Ethics
Position paper for Don Jarvis, Candidate for HD 63
6 May 2010
A main Utah value is honesty — ethics in private and public life. Many Utahns, however, are aware that we have a crisis in legislative ethics that threatens to change government 'of the people, by the people and for the people' into government 'of the money, by the money, and for the money.' Over 81% of campaign finance for Utah legislators comes from corporations and special interests — not voters — (Deseret News 2009) and objective observers regularly give Utah failing grades for its loose campaign finance laws and ethics (Bernick 2009).
We have unfair election practices. The Wall Street Journal called our legislators' 2001 gerrymandering of Utah election districts one of the worst and most blatant power grabs by one political party in history.
Conflicts of interest are common. One out of every five bills introduced this year represents an apparent conflict of interest (Bernick 2010). At least one current, influential senator, Howard Stevenson, is actually a registered lobbyist for one of Utah's most powerful interest groups!
Political muscle is too often used on opponents. In 2008 the Senate Judiciary Chair, Chris Buttars, wrote a threatening letter to the judge who dared to rule against his developer friend in Mapleton (Dana 2008). Perhaps most telling was our Utah County legislators' demand that Ned Hill — a leading candidate for president of Utah Valley University — must have his wife Claralyn apologize for having campaigned last year for ethics reform (Leonard 2009).
Anytime our politicians use unethical means, they are chipping away at freedom and democracy, at government of the people, by the people and for the people.
During the past year I worked as a Utah County coordinator with two citizen groups proposing to repair Utah's damaged democracy with ballot initiatives for 2010. "Fair Boundaries" proposed an independent commission for redrawing election districts every decade, using national guidelines. "Utahns for Ethical Government" proposed clear standards on legislative ethics and an independent commission to hear complaints involving them. Because of the impossibly huge number of signatures the Legislature requires for citizen initiatives, neither one will be on the ballot this fall.
In response to public pressure, legislators this year did finally pass a few ethics reforms. They are a good start but don't go nearly far enough. So it is more important than ever to vote for legislators who support ethics reform.
Utahns clearly understand that ethics are crucial in interpersonal relations, so it's high time that we demanded high standards of ethical behavior in Utah politics. Our freedom ultimately depends on it.
Sources
Bernick, Bob, Jr. "Campaign Finance Rules…" Deseret News 26 June 09.
Bernick, Bob, Jr., "Utah Legislature …" Deseret News 21 Feb 2010.
Dana, Jens, "Did Valentine approve Buttars' letter?" Deseret News 27 Feb 08, B1.
Deseret News 8 Feb 09.
Leonard, Wendy, "Presidential Candidate for UVU pulls out…" Deseret News 15 February 2009.
The Wall Street Journal, 07 Nov 2001, A22.
