Reader comments
In hindsight, Herbert just did his job

A Voter | 7:41 a.m. July 14, 2008

Herbert is a good guy, but on this issue he just looked like a politician who could not make a tough decision.

Concerned | 9:00 a.m. July 14, 2008

The Lt. Governor's office is supposed to be the election official in Utah-NOT the election official if the timing is right, or if an investigation can be completed PRIOR to the election.

The Daggett County voter fraud is an excellent example of timing. The 2006 voters that registered where they weren't living are finally being prosecuted in 2008, while the person filing the complaint watches his opponent serving him term, because it is too late to get him out.

Had that complaint be handled in a timely manner the beneficiary of the illegal voters would not be holding an elected office in Daggett County.

election results | 9:04 a.m. July 14, 2008

Gary Herbert's actions in NOT doing anything until after the election angered the voters and may well have contributed to Walker's loss.

The Lt. Governor had a responsibility to point out to the press and the public that this potential bribe had occurred three months before Ellis filed a complaint.

That fact would have changed many voter's votes.

But, by refusing action and comment, Gary Herbert did impact the election results.

Why should the voters elect a candidate that offered a bribe that the Lt. Governor and the court refuses to investigate?????

Tell me again that Gary Herbert made the right decision.

Comments continue below

Can't make everyone happy | 9:47 a.m. July 14, 2008

Seems to me that no one can be happy all the time, as for myself I am glad to see a political figure not trying to bend or break the rules that lie outside his jurisdiction. I should think we would find this sort of thing refreshing.

voter | 9:55 a.m. July 14, 2008

Herbert did exactly what he should have done. He was put in a very tough position: a candidate waits until the 11th hour to make nasty allegations, and then moments before the primary goes to the Lt. Gov. hoping to make a PR splash that would save an ailing campaign and tar and feather his opponent. Ballots had already gone out.

Regardless of the truthfulness (or falseness) of the allegations--by doing anything, Herbert would have essentially been helping Ellis.

The easy thing for Herbert to do would have been to make it public and start the investigation! He didn't do this, showing that he is not any ordinary politician, but one who can actually make hard decisions, and won't be manipulated by other scheming politicians playing dirty tricks.

Herbert did the right thing, and in the long run, people will recognize this.

Failed Ealier than that | 10:50 a.m. July 14, 2008

What people fail to recognize was that Walker should not have been eligible to run for Treasurer in the first place because as a legislator he voted for an increased compensation for the office that he wanted.

Herbert should have dismissed him as a candidate prior to any allegations. While I understand Herbert's decision to not let his office be used for political gain by Ellis by making an 11th-hour allegation (as a press story was breaking) he should have declared Walker ineligible before this got out of hand. That in my opinion puts into question his judgment by also his motivation in dropping the ball. Every one of us is held accountable in our jobs and such and oversight is a big deal.

I guess we will just continue to hear stories like this that still do not address the issues that are involved in Utah politics. I'm all for sweeping ethical change and accountability in all politics.

Herbert helped Ellis | 11:38 a.m. July 14, 2008

By not informing the public that Ellis had been bribed months before he filed his complaint, Gary Herbert helped Ellis. I voted for Ellis because it appeared the widespread support for Walker that included the Attorney General and most of the GOP legislature also appeared to include the Lt. Governor's office too.

I assumed the whole deal would be washed over and voted against Walker on those grounds.

I am sure I am not the only voter to vote for Ellis because Walker seemed so deep in the GOP Good Ole Boy System!

End Corruption | 11:50 a.m. July 14, 2008

In retrospect, Herbert seemed to be protecting a member of his political and philisophical gang.

We need to rid our government of corruption as much as possible. Look at the standard of living in countries with rampant goverment corruption. It's not good. We should not stand for it here. It'll ruin our country.

Look at where the corruption of the current President has put our country in seven and one-half years. We should stand up to corruption, even if it is in our own political party.

It does not matter what you do on Sunday if you're dishonest, unethical, and corrupt the other six days of the week.

Observer of Herbert | 3:13 p.m. July 14, 2008

You can't honestly call Gary Herbert corrupt. He's a tremendous public servant who works hard to do the right things. I think he called this correctly, and I would NOT assume he was an ally of Walker. The governor's office is not really part of the legislature's clique, and I don't think Herbert had any
"good old boy" motivation to help Walker in this. They're not really the same team. If anything, Herbert would seem to have more ties to Ellis, since Ellis had run the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget before he went to the Treasurer's office.

Gary is a great leader, and I hope he is the next governor of Utah. He'll be the best we've had in a while.

Corrupt | 4:25 p.m. July 14, 2008

They are all corrupt! Vote out every legislator except the ones who were willing to file to investigate Mark Walker. The rest were just too weak as leaders to take a stand.

Weasels, that is the word I will use for them!

Way to go Gary | 4:35 p.m. July 14, 2008

This was a darned if you do, darned if you don't scenario, and the Lt Guv chose the lesser of the two evils. Even the state supreme court upheld the timing of his actions.

