Deseret News | Reader comments: Alter treasures his years of service

Reader comments
Alter treasures his years of service

Wes | 6:43 a.m. Nov. 26, 2007

Great concept! An elected official who is not a political animal, would perform very well in the private sector and is actually very good at his job! Thank you Mr. Alter for setting a high benchmark for anyone who follows you as Utah State Treasurer. Any chance of advising the national government on how to handle money?

hey Mr. Alter | 6:48 a.m. Nov. 26, 2007

Quit acting like the great white father and issue my check from the Utah navajo Trust fund, since it got ripped off by scrupulous people in the first place. There's alot of names and streets down here that wouldn't exist without the stolen money. Geez I wonder if they paid tithing on that while a people still live in third world conditions!

4th and 18 | 9:47 a.m. Nov. 26, 2007

I liked what I read until the part about Alter anointing his Chief Deputy. This really disgusts me about politicians, how they seem to think they own the public office, and get to "give" their seat to their most loyal supporter upon retirement. After 28 years in office, the LAST thing we need is a political crony taking the helm. We have got to find some outside, private-sector person for this job. I will be the first to donate to his or her campain.

Comments continue below

Whatever | 10:00 a.m. Nov. 26, 2007

Ed's not a political animal but he wants to name his replacement. It seems like after all these years he has figured it out.

Let the voters decide who should be the next Treasurer.

non-political???? | 10:24 a.m. Nov. 26, 2007

I find it interesting that the so called non-political Treasurer engaged in the worst kind of political play by anointing his crony to take his place. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.

FinancialAdvisor | 10:26 a.m. Nov. 26, 2007

I couldn't agree more with 4th and 18. As a person who manages money for a living I think it is high time we gave that office a little shake up and brought in some new innovative ideas. The markets have change a great deal over the last 28 years. I would hope Mr. Alter will let the process work and not try to anoint anyone.

Oh ED !! | 10:47 a.m. Nov. 26, 2007

If Alter gets to pick his own replacement, does this mean that Huntsman gets to appoint his son? And what about Vladamir Putin? Does he get to annoint his chief deputy as president? This is great! It reminds me of Idi Amin, the President for Life of Uganda, and the last king of scotland.

Gripe Gripe Gripe | 11:32 a.m. Nov. 26, 2007

Boy are you four people who are negative. You would complain if someone gave you $10,000 because it wasn't $11,000 and why didn't they give it to you yesterday.

Is it possible? | 12:00 p.m. Nov. 26, 2007

Great idea about someone from the private sector. I'm sure they are lining up to take a HUGE pay cut to manage money in the public sector where they work in a glass house and have their hands tied with restrictive investment laws. The last I checked, Alter couldn't anoint a successor. Whoever it is will still have to be elected by the people.

Gary Hansen | 1:11 p.m. Nov. 26, 2007

That "seemingly endless enthusiasm" is genuine! It has made it a pleasure to work with Mr. Alter, and it has made Utah taxpayers millions upon millions of dollars! I, for one, am grateful!

Duh | 1:43 p.m. Nov. 26, 2007

I can't believe that a recommendation from Mr. Alter, who is, without question, the most experienced and knowledgable person regarding who can handle his job, would be reacted to with such disdain. Instead, maybe he should not say anthing, and then we can all elect some idiot who doesn't know what he or she is doing. That would be a great way to "shake things up." Because, after all, the State's finances aren't really that important....

Mike Johnson Fallon NV | 5:53 p.m. Nov. 26, 2007

Thanks, Is it possible? for bringing sanity back to these comments.

Integrity | 6:03 p.m. Nov. 26, 2007

Alter is truly unique. Notice the only criticism levied against him is his desire to see someone trustworthy in that office? Alter is squeaky clean; he has performed his duties with true integrity. Someone in his position, making decisions about where to invest a lot of money, could skim millions, not from State coffers, but from the gratuities from investment brokers fighting for his attention and for the States investment dollars to go into their particular fund. Not so with Ed. They know he is beyond reproach. Alter has consistently worked hard for Utah's funds and done it with perfect integrity. He has extended that expertise to help cities and counties. The people of this State are fortunate to have had the benefit of his integrity and of his talent. If he says Ellis has the same kind of integrity, Iï¿½m all for that. He could teach the Feds a thing or two.

Ed Meyer | 6:56 p.m. Nov. 26, 2007

I worked with Ed Alter for nearly 30 years. His efforts have saved the state literally hundreds of millions of dollars and there isn't a private sector person who could come close to matching his results, let alone his integrity. People need to understand that Ed's efforts saved them taxes and resulted in funding for critical needs. Ed earned the right to suggest Mr. Ellis as his replacement and I'm confident that his heir apparent will keep the ship on the same steady line. Not everything from the public sector is bad and Ed is the creme of the crop. Thanks Ed. You've earned a rest and I hope it's a good one.

Dave Ostler | 9:42 p.m. Nov. 26, 2007

Ed is to be congratulated for the squeaky clean operation he has run during his years of public service. Much of the acclaim the State of Utah has earned over the years for having the most efficient financial operation is due to his initiative and dedication. I am embarassed to read some of the above "tacky" comments regarding his work. I hope Ed can ignore them for what they are, comments from people who have no idea what a great public servant we will be losing to retirement. Best Wishes, Ed

Let's think this through | 10:11 a.m. Nov. 28, 2007

Wes, 4th and 18, Whatever, non-political???? and Oh ED !! why don't you let your bosses know that you would not want them to recommend you for a promotion or better job. That is essentially what you are saying. Don't most bosses work to train a replacement and make a recommendation (this is a key word) as to who would be a good successor? Nothing is different here. Ed has trained someone to handle the funds of the State of Utah and is making his recommendation. Ed has endorsed his Deputy, no where does it say he has appointed Mr. Ellis to replace him. I am sure he is very aware that he doesn't pick his replacement, after all he votes too. Considering Mr. Alter's track record, including maintaining the an impeccable AAA bond rating for the State of Utah, setting the bench mark for 529 plans and earning the state millions in interest. I think he has earned the right to make a recommendation. Thanks Ed for your dedication to the state of Utah. Enjoy retirement. You deserve it.

Darrell Fisher | 11:55 a.m. Nov. 29, 2007

My viewpoint is from another part of the country. By any standard, Mr. Alter is the best State Treasurer in the U.S. His stewardship of the treasury and the ways he maximized value to the taxpayer are unmatched anywhere in government. Utahns have been fortunate to have such an outstanding treasurer for so many years. Thank you Mr. Alter for your professionalism and integrity.

Add your comment

Comments are monitored. Any comments found to be abusive, offensive, off-topic, misrepresentative, more than 200 words or containing URLs will not be posted.

Words Remaining

E-mail address: For internal use only. We may want to contact you to publish your comment (not your e-mail address) in the newspaper or for a separate story idea.