Demos pledge ethics reform

PROVO — A group of 13 moderate-to-conservative Democrats running for the Legislature from Utah County districts have taken a pledge to sponsor bills that would set higher ethical standards for legislators.

A prominent Provo Republican who pushed for ethics reforms during his 10 years in the Utah House has endorsed the crew of moderate Democrats and their promise to push for ethics reform at the state Capitol.

"The Utah House and Senate so desperately need at this time to get ethics reforms passed," said former state representative Jordan Tanner. "This is the year I hope the people of Utah County stand up and say, 'This is the time ethics reforms must happen.' This is the year to do it because we have the best candidates we've ever had in Utah County."

Tanner, of Provo, specifically endorsed Democratic nominee Don Jarvis, a former Brigham Young University professor, in District 63, the seat Tanner held for 10 years. Jarvis is running against incumbent Republican Stephen Clark, who succeeded Tanner in 2001.

The Democrats' guarantee was presented Tuesday at a Provo press conference and included a charge that "current Utah County legislators have failed to show leadership in passing ethics reforms for state legislators."

The Democrats guaranteed that if elected, they would seek legislation that would:

• Establish an independent commission to investigate legislators accused of unethical behavior.

• Prohibit legislators from receiving gifts worth more than $50 from lobbyists.

• Require both legislators who receive and lobbyists who give gifts and meals of any value to disclose those gifts.

• Prohibit candidates from using campaign funds for personal use.

Former Weber State University president Paul Thompson, running as a Democrat against Lorie Fowlke, R-Orem, in House District 59, said the Republican-dominated Legislature has failed to pass nine ethics reform bills in the past seven years.

Similar bills passed in other states and have done well, said Claralyn Hill, running against one-term incumbent Chris Herrod, R-Provo, in House District 62.

The proposals in the pledge sound good but are too vague, Utah Senate President John Valentine said.

Valentine said vagueness caused the demise of recent past efforts to reform legislative ethics, but he predicted Republicans would spearhead passage of meaningful ethics reforms in the 2009 legislative session because "it is now a front-burner item."

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. called for reform earlier this week in the wake of the ethics investigation of Rep. Greg Hughes, R-Draper.