Salt Lake City — Officials with the good government group Alliance for a Better UTAH have released the following statement following Lt. Governor Spencer Cox’s decision today to suspend further adjudication into an election law violation complaint filed earlier this year by Better UTAH:
“Regardless of who is chosen to fill the role of Attorney General, and the outcome of the ongoing investigations, one thing is clear, we need change. It is incumbent on the legislature to thoroughly review and refine election code, to pass meaningful ethics legislation that has real consequences for unethical behavior on the part of our elected officials, and to pass reasonable campaign finance laws that put realistic limits on the amounts and types of contributions to candidates. The public deserves elected officials they can trust; officials that will be beholden to their constituents and to the laws of this state, and not to the donors and special interest groups that wield a bigger checkbook.
“Utahns live and work under the belief that the system is gamed, that their vote doesn’t matter. The Lt. Governor’s decision to not continue the process of pursuing civil action legitimizes that belief. His decision to leak the nature of the report to the Attorney General’s office, even if details were not released, unfortunately fuels that belief even more. Instead of empowering Utahns to make strong electoral choices, the Lt. Governor’s decision gives further evidence to the belief that what ordinary Utahns think doesn’t matter. Per usual, a few power holders are calling the shots while Utahns are forced to live with the consequences.
“Perhaps most disheartening is the slap in the face to ordinary Utahns that is the realization that Swallow will likely receive a pension. Most state, county, and city employees must work years and years to earn the payout Swallow has in just four years. This is blatantly unjust. Utahns know it, and unless legislators act to right this wrong, Utahns will have just one more reason to be disillusioned.”
———
Alliance for a Better UTAH | 801.557.1532 | www.betterutah.org
———
The Alliance for a Better UTAH is a year-round, multi-issue education and advocacy organization providing resources, commentary, and action on important public policy matters.