"Bell, a former real estate attorney, said the recession took a toll on his [real estate] industry, creating financial strain. That and the need to shore up his footing for retirement — he turns 65 next month — prompted him to make the move," the Trib's Robert Gehrke reports.
Bell currently brings down a measly "$104,000 plus benefits," according to Mr. Gehrke's story.
The pending question: Which fat-cat Utah real estate lobbying firm will soon be adding Mr. Bell to their payroll?
Special note to beleaguered Attorney General John Swallow: Perhaps it's time to follow Lt. Governor Bell's lead, and start thinking about the long-term pecuniary benefits of private sector employment yourself.
Just a helpful thought from yer old pal Rudi.
Update 9/18/13 6:15 a.m.: The Standard provides a followup story, rife with speculation about possible candidates for Lt. Governor Bell's replacement:State Senator Stuart Reid? Give us a break!
7 comments:
Pretty amazing when a salary of $104,000 a year is not enough to live on. Perhaps we need politicians from the lower pay ranks to run our governments. But at least he didn't renege on his mortgage as Mr. Lee did.
Something doesn't add up here. The real estate market had already tanked before he ran for the office last time. In fact, at the moment, it's recovering. Clearly he anticipated serving out his term when he ran so recently. So why the bailout now?
Yeah, Bob. the whole story smells "fishy," dunnit?
Speculation in the SE story that the Gov. asked Bell to leave so the Gov. could select someone further to the right to innoculate himself against a challenge to his re-election from Last Minute Lockhart. Among those being considered some say is our very own Steuart Reid. And Free Lunch Dee.
Folks are focusing on the wrong issue, the Lt Gov's current salary. Forgotten is the fact he is 65 years old and has been working in the private sector as a real estate attorney for the past 3 + (?) decades, with a large portion of those years pretty much being the boom years for that sector of the economy. Now Bell claims he can't retire because of his "family" and a significant drop in the value of his investments and it appears the interest payments he was hoping to collect from them. I'm pretty sure he doesn't have any kids at home. So just to recap: a 65 year old college educated, bar passed attorney, and the soon to be former Lt Gov of supposedly one of the best run states in the US claims he can't afford to retire because of the status of his "investments" and the need to provide for his "family" of apparently full grown kids that no longer live at home and has to bail on his $104K per year public office job he was elected to, to make ends met. Did I miss anything?
Reid is just not ethically right for the state, let alone this district which was handed to him on a silver platter, courtesy of Matt Godfrey, after he decided he was no longer a Democrat. After 7 years as Governor, I would hope Herbert is planning on not running again. I like him, as you know, but 2 terms is enough.
Reid is pits. If you want a spineless, do whatever it takes to get elected politician look no further than him, This was the guy who was DeeDee Corridini's hand picked successor in SLC then lost to Ricky. Moved to Ogden to work for Godfrey. Ran for Senate as a Democrat then suddenly changed parties with he a chance to be elected after Greiner got caught in violation of the Hatch Act (A violation that was that occurred when he ran against Democrat Reid) . Even the Utah Republicans were all like "We don't want him" when he did. Sad how they forgot all about that after he got elected. They should have ran someone against his carpetbagging butt the next election.
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