some people would like to get their hands on it and divert it elsewhere.

Mascaro is right on. It is sooo hard to be a moderate Republican in this state. The moderate D's are calling me.

If stating the facts makes this an opinion piece, then I guess that's what it is. Is it so hard to see through Walker and his lack of qualifications? To put it simply, would you want a State Auditor that didn't have a background in accounting and a CPA? Nope!! Would you want a Attorney General that didn't have a law degree? Nope!! Then why would anyone in their right mind want a State Treasurer without any type of Finance education and training? Just ask the question of what the Republican Mafia leaders are really looking for here and the only answer is a puppet they can control! Look at the facts and vote Ellis!!

The state treasurer is one of the prominent members of the state retirement system. The consevative core of the Republican party wants control of the state retirement system worth at least $12 billion. They want to direct its investments and change the system from a defined benefit to a defined contribution system so the $12 billion can be invested by employee choice through seleccted investment firms the conservatives choose. (probably their own) and, I think the state currently has their funds in Wells Fargo bank. Maybe a shift to Zions? Its all about the state retirement funds!!!!!

This is an opinion piece, so let him have his opinion. I happen to agree with him about 110%.

I have met both men, nice guys but that is where it ends. Mr Walker has as much preparation for this job as I do taking over for Derron Williams of the Utah Jazz. And yes, I am a mean church ball player.

This is not an issue like vouchers, or pro-life, etc this is knowing hard and fast rules about what to invest, how much, when to get out, where to go, etc. And simply put one of the candidates only has political connections. If Mr Walker gets in trouble, is he going to turn to John Valentine or Greg Curtis for advice? I hope not because even though they serve as President of the Senate and Speaker of the House respectively, neither of them are qualified either.

I said this before, I will say it again. If Mr Walker tried to handle the finances of his grandma he would be breaking the law. He is not a licensed financial advisor. If he wins this election he get's to handle our $12 billion!

Something wrong with that picture.

Being objective, it really is about as simple as Doug laid it out. On one side you have a man in Ellis who has all the qualifications you could ask for. Deputy treasurer for 8 years, and until Walker's campaign, not even legislative leadership had any real complaints with the way the treasurer's office worked.

Walker has a BA in political science, and before he became leadership's treasurer candidate, told many people he wasn't a numbers guy. His campaign claims credit for anthing that happened at Zions dealing with investments while he was there, but his role was the glad-handing front man who used legislative influence to get meetings with cities and counties where Zions could peddle services (Mark was hired to work at Zions after being appointed as a legislator, at the time the label "Representative" was the most stand-out item on his resume). His campaign also makes it sould like he was THE driving force behind everything that happened on the Hill while he was a legislator, while his voting record indicates he was leadership's rubber stamp- I'm not sure that is leadership.

This is a no brainer. Ellis is the man. He has been around, has the education, experience and the skills. The other canidate "reeks" of the legislature trying to force their will on the electorate. The attorney general's support of Walker, makes me question his judgement for his existing job yet alone for the future office he is seeking.

What Robinson left out is that in his officials position, Ellis has repreatedly openly objected to fiscally conservative practices like imposing a spending cap on the state bureaucracy. He opposed the sales tax cut on food, which would help the poor, etc. THAT is why conservatives don't like him -- Ellis is a big government bureaucrat. And a dirty campaigner.

Here we go again from our trusted Republican leadership. Why is it in this State that the conservative wing of the Republican thinks that they can rule everything. Rep Walker might be a fine person, but he is not qualified for this position. I am getting tired of the poor leadership of the Republican party, so I me voting for Ellis and later I will probably vote for Matheson (someone who listens to the citizens).

What the State Treasurer position really needs is for our legislative leadership to convert this position and a few others into professional, non-partisan jobs, meaning not appointed because you were someones friend and helped them get elected, but truly qualified professional people of stature that work in the profession and have experience in the field they work in. The Attorney General is another position that could converted but is should probably be an appointed position by the governor.

Ellis disagreed with the right-wing Republican leadership on some tax issues? How dare anyone have a different opinion? How dare anyone inject their professional opinion - looking at the tax cuts from a different perspective? How dare we actually have political debate that is not behind closed doors?

