New speaker of House looks ahead after a tough year

Greg Curtis is clearly a political survivor.

And on Jan. 17 he steps up to his highest political office — speaker of the Utah House of Representatives, overseeing 75 Republicans and Democrats during the Legislature's 45-day general session.

As the new speaker, Curtis, R-Sandy, joins new Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, as arguably the most powerful politicians in the state after freshman Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., who took office just last week.

When he ran for speaker, Curtis, like Valentine, was careful not to say how long he wants a top legislative post. But in a Deseret Morning News interview last week, Curtis said he'd like to serve two terms as speaker, meaning he hopes to run again for the job after the November 2006 legislative elections.

Former House Speaker Marty Stephens, who just left office, set the record with three two-year terms. Curtis said that may be a bit much; two terms is about right, he said.

In a very real way, Curtis' victory in late November in the speaker's race was a political vindication — a show of support by his fellow House GOP colleagues in his political acumen, leadership abilities and honesty.

It was well known that Curtis, then the majority leader, was looking at the speaker's race (Stephens was running for governor and leaving the Legislature) last spring when Curtis got caught up in Salt Lake County's government car/gasoline credit card scandal.

During the 2004 Legislature, Curtis filled out state mileage forms and was reimbursed by the state for miles traveled to and from his Sandy home to the Capitol, all while driving a county-owned SUV he was provided as legal counsel for Salt Lake County Mayor Nancy Workman.

Curtis says he didn't intentionally double dip; it was an oversight. In previous sessions he'd driven his private car and just took the state mileage out of habit, he said. When he realized the error, he repaid the state several hundred dollars in mileage. He was later cleared of any legal wrongdoing. As Workman's political career spiraled downward — she was indicted over a separate scandal, dropped out of her re-election race and now awaits trial on misuse of public funds — Curtis resigned his county job.

The past year has been tough on Curtis and his family, he said. When you are "in a position of power and a public figure, you're in the news."