Chase plans no major changes

Although he once advocated a return to the gold standard, Spokane County Treasurer-elect Rob Chase plans nothing startling when he takes office.

The Libertarian-turned-Republican said the only change he plans is to beef up the Treasurer’s Office website and make it easier for people to see where their money is going.

“Philosophically, I don’t have any agenda except to follow the law and do the best I can for the public,” Chase said. “My goal is that, whenever I do leave the Treasurer’s Office, they can say, ‘Rob Chase was a good treasurer.’ ”

Chase, who defeated Democratic incumbent Skip Chilberg earlier this month, said he plans no staff changes, and will retain longtime Chief Deputy Treasurer Bob Wrigley.

“A lot of people hold him in very high regard, so I will rely heavily on him,” Chase said. “I’ve never heard a bad word about him.”

Morale was high and the office seemed to be running well when he toured it Wednesday, Chase said.

He said he will emphasize customer service and integrity as well as morale. He pledged to work a full day and answer all calls within 24 hours.

When Chase ran for Congress in 2002, he espoused a standard Libertarian platform – with elements to please and offend both liberals and conservatives.

Bring the troops home, end “corporate welfare,” repeal the federal Controlled Substances Act, protect the environment with private-property rights, privatize Social Security and keep government out of health care, Chase urged.

On monetary policy, he said the United States should stabilize its economy by returning to a “100 percent” gold standard. Under such a system, currency is exchangeable for a fixed amount of gold.

“Well, you can’t return to the gold standard in the Treasurer’s Office,” Chase said this week, noting many duties are tightly controlled by state law.

Nevertheless, for those who want to deal in precious metals, Chase will still accept an ounce of silver in lieu of $19.52 for a Phrygian-style “liberty cap” he sells through one of his home businesses, according to the company’s website.

Chase said he knew he couldn’t win as a Libertarian when he ran against Republican state Rep. Bob McCaslin in 2000 and Republican U.S. Rep. George Nethercutt in 2002. But he hoped to “push the pendulum back toward liberty,” and thinks that has happened “a little bit.”

That shift probably is one of the factors that helped him win the treasurer’s race, Chase said.

He said he was inspired by U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, who ran for president as a Libertarian in 1988 and as a Republican in 2008.

“I think he had a good fiscal policy,” Chase said. “… Philosophically, with a small ‘L,’ I have a lot of libertarian ideals, which are that it’s best to have private solutions rather than public solutions.”

Government must be kept to its “necessary and proper functions,” Chase said.

He hopes to inspire others to run for local offices.

“I think people can see that if Rob Chase can get elected, then they can, too,” he said.

Chase believes “the Founding Fathers meant for ordinary citizens to fill a lot of these elected positions.” However, he has a bachelor’s degree in operations management and kept the books for his father’s Spokane Valley zinc-recycling business for 15 years.

“I was a full-charge bookkeeper, so I know a debit from a credit,” Chase said.

Until he takes office in January, Chase plans to study procedures and familiarize himself with the Treasurer’s Office – where Chilberg has provided quarters for him.

Chase said he looks forward to working with other county officials regardless of political party.

“Now that the dust has settled after the election, we’re not a Republican or a Democrat,” he said. “We’re a team and we’re serving the people of the county, and I think we all want to do what’s the best for them.”