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So, we opened the paper Sunday morning to learn "One of every four bills introduced in the current Legislature creates an apparent conflict of interest for sponsors…," by Deseret Morning News commentator, Bob Bernick. We use the word commentator intentionally. This piece on "apparent" conflict of interest was light on research but heavy on speculation and innuendo.

One assumes that a reporter uses his best supporting pieces of evidence for a newspaper piece. The two senators he holds up for exposure are guilty of nothing more than having expertise in the bills they proposed.

. . . Jon Greiner, is also the Ogden police chief. He introduced nine bills dealing with law enforcement. One would allow police chiefs, such as himself, to declare "no-gang zones." Known gang members could be arrested if they refuse to leave such areas or return to them within eight hours.

So?

How does Senator Greiner benefit from this bill other than getting gang members off the street? But wait there’s more….or rather less.

Sen. Dan Eastman, R-Bountiful, a former car dealer, introduced a bill about the Motor Vehicle Safety Inspection Advisory Council.

And this retired car dealer lined his pockets . . . how? Sen. Eastman's bill was a suggestion from the Department of Commerce, allowing them to more fairly hear appeals. That knowledge was just a phone call away - but no one called.

The most damning innuendos were in The Chart.

Take Senate President John Valentine, for example. The chart shows President Valentine (a CPA, and tax attorney) is sponsoring eight bills, four of which are APPARENT CONFLICTS (their emphasis, not ours) then declares the percentage THAT ARE CONFLICTS, fifty percent in Valentine's case.

Problem is, all but one of his bills are “boxcars”, i.e. place holders to be used in the event a bill is needed later in the session. They are blank. Really. See for yourself. CLICK HERE. And here. You get the idea. What part of that white space is a conflict?

Hey, if you have evidence to the contrary tell us about it. We’ll post it here on the blog. If you have something that violated the law please pass it on to the Attorney General.

We have worked hard this session to be more transparent. We are almost always available through email, multiple cell phone lines and offices phones. We realize that a story like this requires research and leg work. If you're embarking on a project of this magnitude, good for you. But finish the job. People should have the truth, even if it's more nuanced than expected.

Gehkre gets it.

1 Comments:

 The Senate Site said...

Utah has a part-time legislature. Citizens bring their expertise to the Capitol. Then they go home and live under the laws they helped create. That's good. The problem is when legislators run bills that pad their own pockets. That's fair game.

But this article went beyond that and cast aspersions on people who haven't done anything but serve honorably. Senator Greg Bell with a 25% conflict rate? Give me a break.

2/11/2008 11:34 PM  

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