Senate Demos just try to get along

Democrats hold one-third or fewer seats in the Utah House and Senate. And with such small numbers, some Democrats say each minority party legislator has to pull extra weight.

But Senate Democrats, who in the days of Scott Howell and Francis Farley were political thorns in the sides of the majority Republicans, have in recent years been known for their "go along to get along" attitude.

Now Senate Democrats are joined by former House Minority Leader Brent Goodfellow, a 20-year veteran, who during the 2003 Legislature, admits he did not once stand to criticize a GOP bill or idea from his leadership desk on the back row of the House Chambers.

Goodfellow, D-West Valley, has been appointed by state party delegates to fill out the term of Senate Minority Whip Ron Allen, D-Stansbury Park, who resigned his seat this spring when he was appointed to the Public Service Commission by GOP Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.

While some people the Deseret Morning News talked to praised Goodfellow for his years of service and believe him an effective lawmaker, others said that Senate Democrats will be tested in coming months and years.

As a newcomer to the Senate, Goodfellow doesn't have a leadership role there yet. He joins fellow freshmen Scott McCoy, an openly gay lawmaker who replaced veteran Paula Julander after she resigned for health reasons, and Fred Fife, a former House member who beat former GOP Sen. James Evans in a west-side Salt Lake City district.

"There are so few Democrats (in the Senate), we need to fill those seats with stars," said long-time Democrat Ted Wilson, a former Salt Lake City mayor and party nominee for the U.S. Senate and governorship. Democrats hold just eight seats in the 29-member body.

While not criticizing Senate Democrats, Wilson, the former director of the University of Utah's Hinckley Institute of Politics, said they have "been quiet" the past several years.

House Minority Leader Ralph Becker, D-Salt Lake, who beat Goodfellow in the leadership race in November, said there won't be any change coming in the Senate through Goodfellow's jump to the upper body.

That's because Senate Democrats tend to be more low-key than their House counterparts. Some would say they're old-school, avoiding confrontation with the GOP majority to win support for at least some of their legislation.