Utah legislators just want a little respect

Webb: Serving in the Legislature is, in many ways, a thankless task. It is a lot of long hours, hard work and lousy pay. Unless you're a top leader, there's not much glory or visibility. Most people, even most of your own constituents, don't even know who you are.

You are the butt of a lot of jokes. Someone told me recently that watching the Legislature reminded him of "the bar scene in Star Wars."

Cynical news reporters and editorial writers shower a lot more criticism on the Legislature than praise. So-called "message" bills on moral issues get more negative media focus than they deserve. Opinion polls show the Legislature's overall approval rating runs 15 points to 20 points below that of the governor.

In short, the Legislature just doesn't get a lot of respect.

And legislators might as well get used to it, because that's the way it is and has always been.

Certainly, the Legislature's image can be improved somewhat with effective public relations. House Republicans this year asked Peter Watkins, an accomplished PR practitioner, to assist with that effort, and the result has been very positive. On the Senate side, Ric Cantrell has produced a well-read Senate Weblog, an effective communications tool.

But PR initiatives can only modestly improve the Legislature's image. The reality is that the nature of the beast just isn't conducive to a smooth, disciplined PR operation where everyone stays on message and follows a script.

Consider the PR challenge. Utah has 104 independently elected lawmakers, each with an equal vote, each feeling a mandate, each with his or her own priorities and each with a healthy ego. And the legislators come from two parties, constantly squabbling, each seeking advantage over the other. Those factors alone are a recipe for PR chaos.

The legislative process increases the challenge. In the executive branch, the governor has private discussions with staff and cabinet and makes a decision. With only one voice, the nature of the office is conducive to good PR. In the legislative branch, the state's toughest issues are run through committees, public hearings, floor debates and are subject to intense lobbying, demonstrations and letter-writing campaigns. At any given time, in any committee or floor debate, a legislator may say something dumb or appear insensitive. The actions of any one lawmaker are reflected in the overall image of the Legislature.

Given all that, it's remarkable the Legislature's image fares as well as it does. The reality is that Utah lawmakers accomplish an amazing amount of work in 45 days, dealing with the state's toughest issues. When all is said and done, they generally make the right decisions, balance the budget and serve the state well.