Tag: ethics

Attorney General Investigation: 1 probe down, 5 to go

Salt Lake City — The Alliance for a Better UTAH has released the following statement after receiving word that the Department of Justice has declined to prosecute State Attorney General John Swallow: “Although the Department of Justice has declined to press charges against Attorney General John Swallow and his predecessor Mark Shurtleff, there is still

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John Swallow probe could take months to complete

It was in June of last year when we first spoke with reporters about concerns we had about John Swallow and his questionable ethics. He had made claims to a telemarketer, on a recorded call no less, that when he was elected he would be moving the Division of Consumer Protection under his jurisdiction so

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An open letter to House Speaker Becky Lockhart

The Alliance for a Better UTAH has released an open letter to House Speaker Becky Lockhart following the dismissal of Rep. Lowry Snow as the Chair of the House Committee assigned to investigate allegations of wrongdoing by Attorney General John Swallow. The letter asks Speaker Lockhart, in the interest of transparency and public trust, to

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Ground Hog Day, Swallow-style

The other day I posted on our Facebook page, “You’ve got to be freaking kidding!” I wrote the statement to go along with an article I posted that talked about the potential conflict of interest with the newly appointed legislative investigative committee chair. Let me recap. After months of what seems like almost daily allegations

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Cost and public trust at stake if Swallowgate forces open records law changes

Salt Lake City – The Utah State Legislature will meet today to discuss amending open records laws as they pursue an investigation of embattled Attorney General John Swallow. The Alliance for a Better UTAH has released the following statement, urging caution on the part of legislators: “The cost of the numerous Federal, State, criminal, civil,

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Campaign finance limitations, disclosure database, will help rebuild public trust

Salt Lake City – Legislators will meet during tomorrow’s interim session to discuss campaign finance reform. The initial proposal would limit contributions to $10,000 for statewide offices like the Governor and Attorney General, $5,000 for legislative offices and $5,000 for the state school board. In light of tomorrow’s discussion, Maryann Martindale, executive director of the

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My view: The Swallow investigation is a chance to restore public trust

Better UTAH Executive Director Maryann Martindale and League of Women Voters of Utah Co-President Jenn Gonnelly penned an op-ed earlier this week in the Deseret News in which they expressed support for the legislature’s investigation into the John Swallow scandal. As we have watched the Swallow scandal unfold over the last several months, we have

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How do you solve a problem like John Swallow?

Last week, the Utah State Legislature met, finally, to discuss John Swallow. It is July. During the 2013 Legislative Session he was all the talk, at least in the hallways. It was during the real onslaught of the accusations, long after Bar complaints had been filed, that on the last day of the session they

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Anti-corruption rally (Wednesday, June 19) at Utah State Capitol

What: Utahns will gather at the Capitol Rotunda in a show of solidarity to protest corruption in the Attorney General’s Office. When: Wednesday, June 19, 11:00 a.m. Where: Rotunda, Utah State Capitol Who: Holly Richardson, Former legislator and blogger Jenn Gonnelly, League of Women Voters of Utah Isaac Holyoak, Alliance for a Better UTAH T.J.

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