STATE TREASURER
Andrei Cherney has great ambitions for this position, and would turn it into one that helps set economic strategy for the state and also audits state government to find waste (which falls to the state auditor general’s office, a position appointed by the governor).
Republican Doug Ducey has a stronger business background as the former CEO of Cold Stone Creamery, which is why we’re endorsing him to manage the state’s $10 billion investment portfolio and attract new commerce to the state.
Doug Ducey News
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East Valley Tribune State Endorsements
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Newt Gingrich Endorses Businessman Doug Ducey
For Immediate Release
State Treasurer candidate invited to share vision for bringing jobs back to Arizona at the “Jobs Here, Jobs Now” rally in Phoenix Thursday, October 21, 2010
ARIZONA – Republican nominee Doug Ducey today announced Newt Gingrich has endorsed his campaign for State Treasurer. Ducey will join Speaker Gingrich on Thursday, October 21, 2010 from 9:00 to 10:00am at the “Jobs Here, Jobs Now” rally at Grand Canyon University to address supporters.
“Arizona needs a State Treasurer who will focus on safe and prudent investments and creating private-sector jobs,” stated Speaker Gingrich. “Mr. Ducey has the finance and business background required to do so and will fight to get Arizona’s economy back on track.”
“While my opponent spent this week fundraising in his home state of California, my focus has continued to be getting Arizona’s economy headed in the right direction,” added Ducey. “Voters have a clear choice in two weeks – does Arizona want a lawyer and career politician in the Treasurer’s office, or an entrepreneur who knows how business people think?”
For additional campaign information, visit www.VoteDougDucey.com. For directions or additional rally information, visit www.AmericanSolutions.com/Phoenix.
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State Treasurer
by Becky Fenger, Sonoran News
Usually the race for Arizona State Treasurer doesn't start my engines, but this year is different. In fact, one of the candidates downright scares me. That is Democrat Andrei Cherny. The other candidates are Republican Doug Ducey and Libertarian Thane Eichenauer.
It's rather amusing that Cherny calls Ducey the "insiders' choice" when this is Ducey's first foray into political office while Cherny worked for Al Gore, Bill Clinton and U.S. Senator John Kerry. He also is co-author of President Barack Obama's economic plan as described in the book, "Change We Can Believe In."
What frightens me is that the trial lawyers need a state treasurer willing to authorize investments in order to get standing to do what they love to do – sue people and things!
In a three-way debate on PBS's "Horizon" program recently, Cherny laid out his plans to compete with New Mexico, Utah and Texas by investing in local companies to help build our economy. Although he says that he will not invest in start-up companies, he goes on to tout the solar industry here. If solar were profitable, it wouldn't need all the mandated percentages from the Corporation Commission and subsidies from the taxpayers, along with cash incentives from politicians.
Ducey reminded Cherny that solar and high tech are start-up industries that should be left to the private sector to invest in, not taxpayers' money for the state treasurer to play with.
Ducey said he would look to the successful S&P 500 and S&P 400 and try to go after those 900 profitable companies to move to Arizona instead of speculating on new companies.
Thane Eichenauer faults Cherny for wanting our state to divest herself of any investments in companies like Exxon Mobil Corporation that do business with Iran when it is top return for our money that is important and not political statements.
Personally, I would have preferred that State Senator Barbara Leff had won the Republican primary race, since she recognized the rather narrow limitations of the duties of treasurer as prescribed by Arizona law. Cherny says he wants to act like a bulldog while auditing other branches of government. He maintains that the auditor general has not been auditing and faults the legislature for spending $3,500 on artwork and $6,000 on comfy chairs last year. Ducey has a real problem with an elected official like the state treasurer auditing other elected state officials.
Andrei Cherny touts his background as a prosecutor, but Ducey counters that Cherny has been running for the office of state treasurer almost as long as he's been a prosecutor. Ducey ruffled some feathers when he chided Cherny for running for office and losing in southern California before coming here and asked if he would be moving on east when he loses in Arizona.
Cherny accused Ducey of smearing Andrei's whole family with that remark. "My wife and my amazing son have more integrity in their little pinkies than you have in your whole body," Cherny stated. Ducey shot back that Cherny would use the lawyer tricks he "learned at Cal-Berkeley."
Sitting back in amusement at this exchange, Eichenauer instructed voters to go to his website at www.ILoveGrover.com. So I did. A video of cartoon characters explains that Thane likes Grover Cleveland because "he opposed business bailouts and military adventurism." One should vote for Thane because "he's the only candidate who is smart enough to support the immediate legalization of marijuana." Instead of pawning off all the state office buildings, he said, "We should sell weed at the drugstore, not in the schoolyard."
