Well that's a good thing. What would give anyone the idea that Edwards should run for governor, given his track record as treasurer?

Edwards said he's more inclined to go into the private sector for awhile as his three kids - aged 16, 14, 10 - move toward college age

The fact that he actually said that after failing to provide adequate oversight of the funds offered by Oregon's 529 plan is hilarious. Or sad. Or both!

I wouldn't mind John Edwards as Governor!

Randall Edwards has done a tremendous job as State Treasurer, and has grown the state's various savings to unprecedented levels: consistently outperforming market indicators.

It's a shame that people are more likely to remember the very recent (and very grave) troubles with the College Savings Program than they are to remember the eight previous years (and more before that) during which Treasurer Edwards did a top-notch job.

A Treasurer's successes often come without pomp or fanfare... but occasional failures are staggeringly public.

Whatever the result of this College Savings issue, Randall Edwards' aggregate career has been that of a fine public servant - both in terms of his efforts and his execution.

Actually, the Oregon 529 Plan has always been high cost/lower value when compared to some other state sponsored plans (Wyoming and colorado come to mind). thos who invested blindly in the Oregon plan merely because they lived in Oregon have lost capital due to a poorly run plan.

I am not entirely certain that the state Treasurer would have much to do with the actual investment options in the plan.

Kurt, I think you're failing to take into account the tax deduction for Oregon residents who contribute to the Oregon plan. It's $4,000 for married couples, which is going to save most of us $360 in Oregon taxes. So even if Oregon's admin fees are higher (and I don't think they're all that high, really, and it depends on your investment choices) you're almost certainly going to be better off investing in Oregon's plan.

And the state Treasurer absolutely decides which investment options are available. The menu of Oppenheimer and Vanguard funds you can invest in with your 529 is limited to what the Treasurer includes. State taxpayers should be able to rely on the Treasurer's office to screen the funds that are being offered. If one is tagged as a "conservative" bond fund, that's what it should be. The state's contract with Oppenheimer should be clear that they expect the funds to be correctly represented, and that the state can (and will) terminate it's relationship with that fund if it's not, as well as sue for damages.

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