Summit County has a terrible relationship with the state Legislature, which County Councilman Chris Robinson hopes to improve.
Officials might hire a lobbyist to help the council, which is dominated by Democrats, navigate Utah’s heavily Republican Capitol Hill.
Deputy Summit County attorney David Thomas, a former Republican state senator, blames the county’s sour relationship with lawmakers for passage of Senate Bill 216 this year, which may result in local officials having little say in the development of a mega-resort and movie studio at Quinn’s Junction.
Robinson said the county will draft a request for proposals from bidders interested in trying to help the government improve its relationships on the Hill.
“A lobbyist may be good at times, but I honestly believe if we can visit with legislators there, people will start to change,” interim Summit County Manager Brian Bellamy said. “There may be common interests.”
Councilpersons must cozy up to lawmakers, Thomas said.
“You’re not there to lobby them, you’re there to chat and find out what is going on, because legislators love to talk,” Thomas told the County Council May 27.
Summit County’s clout on Utah’s Capitol Hill has suffered in recent years, County Councilwoman Sally Elliott said.
“We used to do a much better job,” Elliott said.
And rebuilding those damaged relationships will take time, Thomas explained.
“This is the role that a lobbyist can play for you,” Thomas said. “We need to find things that we have in common.”
Many state legislators believe Summit County is “a bunch of rich, haughty people [who they] don’t have anything in common with,” Thomas said.
“When the misperception is turned around, you discover something you have in common,” Thomas said. “You may or may not convince the majority in the Legislature.”
Summit County’s representatives in the state House include Christine Johnson, D-Salt Lake City, and Mel Brown, R-Coalville.
In the state Senate, the county is represented by Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden, and Kevin Van Tassell, R-Vernal.