Workers feared Hughes would cut jobs

Two Utah State Office of Education employees, in testimony prepared for the Rep. Greg Hughes ethics investigation, said Thursday that they feared for their jobs after the Draper Republican strongly objected to an education office employee's challenge to Hughes' seat.

Margaret Bird, who directs the office's School Children's Trust, said in prepared testimony given to the news media that Hughes threatened several of her bosses over her pending candidacy as a Republican in House District 51.

Bird also said that she had numerous conversations with various individuals in the spring of 2008 that Hughes was angry and upset over her filing against him.

Hughes ended up defeating Bird in the Salt Lake County GOP convention, winning the Republican nomination outright. He has been charged with six counts of unethical conduct; the Bird incident is just one. Hughes denies any wrongdoing.

Carol Lear, an attorney at the state board, recounted in prepared testimony how after a legislative committee hearing toward the end of the 2008 general session — a committee hearing in which a Hughes-sponsored bill, opposed by the state board, was killed — an angry Hughes first confronted three associate public education superintendents about the bill's defeat, then harshly questioned them about Bird's possible legislative candidacy.

Lear said after the harsh conversation, in which Hughes told her her contributions were not appreciated, she herself feared for her job.

Lear said Hughes told the three education bosses that "allowing Margaret to run for his seat" was not a way to build trust with the Legislature.

Hughes' attorney, Thomas Karrenberg, said Bird "made wild allegations" in her testimony. "There is nothing substantial in any of the allegations" made against Hughes, Karrenberg added.

After the confrontation between Bird's bosses and Hughes, Bird said: "I feared both for my continued employment and I feared the consequences to the USOE and the state board if I made the decision to run." She ultimately did challenge Hughes.

But Karrenberg said that other witnesses testified that there were no threats against Bird or Lear, by Hughes or anyone else. One associate superintendent present at the Hughes confrontation said he "was vigorous" in his defense of Bird and Hughes was against him, said Karrenberg, and they had a good professional association before all of this, and have a good professional association now.