Huntsman is swearing off glitz for swearing-in

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s second inauguration next month will be more austere than his first swearing-in ceremony four years ago because of the state's troubled economy.

"We're certainly mindful of the economic situation we're in, and we're doing everything we can to cut back spending," the governor's spokeswoman, Lisa Roskelley, said Friday. Roskelley said next month's inauguration will be held in the state Capitol, which reopened earlier this year after being closed since 2004 for some $200 million in renovations.

The governor's Jan. 5, 2005, inauguration was held in Abravanel Hall and featured patriotic songs sung by future "American Idol" finalist David Archuleta, as well as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Other events four years ago included an interfaith service the night before the inauguration and a "Statehood Celebration" at the E Center in West Valley City, where Huntsman performed a Rolling Stones song with local musicians.

There was also a $250-a-plate inaugural dinner at the Salt Palace. Money raised at the event was used to help pay off the governor's campaign debt, as well as help the victims of the recent Asian tsunami.

Now, Roskelley said, the only event planned in addition to the swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol is "sort of an inauguration/statehood day celebration, but it won't be a black-tie affair." She said the location has not yet been set, but it won't be at the Capitol. The cost of attending is expected to be recouped through donations and a minimal entrance fee.

She said elements of the 2005 interfaith service will be incorporated into the swearing in of the governor and the state's other elected constitutional officeholders by Utah Supreme Court Chief Justice Christine Durham.

There is about $130,000 in the state budget to cover inauguration costs, Roskelley said, the same amount allocated in 2005.

"I know it seems like a lot, but considering you have to bring in all the lighting, all the chairs," she said, much is needed to cover the costs associated with setting up the inauguration as well as printing programs.

Huntsman's inaugural address is expected to touch on the state's tough economic times. On Thursday, he released a proposed spending plan for the budget year beginning July 1, 2009, that was more than $1 billion less than last year's.

"It's a fairly traditional event," Roskelley said of the inauguration. "It won't change dramatically, but certainly it will be more economical because it will be in the Capitol."

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E-mail: lisa@desnews.com