Capitol's now silent, but there were many standouts

The legislative session has ended. Tired lawmakers have returned home to their families and jobs. The denizens of the governor's office are breathing a sigh of relief, glad to have a quiet Capitol again, all to themselves.

During the very challenging session, many legislators and issues involved with lawmaking developed reputations that we document here:

The Jokester: Senate Majority Leader Sheldon Killpack (He's quickly becoming the master of quips and repeating quirky sayings, providing some needed comic relief.)

The Dry Wit: Sen. Scott McCoy (The clever remarks come at you dry and fast but are worth it.)

Mr. Guns, God and Ronald Reagan: Numerous candidates, but the standouts include Rep. Curt Oda, Sen. Mark Madsen, Rep. Stephen Sandstrom and Rep. Carl Wimmer.

The Voice of Reason: Sen. Pat Jones (She keeps a cool, calm demeanor even in disagreement. It's hard to pick a fight with this bright, articulate businesswoman.)

Mr. Consensus: Sen. John Valentine (Only someone with his intelligence and kind demeanor could bring together tavern owners and the LDS church and construct historic changes in Utah's liquor laws.)

The 2009 Hatfield vs. McCoy Issues: The ambulance wars, fisherman vs. landowners, 1-800-Contacts vs. every other Internet company (reminiscent of the never-ending bank/credit union battles).

Mr. Personality: Sen. Daniel Liljenquist (He may be a rookie, but he stole the show when he, accompanied by his wife on the piano, serenaded the Senate with his troubadour skills.)

The Dealmaker: Sen. Curt Bramble (Famous for brashness, the former wrestler maintained a fairly low public profile and focused his bounteous energies crafting compromises on multiple legislative activities — including protecting public access to government records.)

Mr. Nice Guy: Lots of them, but the standouts include Sen. Brent Goodfellow, Sen. David Hinkins, Sen. Pete Knudson, Rep. Fred Hunsaker, Rep. Douglas Aagard, andSen. Ross Romero.

The Wielders of Velvet Axes: Budget chiefs Sen. Lyle Hillyard and Rep. Ron Bigelow (You actually felt bad for them as they whacked the budget.)

The Education Advocate: Rep. Carol Spackman Moss (She taught high school students for three decades, but her colleagues are more difficult to educate than teenagers.)

The Poker Player: Senate President Michael Waddoups (No one holds his cards closer.)

The Computer Geeks: Reps. John Dougall and Mike Morley (These techies have a handle on 21st-century technology; rare among this Luddite crowd.)

Health-care Reformist: Speaker Dave Clark (Health-care reform was his baby, and no one had better get in the way.)

The Go-to Guy: Sen. Wayne Niederhauser (After only two sessions, this Sandy lawmaker is an effective powerhouse who gets complicated and difficult legislation passed.)