As the race for State Treasurer is underway, now might be a good time to start the conversation about eliminating the position for good.

That’s according Jeremy Alford, the publisher of LaPolitics.com, who says this is the first time in 17 years there has been an open race for the seat.

“There’s no big political heavyweight trying to protect their job, which could lead to a frank conversation about some important topics like streamlining that kind of fiscal corner of state government.”

Alford says there are currently 16 states that don’t elect their state treasurer. He says he doesn’t foresee any of the major candidates running on the “hire-me-to-fire-me” campaign, but it has happened before with Suzanne Terrell in the 1999 race for Election Commissioner.

“She did just that, she got elected and she spent the next four years working with the Secretary of State’s Office working to merge those functions over there.”

Alford says many voters had come to view the post of state treasurer as an unofficial watchdog to second guess and review the governor and legislature’s spending. He says candidates could at least address the idea of merging this position with another department.

“Government is a work in progress and right now is the time we should be looking at duplication of services and areas where streamlining opportunities might present themselves.”

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