Ed Meyer | 5:14 p.m. July 14, 2008

Elected officials live in a fishbowl and subject to criticism. Their motives will always be questions by those with different political agendas and those who make their days by criticizing others. It's sad that so many good people choose to not run for office today because they do not want their families or themselves to be subject to the kind of written and verbal abuse that has become part of the political arena. I'm please to see at least a few people expressing what I believe to be true and what Lt. Governor Herbert has personally expressed. I believe he is a good man trying to do his best. Certainly he is imperfect and will make mistakes that will readily be pointed out by those readers who are self-admittedly more perfect. Thanks you, Lt. Governor Herbert for having the conviction to make a decision you felt was right and stick with it in spite of tremendous pressure.

Lite Guv was Right | 5:51 p.m. July 14, 2008

Congrats to Herbert for doing the right thing and for Lee Benson to actually use abstract thought to analyze the Walker/Ellis issue and the Lite Guvs role in it.

Herbert rightfully defended the integrity of his office by not allowing Mr. Ellis to corrupt it with his last-minute (while voting was occurring) allegation of a matter that happened, allegedly, 3 MONTHS prior.

Good for Herbert on this one.

Shame on Ellis for trying to use his friend and his office for political gain.

Unfortunately, in this case, it worked....

Humbert Humbert | 9:37 p.m. July 14, 2008

Did Lee Benson do any homework for this interview, or did he just channel Herbert and write whatever he was told? Did he even bother to read the DNews article on 6/25/08 where Herbert inappropriately opines in Walkers favor that this "may have started innocently"; "It's not black and white..."; Walker acted "not inappropriately"; "You could see how that could happen"; "Who knows what it escalated into"; the emails put both candidates "on thin ice."

Does this sound like an unbiased, neutral third party?

I would simply question Herbert's judgement and not his motives where it not for the following facts:

1) The Lt. Gov or someone in his office provided inside information about the investigation to Mark Walker on two occasions according to Mark Walker.

2) The Lt. Gov's delay potentially delayed resolution of this issue past the general election.

3) Herbert's aid said two times that Herbert could and would deal with the allegation prior to the election.

4) Herbert does not trust the voters to act responsibly with the same information he had and withheld.

5) Herbert has never said if any legislator or anyone else pressured him to delay.

whose job is it | 10:38 p.m. July 14, 2008

Sorry Herbert,
Had you done your job back in March, Walker never would have had to offer Ellis a job. You are supposed to be the election expert, you dropped the ball big time by allowing Walker to run for an elected office that he had voted a pay raise for. Because of you, taxpayers paid for a state wide general election that never should have happened. So what does Shurtleff, Clark, Hughes, Curtis, Bishop, Lockhart and Valentine have to say about this. It's high time they are held accountable for their actions.

courthousesnitch | 2:19 a.m. July 15, 2008

Way to go Gary. Good decision, in line with the rest of the country. No (good) election official ever makes a decision on the eve of an election as it may influence the results. It is the responsibility of the voter to make an "informed" decision, not the job for the Lt. Guv. to educate the voter. If anyone has doubts about a candidate, they should not vote for him/her as apparently happened in our Great State. Good job voters and good job Gary. Appreciate your service and good decisions.

Thinking for myself | 8:56 a.m. July 15, 2008

It's apparent to me that those of you that have a problem with what Herbert did, either didn't really read the article, or are so blinded that you don't care what it said. I just wish Benson, or some other member of the media had done their job properly as well. This should have been more widely reported when the Supreme Court rendered their decision. Not only did they agree with his decision, they did a great job of defining what the scope of the Lt. Guv's authority in these situations is. I'm finding it much easier to see a "hidden" agenda amongst all of the vitriol I'm reading than it is within our elected officials. If all of you naysayers are making your decisions on what you are reading in any media outlet without going to the extra effort of getting all of the story, please stay away from the polls in November. I'm not sure an uninformed vote is any better than a no vote.

Integrity in Government | 10:31 a.m. July 15, 2008

Gary Herbert is an incompetent worshipper of a corrupt Republican leadership -- he is a lap dog doing what he is told by Speaker Greg Curtis, Attorney General Shurtleff and others who thought they had manipulated a win for the Treasurer's Office for the buddy-crony Walker who is otherwise utterly unmemployable. Herbert is the State Elections Officer and his duties are to ensure fair elections of qualified candidates. He failed miserably here -- but he showed his true colors: Herbert is himself lazy, stupid, corrupt and an utter incompetent. To those of who you want him for Governor, I must ask what dope you are using?

Wow | 8:26 p.m. July 15, 2008

I can't possibly fathom the ignorance that the previous post entails.

Mr/Mrs "Integrity in Government" has absolutely NO clue about the job of the Lieutenant Governor. He/She asserts that the Lt.Gov should have disqualified Rep. Walker from the race for State Treasurer because of perceived constitutional issues.

Does Mr/Mrs "Integrity" (who seems so literate on legal issues) even KNOW the legalities of Election Law? He/She criticizes the Lt.Gov, yet has know apparent knowledge of the Lt.Gov's responsibility when it comes to the "candidate filing" process.

It is NOT the JOB of the Lt. Governor to decide who is or who is NOT qualified to hold office. It is the Lt. Governor's "job" to file applications for office. PERIOD.

If some people were so smart (as they want to appear to be on these postings) they would have known that fact.

But they don't (and worse, they didn't ask legitimate officials) and therefor their postings about Lt.Gov Herbert "failing" his duties are moot.

And they look like the maroons that they actually are.

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