New Senate president says he is 'willing to stand up for what's right'

The aging building that houses Senate President Michael Waddoups' property management company seems a little out of place in the recently remodeled 9th and 9th neighborhood, one of the city's hippest.

Surrounded by colorful shops selling everything from fresh-baked bread to yoga lessons, the faded green building's only decoration is a "God Bless America Support Our Troops!" sticker on the front door.

Inside, an American flag decal marks the Taylorsville Republican's small office, dominated by a desk crowded with paperwork and some elephant figurines. Prints of birds he's hunted fill the walls and family photos compete with more elephants for shelf space.

Waddoups, whose firm manages condominium boards, office buildings and single-family residences in Salt Lake and Davis counties, said he was reluctant to relocate to the trendy area from downtown. And that was 14 years ago, long before the funky purple streetlights, abstract sculptures and xeriscaped traffic islands were installed.

Even after the latest — and to his taste, questionable — improvements, Waddoups smiles, shakes his head and slowly answers, "No-o-o-o-o," when asked if he feels at all pressured to keep up with the changes going on around him.

That's the same attitude Waddoups applies to legislative proposals that he sees as against his beliefs, whether it's violating the Second Amendment by tightening gun laws or encouraging underage drinking by loosening liquor laws.

"That's something I think I can offer. I've got a backbone. I'm willing to stand up for what's right," Waddoups said.

He's not wasting any time. Chosen just last November to lead the GOP-controlled Senate, Waddoups has already made headlines by clashing publicly with Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.

Shortly after being elected Senate president, Waddoups led the defeat of a Huntsman nominee for the Court of Appeals, 3rd District Court Judge Robert Hilder, who had upheld a gun ban at the University of Utah.

But what's attracted even more attention to Waddoups' new role in the Senate is his very vocal stand against the governor's efforts to make the state more tourist-friendly by easing liquor laws.

Waddoups said his caucus firmly opposes Huntsman's plan to eliminate membership requirements at private clubs, Utah's equivalent of bars. And Waddoups has personally pushed to stop restaurants from, in his words, turning into bars.