"But this is the first time in years that a governor has made ethics reform an issue," said Becker, speaking of Huntsman's pledge to take various steps at ethical changes in the executive branch of government.

Wednesday, Huntsman said he was staying out of the fight over legislative ethics. "I'm only looking at the executive branch. The Legislature can do what it thinks appropriate."

Huntsman, for example, wants to ban top state executives from becoming paid lobbyists for a year after leaving state employment. Democrats want a two-year moratorium on legislators becoming lobbyists, although Curtis says a one-year ban might work with some modifications.

Since the early 1990s, every House speaker who retired immediately became a paid lobbyist. The exception was Marty Stephens, who left office the first of this year. Twenty-five former lawmakers are now lobbying, reports show.

Asked what he thinks about public servants taking gifts — whether from registered lobbyists or anyone else — Huntsman said he would operate as he did when he was twice an ambassador for the federal government.

"I will turn over any gifts I get" as governor "to the state."

There is one area where he must have a say, however.

House and Senate Democrats believe the State Elections Office should be taken out from under direct control of the partisan-elected lieutenant governor and made into a bipartisan office "to avoid election scandals."

Huntsman said he's talked to Democratic leaders about that idea, "and I'm keeping an open ear to that change."

The state just collects various reports and finalizes county vote counts.

Curtis believes a change isn't necessary. "Elected county clerks run the elections," he said. "And Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen is a Democrat, overseeing elections for 40 percent of Utahns. Has she not done a good job?"

But Senate Minority Whip Ron Allen, D-Stansbury Park, says the State Elections Office, which with the coming of the new Huntsman administration has seen a large turnover in staff, should not be run by an elected official.

Republicans might want to require more frequent reporting in legislative and gubernatorial campaigns, Valentine said. "With being able to report on the Web, it's pretty simple to report once a month so citizens can really see who is funding our campaigns."

He also supports in concept not allowing legislators to spend their campaign funds on personal items. Although exactly what is a personal item needs to be carefully and fairly defined, Valentine added.

Going nowhere is the Democrats' proposal to have independently appointed commissions to oversee House and Senate ethics complaints and the once-a-decade redistricting of legislative seats, GOP leaders say.