The appointment will be made by the consumer services committee. The committee chairman, Dee Jay Hammon, said he had no comment about the county report. "I know nothing about it," he said. "Salt Lake County has got their own serious problems."

Any accusations that surface against a potential hire, Hammon said, along with previous job history and other factors "go into the mix. That's done with everyone."

The governor's decision to meet one-on-one with committee members to lobby for Reberg means their discussions won't be subject to the state's open meetings law. Hammon said he had no problem with Huntsman's request for individual meetings. "It's his choice," he said.

The committee had not yet scheduled a meeting to choose a new director, Hammon said, noting the governor has yet to formally nominate Reberg. He said he'd prefer to see several candidates for the post.

Chaffetz said the governor has only one candidate — Reberg. "Hopefully, sooner rather than later, the committee will have that vote and she'll be confirmed," Chaffetz said. "If not, we'll have another nominee."

---

E-mail: lisa@desnews.com