Steven Johnson typically has to offer a bit of a civics lesson at each campaign stop.
Johnson, who is running for Kansas state treasurer, was in Iola as part of a series of stops through eastern Kansas Thursday.
Johnson, a Salina native, stopped by the Allen County Courthouse to visit with courthouse employees.
Any overriding comments from the campaign?
“The biggest thing people ask is, ‘What does a treasurer do?’” he noted.
Thus, the education part of his campaign pitch.
The state treasurer serves as the chief financial officer for the state, handling such tasks as investing pooled monies and overseeing the money brought on by all state agencies.
With that descriptor out of the way, Johnson then can get to the nuts and bolts of his campaign pitch.
“We need to make sure Kansas assets are invested with the highest and best return, regardless of policies or objectives that come from Washington.”
Of rising importance this year are investments related to the oil and gas sector, Johnson said.
“If people understand the role of managing state investments and cash flows, the state treasurer is on the board that determines risks in portfolios,” he continued. “Getting those risks right is critical.”
While such a topic sounds dry — and often is — it’s a big factor for such things as the state’s KPERS fund for government employees.
Johnson suggested how the KPERS equity portfolio is invested could be put at risk if too much is invested overseas, particularly with volatility in Russia, Ukraine and China.
JOHNSON, who has served in the Kansas House of Representatives since 2011, is perhaps best known for his razor-thin victory over Caryn Tyson in the Aug. 2 Republican primary.
Johnson defeated Tyson by 474 votes — out of 438,000 votes cast statewide — in a race that wasn’t declared for several days afterward.
He advances to the Nov. 8 general election against Democratic incumbent Lynn Rogers.