This once again shows the utter arrogance of the right wing of the Utah Republican Pary. I am sick of hearing the names of Curtis, Shurtliff, Clark, and Valentine. I imagine Bramble and Stephensen are also involved with this. How many times do we have to hear of their shenanigans? Unfortunatley, the right wing has a stranglehold on the Republican Party in Utah, and I don't see the sheep followers doing much about changing anything. Do we really want these type of men, as well as Gail Ruzika and the Eagle Forum to represent us?

Thank goodness for those moderates such as Mascaro. Let's get some balance back in the state. I'm sure the Eagle Forum and the leadership are trying eliminate him and put him in his place.

I have been a Republican for many years, but I can't stomach it any more.

Ellis wasn't the only one who opposed removing the sales tax on food for the local portion only (there was no problem with removing some or all of the state's portion, which is what ended up happening). The entire bond community (treasurer, bond lawyers, purchasers, underwriters, advisors, trustees, ULCT, UAC, etc) got together and told leadership that, because many cities, counties, and districts (like UTOPIA and UTA) had pledged their local sales tax as security for a bond, there were some possibly negative outcomes of that legislation, including:
1. The state being sued for changing or altering the security on the loan (imagine getting a loan with your BMW as collateral and then wanting to switch and make your Pinto the collateral)
2. Bond rating downgrades
3. The possibility that some bonds would go into default

The legislature can still do whatever they want, but isn't it better for them to know the possible positives and negatives of a decision instead of getting a rubber stamp from someone who wouldn't even have the background to know how to offer advice of any kind? Don't blame Richard for that. Leadership received information, and made what seems to be the correct decision.

(no relation to candidate Richard Ellis) There is a lot of anti-Republican posturing going on here. We don't see debate about the Democratic candidates for Treasurer because that party had only one candidate from the beginning.

The fact is that the GOP is having a nomination contest. It was an open contest at the convention, with strong Republicans of both "wings" supporting both candidates. It will be voted at the primary election. Every Republican there gets exactly one vote, "mafia" or not.

The debate between the candidates should continue, but there is no question which party is more open in this election.

The Treasurer's Office should be independent of the Legislature. We should avoid a scenario where an entity that's charged with "watchdog" duties to the citizens of the state to get too close to lawmakers. That may be what Legislators want, but it would be bad news for the rest of us. We need a Treasurer that can stand up to the Legislature, not one that will get in bed with them.

Bill

As the article states: the Treasurer race should be between two ACCOUNTANTS. I don't see anything in Walker's background to indicate any financial training beyond rudimentary math. As far as his GOP cronies, Greg Curtis is in for quite a challenging election of his own and may not HAVE an office for us to worry about his "leadership" input. He barely won last time and is running againist the same candidate, Jay Seegmiller, this time. And interestingly, why is no one touting the qualifications of the democrat candidate Dick Clark? He is well qualified for the position. Again voters: you are going to get what you deserve if you elect incompentent people to jobs they are not qualified for.

I will never vote for Ellis because of his poor judgement in dealing with the Worker's Comp issue a couple years ago. He violently fought the 50 million dollar offer made by the fund. He thought it was too low. Guess what? The court came back and said Utah was entitled to nothing!!! If that is the kind of thing Ellis' great experience brings, then I would rather elected anyone -- even the Democrat.

Utahn's have proved they don't mind electing people who don't have the most experience. Gov. Huntsman ran against fellow Repuablican's Nolan Karras and Olene Walker 4 years ago. Karras had a masters degree and served for years in the Legislature and was Speaker of the Utah House. Olene Walker was Lieutenant Governor and Governor of Utah. She had a masters and a doctorate. Hunstman received his bachelors degree and worked for his father's company. He served as an ambassador for the US. He had no experience working in state government and yet the people of Utah happily voted him in as their Governor. After 4 years of service 77% of the citizens of our state are happy with the job Huntsman is doing. Our state was given the honor of best managed state in the country. Having the "most" experience doesn't always mean you are the best person for the job.

