Daily Herald, April 12, 2009
Ace Stryker

U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, will address the Utah County Democratic Party at its organizing convention May 2.

Party chairman Richard Davis said Matheson has been invited to speak for the second consecutive year for one main reason: "He has figured out [how] to win."

Davis said between 200 and 250 people turned out for last year's convention. While he doesn't expect the same numbers in an off year, he said it should be a productive meeting that will continue building momentum for the Democratic cause in a heavily Republican county.

"Last year, he talked about how we were moving along well. He was very impressed with how much progress we'd made," Davis said. "I'm hoping what comes out of it is that people are energized to go on and work for the party. These tend to be the activists that show up and go out and work for candidates."

This year's convention will take place at Orem Junior High School. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., with house district meetings at 9 and the general meeting at 10.

County executive officers, including the chair, vice chair, secretary and treasurer, are also up for election. Davis has submitted notice that he intends to run for re-election.

Salt Lake Tribune, April 8, 2009
Donald W. Meyers

PROVO--Richard Davis is not going to take what he sees as Republican disenfranchisement anymore.

Davis, Utah County Democratic chairman, is taking Rep. Stephen Clark, a Republican, to task for not telling voters that when he ran against Democrat Don Jarvis in the 2008 House race, he was thinking about a run for Provo mayor this year.

Clark should have, at least, told voters that there was a chance he wasn't planning to serve a full term, said Davis, who wants the state representative to apologize to voters.

If Clark were to become mayor, then Republican delegates would choose his successor in the House -- a move Davis said disenfranchises voters.

"He deprived them of the information that voters need to cast an intelligent ballot," Davis said.

Clark told The Salt Lake Tribune in December that he was considering a run for mayor, a statement he recently repeated to a Provo newspaper.

Clark acknowledged that he had thought about running against Mayor Lewis Billings before November's election, but there's a simple reason he didn't tell voters he was looking at a city post: He hadn't decided to do it yet.

"I'd been thinking about it all along, but I didn't commit to it," Clark said.

Davis said Clark's move appears to be a tactic to guarantee that the legislative seat remains firmly in GOP hands. He said Clark isn't the first to do something like that.

In 2006, then-Rep. Jeff Alexander, R-Provo, stepped down shortly after the election to join the Governor's Office of Economic Development.

Chris Herrod was selected by then-state GOP Chairwoman Enid Greene after delegates deadlocked between Herrod and John Curtis.

Curtis, owner of Action Target, also is running for mayor this November.

Daily Herald, February 17, 2009
Ace Stryker

Ned Hill

Hill said Claralyn, who lost the election 40-60 to Herrod, did not argue that any particular politician was unethical and does not owe anyone an apology. He said he also thought it was inappropriate that the request came before other parts of the hiring process, such as a formal interview, had been initiated.

"I felt like people were saying, 'Well, now you have to be the right political person,' " he said. "I am a Republican, but because my wife ran against them, I had to apologize for my wife running for office."

Claralyn Hill said she's been a lifelong Republican and only changed parties about two years ago in an attempt to try to "rebuild a two-party system" in Utah County. She said she ran on a platform of ethics reform in general, and was surprised when some incumbent politicians apparently took her words personally.

"We knew that there would be repercussions for running as Democrats," she said. "I was surprised that this happened, but I wasn't surprised that something happened."

Deseret News, February 15, 2009
Wendy Leonard

The confidential search for Utah Valley University's next president is ongoing, but a top candidate withdrew his resume because he didn't feel his leadership abilities should be put to the test of local politicians.

Ned C. Hill, former dean of the Brigham Young University Marriott School of Business, was told by a member of the State Board of Regents, whose name he would not disclose, that he needed to "make nice with the Utah County delegation" after his wife, Claralyn Hill, ran as a Democrat against Rep. Chris Herrod, R-Provo, on an ethics reform platform.

"We've been Republicans everywhere we lived but she wanted to give people an alternative," he said. "She wasn't necessarily saying the elected members were unethical, but that the system needed some reform."

Despite his wife's attempts to clear the air, Hill said a Utah County legislator told him he could facilitate a meeting where an apology could be made because "there were a number of legislators feeling that she called them into question."

