Dean may join Corroon's county bash

Howard Dean — he of liberal presidential politics and strong voice — is coming to Utah Monday.

Dean will attend a Democratic fund-raiser in Park City Monday night, and he'll likely stop by at his first cousin Peter Corroon's inauguration.

Corroon, the Salt Lake County mayor-elect, will be sworn into office Monday morning, along with auditor Sean Thomas and four council members: incumbents Michael Jensen and Marv Hendrickson and newcomers Jenny Wilson and Mark Crockett.

Thomas has been acting as interim auditor since being appointed by the County Council, after Craig Sorensen resigned last summer. He will run again in two years to dovetail with the election schedule of the other non-mayor, county elected offices (assessor, clerk, district attorney, recorder, sheriff, surveyor and treasurer).

Several people involved with the swearing-in ceremony Monday morning said Dean would make an appearance, but Corroon himself said it's not a sure thing.

"Frankly, I haven't talked to him," Corroon said. "I didn't set this whole thing up. . . . I didn't even know about the fund-raiser until I got the invitation."

Dean came to Salt Lake City last May to stump and raise money for Corroon's campaign. He came a year before that to do the same thing for his own presidential bid.

The inauguration, scheduled for 9 a.m. at County Council chambers, will be a relatively straightforward affair ("I want to get to the governor's inauguration," Corroon said), but there will be choirs from local churches performing, deputy sheriffs conducting a flag ceremony and remarks from the incoming (or returning) officials.

Singer LynnDee Mueller, who has performed with the musical group Mannheim Steamroller, will sing the national anthem.

"I was in my office in a meeting and I guess there's a sound system connecting to the (council) chamber," Corroon said. "She was in there singing. It sounded great."

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