Public employees group endorses Gov. Gary Herbert in election

MURRAY — The Utah Public Employees Association endorsed Gov. Gary Herbert Wednesday, the first time in 18 years that the organization has backed a Republican gubernatorial candidate.

Jeff Horrocks, chairman of the UPEA political arm that selected Herbert over his Democratic rival, Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, said the governor has "demonstrated his willingness to work with public employees."

One of the factors taken into account, Horrocks said, was how the governor handled the release by state employees of private information about supposedly illegal immigrants. Herbert ordered the investigation that led to the ouster of two Department of Workforce Services employees.

"Governor Herbert is very fair to public employees. He's also very concerned about keeping the security we need in our files," Horrocks said. "I think that Gov. Herbert took the right steps, and the employees who were involved in that were dealt with in a manner that was appropriate."

Herbert, who along with Lt. Gov. Greg Bell attended a news conference at the association's headquarters to announce the endorsement, said "99.9 percent of state government workers are good people trying to do the best that they can. … These were rogue employees."

The governor described UPEA as "not only a strong voice, but it's a valued voice." Both he and Bell praised state workers for their efforts during tough economic times.

The endorsement comes with a yet-to-be determined financial contribution to Herbert's campaign, Horrocks said, as well as help from association members.

UPEA represents just under 25,000 state government workers and has more than 8,000 members, but it does not describe itself as a union because it does not engage in collective bargaining.

The association has not endorsed a Republican candidate for governor since 1992. That year the group backed Mike Leavitt, who won the office and went on to be re-elected twice. Herbert and Corroon are competing in a special gubernatorial election in November for the remaining two years of former Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s term.

Corroon was disappointed he didn't get the endorsement, said his spokeswoman, Stella Thurkill. However, she noted that he does have the support of other employee groups, including the Utah American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and, as of Wednesday afternoon, the Utah AFL-CIO.

"We're thrilled with the AFL-CIO endorsement," Thurkill said. "They're the hardworking people of this state, and it means a lot to get their endorsement."

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