Hill decided that if the delegation was not in favor of him — after having served 10 years as dean of the BYU business school and increasing the endowment there by more than $100 million, and raising money for a building expansion — he would not have a chance and their decisions might be adverse to the direction the UVU is headed.

"It's a hard enough job as it is," he said, not looking forward to further budget cuts and possible layoffs at the growing university.

Refusing to eat a slice of humble pie, Hill chose to withdraw his resume from consideration in January and is continuing to work at BYU, where he expects to return to the classroom this fall.

Salt Lake Tribune, February 13, 2009
Aileen Clyde

The recurring discussion on how to evaluate ethical behavior of public policy makers should evoke citizens' support of action since obviously there are problems not being recognized or addressed. A significant case in point was related in Paul Rolly's column of Jan. 30.

As a former regent I was shocked to read that Ned Hill, former dean of BYU's Marriott School of Business, was a finalist for the position of president of Utah Valley University in Orem until Republican legislators intervened.

Hill has since said in a telephone conversation that he received two phone calls during the search process. The first came from a member of the Utah Board of Regents. He was told that, despite his superior qualifications, he would have to "make nice" with Utah County's Republican lawmakers to get further consideration of a possible appointment as UVU president. Hill said that the second caller, a Utah County Republican legislator, took the demand even further. The state representative told Hill he should bring his wife, Claralyn, to the Republican lawmakers to apologize.

What was Claralyn Hill's fault for which she should seek forgiveness? Her supposed transgression was that she ran for election to the state House of Representatives last November as a Democrat against Republican incumbent Chris Herrod of Provo, and she talked about legislative ethics during her campaign.

The result of this intervention by the Utah County Republican legislators was that Hill, a highly qualified university administrator, withdrew his name from consideration rather than participate in a tainted and unfair process.

Salt Lake Tribune, January 29, 2009
Paul Rolly

Ned Hill, the former dean of BYU's Marriott School of Business, was called by an acquaintance recently and told he was a finalist for the presidency of Utah Valley University in Orem.

The caller said he had a lot of supporters and had one of the most impressive résumés. But before he could get the job, he needed to "make nice" with the Utah County Republican legislators.

Some of those lawmakers, apparently, were miffed that his wife, Caralyn Hill, had run as a Democrat against Republican incumbent Rep. Chris Herrod of Provo and that she had made legislative ethics one of her key campaign issues.

Days later, Hill got another call, this time from a legislator who repeated the need for him to make amends to the Utah County legislative delegation. But this caller said he also should bring his wife to apologize to the legislators for questioning their ethics.

Hill said the callers were not threatening. They were friends and he felt they were trying to be helpful, but they just wanted to let him know what he needed to do to keep his candidacy viable.

Instead, he withdrew his name from consideration.

Hill said that with the current economic downturn mandating drastic budget cuts, he was worried that his candidacy, given his wife's perceived apostasy, would offend Utah County legislators in a position to punish UVU by slashing its budget. So he felt it was better to distance himself from the process.

Getting Brambled: I wrote in October about a confrontation between Republican-establishment critic Mike Ridgway and the family of Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, during a meet-the-candidates event at the Provo residence of John Curtis.

Ridgway, who was supporting Bramble's opponent, had called Curtis earlier in the day and asked if he could videotape the event. When Curtis told the candidates of Ridgway's request, Bramble objected and called top officials of the Utah Highway Patrol, who sent two troopers to the event.

When Ridgway appeared, he was confronted by Bramble's wife Susie and their adult sons. One witness wrote later on a blog that one son, Jeff Bramble, appeared as though he was about to "punch out" Ridgway.

Ridgway eventually left at the request of Curtis but later filed a complaint with the Provo police over what he felt was threatening behavior by the Brambles.

So guess who recently got charged with disorderly conduct? Ridgway. He is to appear Feb. 24 in Justice Court. Jeff Bramble also was implicated in the complaint filed by the Provo Police Department, but city attorneys declined to charge him.

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Historic event filled with examples of hope, unity, graciousness, they say

Deseret News, January 22, 2009
Scott Taylor

After participating in two days of U.S. presidential inauguration ceremonies, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' First Presidency, and Elder M. Russell Ballard of the church's Quorum of the Twelve left Washington, D.C., warmed as they witnessed not only a historic national event but examples of graciousness, hope and unity.

