From Deseret News archives:

Legislative conflicts of interest common

Published: Sunday, May 27, 2007 12:22 a.m. MDT
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The legislators' conflict of interest forms can be found by going to the Legislature's home page at www.le.state.ut.gov and clicking on the House and the Senate sites.

Some examples showcase good and poor disclosure that can be perceived on lawmakers' forms:

Rep. Jennifer Seelig, D-Salt Lake, said she works for 1-800 CONTACTS. That firm is a major financial contributor to many legislative races.

Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, D-Holladay, lists "none" on her disclosure form under possible conflicts, yet Moss is a retired teacher who is one of the strongest backers of public education, and she receives retirement payments from her school district.

Rep. Mike Morley, R-Spanish Fork, a developer and charter school builder, lists about 25 different entities, many of them subdivisions, that he's been a part of in one of the more thorough disclosure forms. Morley also lists the state department tenants who lease some of his office spaces.

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Rep. Becky Lockhart, R-Provo, lists that her husband "is a registered lobbyist." But she doesn't list any of her husband's clients (he only has one), nor does she list his name, so citizens may find it difficult to identify him in the lobbyist online files at Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert's Web site. Rep. Ben Ferry, R-Corrine, however, lists the names of his father, mother and two close relatives, all of whom are registered lobbyists, and their clients can be found online.

• Most legislators don't list what their spouses or partners do. Or if they do list a potential conflict, they don't say that it is their spouse's conflict and not directly theirs.

• Many lawmakers' conflict of interest forms are oddly incomplete, forcing a reader to search for answers elsewhere. For example, Rep. Gage Froerer, R-Huntsville, is a real estate broker in Weber County. But his form doesn't say that. He just lists as a conflict: Gage Froerer & Associates, without saying what the firm does.

Becker lists on his form all of his planning clients — a rarity in the Legislature. From certified public accountants to dentists to lawyers and engineers, many legislators who carry clients refuse to name those clients. No lawmaker/attorneys list their clients on their forms, although they say when they have a conflict, they verbally declare it before they vote without naming their clients.

Legislator/lawyers are a unique problem, as they may claim attorney-client privilege to keep their client list secret. The secrecy, however, can be carried to absurdity: A dozen years ago or so, a senator who is a well-known water attorney refused to tell the Morning News who his government clients were, yet halfway through the session he appeared at a public, nonlegislative meeting representing a Salt Lake County water company.

Twelve of the 29 senators either carry clients themselves or their spouses carry clients. That's 65 percent of the Senate.

In the House, 19 of 75 representatives are in professions where they carry, or could be carrying, clients, or one fourth of the body.


E-mail: bbjr@desnews.com; lee@desnews.com

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