Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Curtis holds a grudge, Utah hurt in the process

From KSL:

"In the past, being a lame duck didn't hamper outgoing legislators from flying off to taxpayer-funded out-of-state conferences just months before they left office.
This year is different.
Only one legislator leaving office in January is making a trip, and legislative leaders cited special circumstances in his case.
House Speaker Greg Curtis said, "We met as a (GOP) leadership team and decided (House) members shouldn't be attending these conventions if they are leaving" the Legislature.
He said the exception is for Rep. Dave Hogue, who already had made plane reservations for himself and his wife for the five-day
meeting of the National Conference of State Legislators in Nashville, Tenn.,
next month."

From the D-News:
"But Hogue was eliminated in the early May state GOP convention. Hogue said he asked Curtis if he could go to NCSL after his defeat 'because I'm co-chair of a special task force on education technology. I helped found the task force, and the final meeting is at this conference. I'd made my airplane reservations before the (GOP) convention — where I was eliminated — because I felt it was critical to the people of Utah that I go to this convention no matter what.'"
But guess who is not allowed to go! Rep. Dave Ure who holds an influential position on Natural Resources. It seems that Curtis has not gotten over Ure challenging him and Marty Stephens for the Speakership. I do not disagree that hogue should be able to go, but I think Ure should be allowed to as well. He is still in the House, his term ends in January, not today.

Curtis' petty politics hurts Utah because we need Ure's expertise at NCSL. Shame on Curtis!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree, shame on Curtis

Anonymous said...

Who will be representing the West's point of view in the Energy and Environment issues if Rep. Ure is not permitted to finish his term as the co-chair??
What is the Speaker thinking here?