The two attended Tuesday's inauguration of President Barack Obama on the steps of the U.S. Capitol and joined him and other new national leaders at Wednesday morning's National Prayer Service in the National Cathedral.

"We could feel the deep emotion around us — we were surrounded by people of all colors, of all creeds and of all languages," said President Uchtdorf in a phone interview with the Deseret News before catching a return flight to Utah. "It was a great experience we had — to see a unity there that I hope will last on and continue throughout the years of this administration."

President Uchtdorf — who was accompanied by his wife, Harriet — and Elder Ballard represented the LDS Church and President Thomas S. Monson in accepting the invitations to attend the inaugural events. They were seated front and center some four-dozen rows from the presidential stage for Tuesday's inauguration and then just a couple of yards away from Obama and his contingent for Wednesday's prayer service.

"I left with a feeling that the people of America are going to unite behind this new president and his administration and that we need to pray for him," Elder Ballard said. "We need to exercise our prayers and help him accomplish the great objectives that he has set."

Saying "it was wonderful to feel that unity of different faiths" as they joined Muslims, Jews and others of different Christian denominations at the prayer service, President Uchtdorf added: "We felt we were in the right place with all these whom we call brothers and sisters, to pray for this presidency, for this administration, and with them to pray for all the governments around the world to bring again peace and prosperity and unity to all countries."

At Tuesday's inauguration, the Uchtdorfs found themselves seated next to a black couple. "When the oath was taken, this lady next to her (Sister Uchtdorf) just embraced her and gave her a kiss with tears running down," said President Uchtdorf, adding that the emotions he sensed over the two days were not simply the result of the massive numbers witnessing the racially historic moment but rather a sense of graciousness displayed by a free democracy.

"It was for the people of the world to have a chance to follow the wonderful example given by the United States in a transfer of powers in a democracy — the liberties, the freedoms and the justice for all — as it is presented in such a wonderful way from one administration to another."

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Salt Lake Tribune, November 2, 2008
Robert Gehrke

About 60,000 households in Utah County are getting a call from Mitt Romney, a Superman in Utah politics.

But the recorded phone message is being sent out by Democrats, who are using Romney's criticism of one-party rule to rustle up support for their scrappy slate of legislative candidates.

Utah Republican Party Chairman Stan Lockhart said he thinks it is unethical for Democrats, who have made ethical conduct a campaign issue this year, to invoke Romney's name.

“Its another last-minute, desperate attempt to pull these election tricks in an effort to deceive the public, and its wrong,” said Lockhart. “It's misleading, it's out of context, and it's without Mitt Romney's permission.”

But Utah County Democratic Party Chairman Richard Davis said the statements were made by a public figure, at public events and are available on the Internet and are "fair game."

“We felt like it was important that even Gov. Romney felt that there were problems with a lack of balance, in a one-party state,” Davis said. “This was what he said at one time, and we felt like it was important for people to understand that.”

A spokesman for Romney did not return a phone call or e-mail Saturday.

Romney, who ran the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, received 94 percent of the Republican vote in Utah County during the party's 2008 presidential primary, as well as 90 percent of the vote statewide.

The recorded phone message, which is narrated by former television news anchor Dick Nourse, introduces Romney talking about “the dangers of partisanship and one-party state.”

“I'm not convinced that a state would be better off with all Republicans. As a matter of fact, I've been in a state like that for the last three years. It's not a good thing,” Romney says.

At the end, Romney says, “I lived in a place that had a one-party state that was primarily Republican. I thought, 'Well, won't that be nice.' The answer is, 'No.' ”

“This year when you go to vote, look at the person, not the party,” the narrator concludes.

Davis said Romney's comments are significant, in light of a letter he sent to voters urging them to vote Republican.

“The reality is that Gov. Romney has said things that maybe a one-party state is not necessarily a desirable thing,” said Davis, who thinks Republicans are scared by the insurgent Democrats.

“I think they're worried and I think they should be,” Davis commented. “We have operated quite an efficient campaign to get our message out that our candidates are viable, that they're qualified, that they're even better than the people the Republicans have put up.”