Opinion: Election prep – Treasurer and insurance commissioner

Opinion: With the 2024 general election approaching, voters should pay close attention to the state treasurer and insurance commissioner races.

Just four weeks until general election ballots arrive

Nancy Churchill
Dangerous Rhetoric

In Washington state’s all vote-by-mail system, our voting period for the 2024 general election begins on Oct. 18, and continues to Nov. 5. We now have four weeks until ballots are mailed to the voters.

In today’s column, we’re going to look at the state executive offices of treasurer and insurance commissioner. These two races don’t get much attention from the media outlets, so you probably don’t have a clue about the candidates running in these critically important races. However, you probably know how to manage your household finances and how to buy insurance. Since these two offices impact both the state finances and insurance costs, these two races need your full attention!

As an informed voter, you can help improve every Washingtonian’s quality of life by sharing this information with your friends who are tired of the progressive Democratic policies being widely implemented in Washington state. Additionally, be sure to share this article with your friends who usually ignore politics: We are all significantly impacted by the Insurance Commissioner when we need home, auto, or health insurance. These races are important!

What is the job of state treasurer?

The Washington treasurer is a state executive position defined in the Washington Constitution, and elected every four years. As the state’s chief financial officer, the treasurer manages cash flow, investments, and state debt from legislatively-approved bond sales. Just like you manage your income from work, manage credit card debt and set aside money for savings and investments, the state does the same thing. You might even rely on an accountant to help you with taxes or financial planning. It makes sense to want the state’s treasurer have some financial and accounting training for this important work.

Sharon Hanek for treasurer

Fortunately for Washington, CPA Sharon Hanek is running for treasurer. She’s is a CPA with over twenty-five years experience in accounting and auditing and through her work has a strong understanding of financial systems. Sharon also has many of years experience researching and analyzing bills, working with legislators, and testifying on issues related to budget, taxes, transportation and education. She has extensive service as a volunteer, and has also served on several Pierce County boards, like the planning commission and redistricting commission.

One of Sharon’s goals as treasurer is to make sure that state agencies are following correct financial control procedures, in order to prevent scandals like the $650 million Nigerian unemployment fraud scheme on the Employment Security Department. Vote for Sharon Hanek to make sure that our state’s funds are handled with integrity and honesty and to the highest financial controls and standards.

If you’d like to see and hear Sharon explain her background and goals, I recommend that you watch this short informational video. I know Sharon personally and can give her my strongest endorsement. She’s highly qualified, easy to work with, and would be a great state treasurer. The incumbent in this race is a lawyer. Wouldn’t you rather have a qualified financial expert taking care of the state’s funds?

What is the job of insurance commissioner?

According to the agency’s website, “The Washington state Office of the Insurance Commissioner protects insurance consumers and oversees the insurance industry. We make sure insurance companies follow the rules and people get the coverage they’ve paid for.” The insurance commissioner also sets the rules for the insurance companies, and may even directly impact policy prices using this rule-making power. This is one of the only executive offices that is governed by rule, not by law, so the person who serves as Insurance Commissioner has a great deal of discretion and immediate control.

If you’re worried about rising insurance costs and reduced policy availability, this is a race that will have a big impact on your pocketbook.

Phil Fortunato for insurance commissioner

Phil Fortunato is a Republican state senator who is running for insurance commissioner. In a video interview, he describes the job as being “the advocate for the consumer” with all of the insurance companies operating in Washington State. Fortunato describes the rule-making process and points out that with rule-making authority, the insurance commissioner can make a positive difference in as little as 30 to 40 days.

However, in the wrong hands, this authority could also have a negative impact, by sending rates higher. For example, it would be possible for the commissioner to require every health insurance policy to cover procedures that most consumers don’t want or need. After all, most people buy insurance to cover an unexpected event, not for something that they plan to do in the future. Why should consumers have to pay for coverage for a procedure they won’t ever want or need?

Fortunato promises to work for more consumer-driven decision making in regard to what they want in their insurance coverage. He will advocate for reasonable regulations, more competition and lower costs for consumers. You can learn more about this great candidate at voteFortunato.org.

Are you ready to fix what’s broken in Washington State? You can volunteer with campaigns at any level — county, state, state legislative, U.S. congressional or national. If you have 20 minutes a day to use to make a difference in our elections, contact me, and I’ll help you find a candidate or cause to support! Don’t wait to volunteer… start today! It will take all of us working together to change hearts and minds and win elections.

Nancy Churchill is a writer and educator in rural eastern Washington State, and the state committeewoman for the Ferry County Republican Party. She may be reached at DangerousRhetoric@pm.me. The opinions expressed in Dangerous Rhetoric are her own. Dangerous Rhetoric is available on thinkspot, Rumble and Substack.

Sources:

1) Ballotpedia, Washington Treasurer 2024, https://bit.ly/3XxuTi9
2) Sharon Hanek for Treasurer, https://bit.ly/4delaTF
3) Sharon Hanek for Treasurer YouTube, https://bit.ly/3zj3NTZ
4) What we do, Washington state Office of the Insurance Commissioner, https://bit.ly/3ZuakWs
5) Phil Fortunato for Insurance Commissioner, https://bit.ly/3TBowsM
6) FPIW – Phil Fortunato Interview, https://bit.ly/3Xzb2Pt