Herbert not expecting to change liquor laws

Utah's regulation of liquor is headed in the right direction, Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert said Tuesday, adding he sees no need to change course once he takes over as governor.

That includes the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control commission, where Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has decided to let Herbert handle two upcoming commission appointments.

"It's steady as she goes," Herbert told the Deseret News. "We're doing good things. There's no reason to change direction when I believe we're headed in the right direction."

He said there's no reason anytime soon to revisit the liquor law changes sought by Huntsman and approved by the 2009 Legislature. The governor called for the state to relax its grip on liquor to attract more tourists.

Those changes, seen as the most sweeping in decades, eliminated private club membership requirements and the so-called "Zion curtains" separating servers and customers in the bar areas of restaurants.

"Let's let that play out in the marketplace before we … cue up again for a change in the liquor laws," Herbert said, including any increase in the number of restaurant and bar licenses available. "Let's see what the results of the current liquor laws are."

Considered more conservative on social issues than Huntsman, the lieutenant governor said he's comfortable with the changes made. "It appears to me it's mostly win, win, win all the way around," he said.

Herbert said he hasn't ruled out reappointing the two liquor commissioners whose terms expire June 30, Mary Ann Mantes and Kathryn Balmforth, but has yet to take a close look at any candidate for the post.

"I just want people who have some good common sense and a willingness to apply the law," the lieutenant governor said. "I don't care if you're a drinker or a teetotaler."

Huntsman made a dramatic change to the commission several years ago, appointing a second social drinker as well as two non-drinkers familiar with the hospitality industry. He did not appoint Mantes and Balmforth.

Mantes, however, is a social drinker who has supported easing the state's liquor laws. Balmforth, a member of the LDS Church who does not drink, often has been the lone voice on the commission opposing any change.

Commission Chairman Sam Granato, who declared himself a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate earlier this week, said he's recommended reappointing Mantes. He said he's not sure Balmforth wants another four-year term.