"We thought it was certainly worthwhile to get as much information as possible, to get some answers, thoughts and rationale as to why this is happening," he said.

Horiuchi said he will try to contact the other council members in the next few days to gauge their interest, although, he added, "we have the independent authority to go ahead and hold these hearings. The only things we'd really need to commit (are) some staff time and a place to hold the meetings."

Ideally, he hopes to get the ball rolling early in the new year.

Horiuchi, Wilson and Hatch are three of the council's four Democrats. The Salt Lake County Council is a nine-member body. But the three argued Wednesday, the proposed hearings are not about politics.

"This is not a Republican or Democrat issue. This is a Utah issue," Hatch said in a prepared statement. "Corporate raiders should not have the final say when it comes to airline safety or access to reasonable fares, and we have every reason to be concerned that if this hostile takeover goes through, the Salt Lake City airline hub will be the big loser."

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E-mail: jnii@desnews.com