Dear Duh:

You've got to be kidding! Ellis is a dirty campaigner because he speaks the truth? It is a Class A misdemeanor or 3rd degree felony, depending on the findings, to bribe someone to get out of a race. Mark Walker has admitted his job offer to Ellis to more than a few people. Of course, that was before he knew it was illegal. Now he's denying it. I want my public officials and candidates to speak the truth. I commend Ellis for taking this public. It was the right thing to do.

Now if we just had a Lt. Governor who would take the charges seriously, it would help. Lt. Governor Herbert is ducking his responsibilities.

But the most important issue is the reality that Mark Walker has no qualifications for this job.

Thanks, Doug and Steve Mascaro, for shedding some light on this issue.

Hey John:

Where are all of these people Walker has admitted to offering a job to Ellis? The only person to come out and back up Ellis' story is his friend and campaign contributor.

Elect a man who probably doesn't have the ability to handle the money for a PTA carnival as state treasurer? The right wing GOP feel they should in charge of everything in the state. Thank heaven for a few sane legilators like Mascara and Matheson.

Let's see: Walker is backed by Dave Clark who works for Zions (Walkers former employer), Greg Curtis who structures state-backed loans to his law partner, Shurtleff who can't convict scam artists let alone keep them out of the henhouse, Valentine (have you ever met this guy?), and Herbert, who won't bet until it's a sure thing. The gall of that imposter Ellis, who has an MBA, has actually made billion dollar "investment" decisions over most of his career, has the backing of our 28 year Treasurer, and who won't open the piggybank to our part-time legislators, but full time businessmen? I mean, really...

I agree with Clair Ellis about the GOP being so open in our elections. That is a really good thing.

It is interesting to read the comments by "retired" and the desire of GOP leadership to shift the funds from one bank to another. Only having that anonymous comment does not make a good source though I do know there is some competitive tension between Wells Fargo and Zions. And most of leadership are supportive of Zions.

I have no doubt that Mr Walker is very capable in many areas. This race is about a very specific skill set that is technical. I don't want to jump on the anti-Walker bandwagon. I am just more comfortable with a more experienced candidate.

Finally, Utah may be the 8th highest taxed state in the Union, we are also consistently the most soundly managed. The handling of our current funds is a large part of that consistent 'A' rating. When the quarterback is winning, keep'em on the field.

I support Ellis.

I would like to hear from Walker's high-profile supporters why, exactly, they support him instead of Ellis. Surely these legislators would understand the role of the office and see that Ellis has the qualifications. This article leaves the question hanging. Rep. Mascaro has suggested that it may just be the Utah GOP flexing their muscle? But why would they flex their muscle in a state treasurer's race?

This article says that Walker was "selling business banking services and products" at Zions. He wasn't managing any money of any amount. He was selling Zions products, most likely municipal bonds and such. So the only money Walker has ever managed is his own checking account, right? If I'm wrong, please tell me. So how does selling municipal bonds qualify someone to manage a daily flow of $80million that comes through the treasurer's office?

Rep. Mascaro is right about the resumes of these two candidates. Would you really hire someone with a political science degree to be your financial advisor and investor? It's ridiculous. You hire the guy with the education and training to wisely invest and manage your money. That's why I'll be supporting Ellis.

It is a clear choice.
Vote and send a message that we want qualified candidates running our state- not jokers that happen to have a buddy in the legistature.

Repubs should demand Walker drop out of the race- and those supporting him should resign for putting the public's treaure at risk.

I am a state delegate. I saw the nominations of both candidates. John Valentine's endorsement consisted of "nice guy with a nice family". That was IT. Nothing else. Then he acted like a goof on the stage. I lost all respect for him and his choice of candidates he endorses.

Mark Shurtleff endorsed him, as well. I am not sure why. He is a man that I believe has integrity and I fully support. However, after pondering as to why he would endorse Mark Walker, I am wavering a bit in my support of him as well.

I am sick of the Right Wing Republicans taking over this party. The beginning of the end of this state party began when Curt Bramble began wielding his corrupt power that we stupid Repubicans have given him. Why? Really? What is so great about the ever so powerful Senator Bramble except his is so good at lying and covering up his corrupt actions. He flat out denies allegations!