The Citizens Clean Elections Commission's booklet with the candidates' statements arrived last week. In it the Libertarian candidate had fun with his closing remark: "My name is Thane Eichenauer and I aim to misbehave.” Somehow I have the feeling that is what Andrei Cherny has in mind also. -
GOP candidates draw a crowd
By Neil Young, The Daily News
Bullhead City, Ariz.--U.S. Sen. John McCain was joined by Gov. Jan Brewer, State School Superintendent and attorney general candidate Tom Horne, treasurer candidate Doug Ducey and State Mine Inspector Joe Hart. District 3 state representatives Nancy McLain and Doris Goodale also were on hand.
The crowd cheered wildly as the candidates entered the hall, and their brief comments were punctuated with more cheers and applause.
McCain, first to speak, started off with several jokes worthy of a standup comedian and then got serious. “We didn’t wave the white flag in Iraq. We’re not going to wave the white flag in Afghanistan,” McCain vowed.
Regarding the 2010 campaign, McCain said, “We’re on a roll, but every veteran knows the battle is not over until the enemy surrenders.”
McCain pledged, “We’re gonna secure our borders. We’re gonna repeal and replace Obamacare. We’re gonna stop the spending. We’re gonna take care of our veterans.”
As he prepared to introduce Brewer, McCain said, “The state of Arizona is under assault,” regarding the federal government’s lawsuit against SB 1070.
“We’re not quitters in Arizona,” Brewer exclaimed. To the veterans, she said, “You’ve kept our country free. You’ve kept our country safe. Thank you.
“You make me proud and I’m so grateful every night,” when Brewer says, “God bless our military. You give me the courage to fight back against the federal government.” Both McCain and Brewer expressed their disgust at the Obama administration turning the SB 1070 issue over to the U.N. Human Rights Commission.
“I’m fighting for America,” Brewer said. “I’m going to change the way the federal government and Arizona have been doing business.”
As attorney general, Horne declared, “I will strongly defend SB 1070 in the court.” Horne promised to join the multi-state suit against the federal health care law. He told the veterans, “You are role models for our students as far as character is concerned.”
“I’m a newcomer,” Ducey said. “I don’t have any political resume to tell you about.” He touted his business background as cofounder of Cold Stone Creamery. “We need to get our finances in order,” Ducey said.
State Mine Inspector Joe Hart told the crowd he was born in Mohave County and is a fourth generation Arizonan. He said he’s a champion of safety for abandoned mines. Hart received thunderous applause when he declared the United States has nothing for which to apologize.
The candidates were running behind schedule, because they had been in the Flagstaff area, checking on last week’s storm damage. -
For treasurer, Ducey has key qualifications
The Arizona Daily Star
Republican Doug Ducey is the most qualified candidate to become Arizona's next treasurer.
He has a degree in finance from Arizona State University and is former CEO of Cold Stone Creamery ice cream stores. He's now chairman of iMemories, which digitizes home movies.
The main job of the treasurer is to manage the state's more than $9 billion in investments. The office also oversees banking services for state agencies and keeps track of proceeds from the sale of public lands.
Ducey, 46, says his top priorities would be to prudently manage the state's investments and to bring clarity to the state budget by presenting the numbers to taxpayers based on generally accepted accounting principles. This would include expanding the online "checkbook" started by current Treasurer Dean Martin to let the public see where revenue is coming from and how it's being spent.
Ducey says there's a disconnect between the state Capitol and the business community, and he'd work with other state leaders to improve the economy.
Ducey's main opponent, Democrat Andrei Cherny, makes much of the fact that Cold Stone was late with its annual filings to the Arizona Corporation Commission for the six years from 2000 to 2005. We wouldn't expect that the CEO of a company as large as Cold Stone would have hands-on knowledge of the annual filing.
Another of Cherny's criticisms is that Ducey failed to pay the property taxes on his Paradise Valley home by the deadlines in 2006, 2008 and 2009. Last spring, he paid $15,572 to clear the tax lien.
Ducey told us the property tax payments were handled by another person in his household and the missed deadlines were an oversight. We'd say that once is an oversight and that three times indicates he wasn't paying attention to his personal finances.
That's a concern, but it's hardly a crime. Plus, people who pay late are hit with a 16 percent interest penalty.
Cherny has an impressive résumé for a 35-year-old. He's written two books - "The Next Deal: The Future of Public Life in the Information Age" and another on the Berlin Airlift. He's been involved in presidential politics as a speechwriter and policy adviser. He was a lawyer in the state Attorney General's Office from 2006 to 2009.
Cherny lacks a finance or accounting background that would make him more qualified to be Arizona's banker and investment adviser.
Libertarian Thane Eichenauer works in technical support, and Green Party candidate Thomas Meadows is a tarot card reader.
Ducey has the educational and business background to be state treasurer, and we recommend his election on Nov. 2.
http://azstarnet.com/news/opinion/editorial/article_75948a60-023a-544d-8...
