'An agent of change': Huntsman vows to move Utah forward

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. pledged to spend the next four years "not as a protector of the status quo, but as an agent of change" in his inaugural address Monday, given for the first time at Abravanel Hall.

Huntsman took the oath of office as the state's 16th governor on the concert hall stage in front of an audience of family, friends, political supporters and government insiders because the Utah State Capitol is closed for a four-year seismic retrofit project.

He shared the stage with the state's other elected officials who were also sworn in Monday — Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert, Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, Treasurer Ed Alter and Auditor Auston Johnson.

But the event was all about Huntsman. His rather short speech was well received, interrupted nine times for applause and given a standing ovation at the end. After the ceremony, he spent more than an hour shaking the hands of hundreds of well-wishers.

"For me, this day is both exciting and humbling," Huntsman said.

In his first address as governor, his focus on the need to embrace change surprised some. Huntsman is the fourth Republican to hold the office since 1984, the last time a Democrat served as governor. At 44, he's the state's second-youngest chief executive.

Utahns, Huntsman said, are "defined by hard work, strong morals and love of state" but are losing a trait of their forbears, "the ability not to fear change — for with change comes progress and opportunity."

Echoing his campaign platform, the new governor said his administration "will deliver innovative and novel approaches for creating jobs and expanding our economy" to pay for education and other state needs.

To naysayers who would argue that goal can't be accomplished, Huntsman had this retort: "Stand aside and let those who believe lead out." He said he wants to "usher in an unprecedented period of cooperation and community building."

Utahns should reach across boundaries, "be they religious or race, political or geographic," Huntsman said, and "place state before self — to fully appreciate our increased diversity, because by it we are strengthened."

He told reporters later the changes he'll propose — as soon as this week — will focus on economic development, tax reform, education, infrastructure development and governance, including the structure of the executive branch and ethics reform.

Utahns, Huntsman said at a brief news conference, need to wake up to the fact that this "is a changing, dynamic state in need of things for the next 20 years that we never would have contemplated. . . . I'm not sure we've had enough people talk about some of these changes."