Gary, do your job! Investigate the allegations!

Best sign for Mark Walker: The Trib can't help attacking him. That's better than free media. It shows liberals can't stand him.

It's like Castro endorsing Obama. Not a winning formula.

Has anyone asked Walker if he has, or had a license to "sell" muni's, or other regulated products? Or if he can produce any Zions internal documents that would show his actual "corporate" versus his "marketing" title? Or an org chart that would have shown who reported to him and what and who he actually managed? Banks always give someone a marketing title that has more clout than the actual internal title, to make them look like a player in front of a client. The question is: what did the bank know him as, internally? Also, when did "right wing" become confused with "self dealing"? The Republican clique described is anything but "right wing", they are just outright robber barons or too stupid to know they are pawns of such.

After all is said and done, it should boil down to who is best qualified to be treasurer, nothing else. Keep in mind, the last person you would want in that office is someone who would be willing to look the other way at the expense of the taxpayer. The office operates on honesty and integrity. If Walker did in fact offer Ellis the job, and it has been the talk of the captiol since Walker paid a visit to the treasurer's office early March, (not too smart Mark) what other kind of deals would he be willing to make at the expense of all taxpayers. Anyone involved with the markets even remotely these past few months knows how important experience and education are. As they say, "if it ain't broken, don't fix it". Also, someone asked where the others are who know Walker offered Ellis the job, they are sitting at Zions but have been told to keep quiet. I can only wonder why. Walker can take the easy way out with the questions raised regarding the constitution. Take it, it beats what may be coming.

For those of you who complain about the right wing of the Republican Party, I have news for you. It's the original wing. It's the core. It's where the principles of the platform are. If you don't like it, I suggest you find a more liberal party.

What if after 28 years in office as a US Senator, Orrin Hatch backed his chief of staff as his replacement. And everyone said "oh man, he's got experience. Lets for for him."

That is the same thing that is going on here. You have Ed Alter who has had his corrupt, money-grubbing, free-loading, vacation-having, scummy hands on this office for 28 years. He's telling us that nobody can do the job but his Bureaupussy Chief Deputy, Richard Ellis.

And its a bunch of BS.

Richard Ellis is nothing more than the hand-picked successor of Ed Alter.

As for me, anything would be better than that. Even a democrat.

You're an idiot, and you're confusing a politician's job with a professional's job.

And Alter isn't necessarily saying that no one but Ellis can do the job. What the message should be is that probably 75% of the adults in the state are more qualified than Walker to be treasurer. Walker has zero qualifications to speak of. Go ahead and vote for the Democrat. Compared to Walker, he's Warren Buffet.

And you smear Alter with nothing to back it up. If he was so currupt, he would've made a ton of money from the public till, right? What was his salary? Any corruption or fraud or graft allegations? None? Use facts along with your allegations, otherwise they're meaningless. Utah owes him a lot.

So "Imagine," you would say to us, "Ellis is the hand-picked successor, and we don't like that, so let's vote for a guy with a political science degree who worked for a bank, only because he was a legislator, but doesn't know numbers or anything about bonding or investmetns. He may ruin the office, lose our AAA rating and millions of dollars, and bring shame to the 'best managed state in the nation,' but Curtis supports him!"

Want to know why Walker is supported by the Republican hot shots (Gov., Lt. Gov., Atny Gen. and House Speaker)? It is real simple, Mr. Walker was their Yes Man in the legislature. He voted their way no matter what. This is their pay back for him being so obedient.

Bottom line. Mr. Walker is NOT QUALIFIED for the job of State Treasurer, plain and simple.

P.S. After the voucher fiasco and several other mis-steps (like trying to do education via the omnibus bill - where you throw everything in and the kitchen since (Thanks Mr. Curtis - let's make Utah as corrupt as Washington D.C.) etc. I now hate all of the Republican hot shots and I've voted Republican since 1976, but not this year, no way, I'm going Democratic among local and state offices.

I will vote Dunn for Congress in the 2nd district. He really understands the issues!