The Republican incumbents claim some of the longest tenures in state government and show no signs of retiring soon. Alter, the most senior of the two, has banked almost 24 years in office and is looking to win his seventh four-year term on Tuesday. Johnson has a decade behind him, not to mention 17 more years working for his predecessors.

"They are lifetime appointments. They're contested, but there's no contest," says another veteran of Utah politics, Senate Majority Leader Mike Dmitrich. The Price Democrat trumps them both with 36 years in the Legislature.

Alter and Johnson are not without opponents. Democratic challengers Debbie Hansen for treasurer and Carlos Vasquez for auditor are campaigning on a platform that might be summed up: "Why not give someone else a chance?"

Neither challenger comes to the race with a long political or financial management rsum. But it's a lack of voter interest that promises to cement the race for the incumbents.

When it comes to keeping government honest and ensuring that tax dollars are well spent, there are no two more important executive branch posts.

The treasurer manages and reconciles 165 bank accounts containing about $7 billion of taxpayer money that later will be invested to maximize returns. The treasurer also sells the state's bonds, writing the covenants and timing the bidding to keep interest rates low and preserve Utah's AAA bond rating.

The auditor is the state's financial watchdog, investigating fraud and cataloguing annual audits of most state and local government departments.

Vasquez, a UPS driver from Fruit Heights, wants term limits reinstated to preserve the state auditor's impartiality.

"This shouldn't be a position you retire from. There are a lot of benefits to change, particularly in a job where independence is so important," says the 30-year-old father of five.

Alter's challenger, Hansen, agrees. "I tend to believe that when someone makes a career out of being an elected official, they become so entrenched that the office becomes their office. The office belongs to the people," says the 41-year-old former Ogden School Board member and Weber State University secretary.

Alter and Johnson have no shortage of credentials or experience.

Johnson, a 55-year-old certified public accountant, has managed to avoid criticism from Republicans and Democrats, and not because he has gone soft on oversight, he says. "We try to be cooperative and work behind the scenes with people to fix problems and improve state government."

Adapting to an increase in white-collar crime, Johnson created a tips hot line and fraud unit, which has conducted 28 investigations leading to the retrieval of at least $1.6 million. About a third of that money was recovered after Johnson discovered that county law enforcement agencies had pocketed criminal forfeiture proceeds that belonged to public schools.

Alter's political track record also is nearly spotless. He caught some flak for publishing his photo in state surplus reports that are circulated in daily newspapers close to Election Day. And his investment of tobacco settlement money in tobacco stocks stirred up trouble.

But the 63-year-old certified public accountant helped preserve Utah's sterling bond rating, even during the recession of the past two years. In refinancing old bonds, Alter saved the state $4 million last year.

"This is a technical job. Party affiliation doesn't matter," Alter says. "Bankers don't care whether you're Republican or Democrat. They just want the money."