Utah think tank remaking itself

It hasn't been business as usual at the Sutherland Institute in hopes of upending politics as usual in Utah.

In three years on the job, President Paul T. Mero has almost completely turned over the staff and the boards of trustees and scholars at the conservative, free-market think tank. And in ridding Sutherland of its stubborn ideologues, he has brought a new ethic to the obscure organization.

Its core belief that families, private initiatives, voluntary associations, churches and businesses are better problem-solvers than government has not changed. But how Sutherland goes about influencing public policy in Utah has.

Flush with "millions of dollars over the next several years" from an in-state donor Mero won't identify, Sutherland is poised to extricate itself from the political fringe and become more vocal.

"There's nothing more dangerous to the status quo and politics as usual than good people with good ideas with money in their pockets. We are good people. And I'm sure we have good ideas."

The "new" Sutherland Institute will share some of its thoughts at a coming-out party of sorts Wednesday at the Grand America Hotel. Invited are 2,700 politicians, civic leaders and investors to what the 9-year-old institute is calling its "inaugural" event. A couple hundred are expected to attend.

"I'm rolling the dice and betting we will have broad buy-in," Mero said.

Civility and solutions

Local pols, especially left-leaning ones, are skeptical.

"The proof is in the pudding," said Sen. Ron Allen, D—Stansbury Park. "It's going to take a little while to see where they're coming from."

Sutherland's revised mantra centers on rising above the muck of politics. Mero said he is disturbed by how people treat each other in what amounts to a zero-sum game of winners and losers. He's looking for people who not only play nice but play nice while making good public policy.

"Civility is a lot more than being polite. Civility is a lot more than agreeing to disagree. Civility is finding lasting solutions," he said.

That doesn't mean Sutherland intends to abandon its more-family- less-government agenda.