Give Bruce Poliquin credit for turning the usually obscure post of state treasurer into a bully pulpit for a larger discussion on state fiscal policy.

But while we welcome the debate, we don’t think Poliquin needs a larger role in it. Apparently he sees things differently.

The treasurer has submitted a bill that would transfer sweeping powers to his office, setting him up as a kind of a gatekeeper for a variety of different kinds of bonding, even the municipal and other institutional borrowing in which the state taxpayers are not on the hook for making payments.

This would be a massive power shift, turning the treasurer from Maine’s bookkeeper into its “bond czar,” with the ability to say “no” to any economic development corporation or regional water district that wants to borrow money and has the means to pay it back.

Passage of this bill would give more say to Poliquin on fiscal matters than the boards of directors of those organizations, which are ultimately responsible for making spending decisions.

We understand that Poliquin is ambitious — he ran for governor last year — but we don’t see any reason to grow the job of state treasurer to fit his ego. The state Constitution doesn’t give much guidance to what the treasurer should do all day, but it certainly does not envision the assistant-governor-for-anything-to-do-with-money post that Poliquin seems to have in mind.

The election of Gov. LePage has ushered in a new era in the state’s attitude toward indebtedness, although it can be hard at times to clearly define how that translates into policy.

The governor announced a two-year moratorium on all borrowing in his budget address, but has since backed off that, saying that his words were misinterpreted and he would favor bonds approved by the voters.

Legislative leaders from both parties say they make a distinction between debt, like the unfunded pension liability, which saps the state’s ability to pay for other necessities, and bond-supported investments in infrastructure, which are vital to Maine’s future.

Poliquin’s insight in this debate is valuable, but providing it should be enough. This remains an issue to be hashed out by the people’s elected representatives in the Legislature and governor’s office, and the voters themselves at election time.

If Bruce Poliquin wants a bigger role, he can run for a bigger job. Until then, he should be satisfied with the job he’s got.