Valentine's A-Plus radio ad raises eyebrows
Bob Bernick Jr.
Valentine, R-Orem, has cut a radio ad for A-Plus Benefits Inc., a company Valentine's law firm has hired to provide employee services — such as payroll, health and dental care management — for his firm's 32 workers.
"A-Plus is not a client of the law firm; we're a client to them," says Valentine (was his voice slipping into the baritone register, or just my overactive imagination at work?).
Valentine, in the House and Senate for a dozen years and president for 10 months, may not yet be a well-recognized name in Utah politics.
And he doesn't identify himself in the ad as Senate president, just saying: "This is John Valentine . . . " and then he reads from a 50-second script about how well A-Plus Benefits has taken care of his law firm — which he does mention by name.
"I agreed to do it" when asked by an A-Plus executive "because they do a good job for us and it does get the name of our law firm out there," says Valentine. But it is still odd for a sitting legislator, especially a leader, to do a personal ad endorsement that is not connected to another candidate's campaign.
As reported previously in the Deseret Morning News, Wright is thinking about challenging Matheson in the 2nd District next year.
Matheson's attorney recently sent KSL Radio managers a letter warning that should Wright talk about his possible campaign on air it could cause Federal Election Commission and Federal Communication Commission problems for the station — which, with a 50,000-watt clear channel on the AM band, reaches all of Utah and beyond.
Wright would come off the air if or when he announces for the race, KSL executives have said. But they aren't pushing Wright to make a decision one way or the other, they added.
An open drive time morning slot for Valentine?
"I don't think so," he joked.
But Valentine actually has hosted a radio talk show before, he said.
On a summer break from Brigham Young University between his sophomore and junior years, a 21-year-old Valentine hosted an hourlong talk program on a small station in Orange County, Calif., where he then lived when not in school.
"It was about local politics, and a long, long hour when nobody called in and you had to make small talk" with either yourself or a short-winded guest.
"I know from experience that radio talk show hosting is hard work," said Valentine, who has been mentioned as running in the future either for Congress or governor.
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