Utah lawmakers stall nominations to state records committee after ruling on AG Sean Reyes' calendar.
Hits & Misses
By Katharine Biele @kathybiele
Miss: Nothing to See Here
There's that saying about the fox guarding the henhouse. The henhouse is you, the public, and the fox, it appears, is the Legislature. Charged with considering requests for public records, the Utah State Records Committee ran into a wall of inaction when lawmakers did not appoint or reappoint members necessary for a quorum. The stalemate came after the committee approved release of the work calendar for Attorney General Sean Reyes. The Republican-controlled body doesn't like the idea of the public knowing what they're doing. One of the nominees, former Rep. Logan Wilde, suggested reporters only want the calendars to conduct "fishing" expeditions. And of course, privacy—a favorite red herring—was brought up. It looks like the new nominees are likely to keep calendars secret, begging the question of why officials can't keep a private calendar as well as a work calendar. Still, Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, wants to know why the public should care if an elected official does something immoral outside of their job. In an era when voters chose a demonstrably immoral president, that's a really good question.
Miss: Split Verdict
Reading a Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll shouldn't require a math degree. The Deseret News, however, seemed to think that 35% is greater than 37%. The paper emphasized the lower number, maybe because 35% of those polled think all charges against the president-elect should be dropped. However, 37% think they all should continue. The headline, though, had it right by saying Utahns are divided on Trump's legal battles. The real question is why so many want the charges—even those that have been adjudicated—to be dropped. But the story did hint at a blueing of some red counties, as well as a huge and unsurprising disparity between Republicans and Democrats. On the other hand, the D-News may have been writing for its readers, one of whom commented this: "All of the cases against Trump were fabricated 3rd world communist political hit jobs."
Hit: End Homelessness, or Else
Homelessness has no easy fixes, even though the governor and legislative leaders think that bullying Salt Lake City will help. OK, it's a problem of illegal camping, drugs and crime, but the city is hardly unaware. Still, a letter from state leaders threatens some kind of intervention without unspecified results. All this comes as the nation faces an increase in the unsheltered population, along with a lack of housing options. The good news, if any, is that supportive housing programs in Utah seem to be helping. And whether it will make a difference, Rep. Tyler Clancy, R-Provo, has legislation that would require cleaning up shelters by licensing them. He also wants to match homeless people with individual case workers. Clancy has lots of good ideas but maybe lacks the funding to make them work.
About The Author
Katharine Biele
A City Weekly contributor since 1992, Katharine Biele is the informed voice behind our Hits & Misses column. When not writing, you can catch her working to empower voters and defend democracy alongside the League of Women Voters.
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