Gov. Gary Herbert said he wasn’t miffed when President Barack Obama sidestepped Utah on his recent visit to national parks in the West.

“It’s impossible for him to get everywhere and I wasn’t angered at all by the fact that he has to make his time as efficient as he thinks his time can be,” Herbert said in a telephone interview. “It’d be nice for him to stop by Utah.”

Many people in one of the nation’s most conservative states might criticize Obama’s stands on health care.

“You have to work with whoever is in charge, whoever the administration is, it is,” Herbert said.

The newly sworn Republican governor said the president called him last week and “offered me best wishes in this new assignment, and offered his support and help as we work together on a number of different issues unique to Utah.”

Herbert was lieutenant governor to ex-Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., who was confirmed Aug. 7 as the U.S. ambassador to China.

Bouncing along the bottom

The state economy is nearly as bad as it will get in this recession, Herbert predicted.

“I think we’ve about bottomed out. Whether we’re exactly at the bottom or not, I think we’re bouncing along the bottom,” he said. “We’re in much better shape than most other states. We’re not collectively having as significant of a problem as say California, which has a double-digit unemployment rate. We’re at a 5.4 percent unemployment rate.”

Growing Utah businesses could help speed economic recovery, he explained.

“We put more money into tourism and travel than any administration ever,” he said about when Huntsman was governor. “Promoting Park City and Summit County as a travel and tourism destination is something that is high on our list. It’s one of our natural advantages so we would hope to continue to have a significant investment in travel and tourism.”

Air Force negotiations

With military officials pushing to build a resort hotel in the Park City area, Herbert wouldn’t say whether a controversial site at Quinn’s Junction is the appropriate location for the project.

Local officials claim a large hotel on the outskirts of Park City wouldn’t comply with strict zoning rules.

“The military, because they are the federal government, they can go where they want to go anyway,” Herbert said. “The fact that they have not done that is indicative that there is at least on the military’s part a sensitivity to do it in a fashion that is acceptable and in collaboration with the local government.”

Herbert is a former Utah County commissioner.

“I know the motivation for the military. I know some of the challenges they seem to feel like they face with local government in Park City and Summit County,” Herbert said.

Since the 1990s, the Air Force has discussed building a hotel in Park City to provide travel discounts to servicemen.

“It can’t be too small or they don’t have the economic return they need to have with the private developers involved,” Herbert said.

Project delays have frustrated military officials, he said.

“I wouldn’t propose a place and I wouldn’t oppose a place. That’s a decision between the parties who are involved in this,” Herbert said. “Let them decide that.”

Huntsman entered the debate in Park City when he stated last spring that a parcel at Quinn’s Junction was not the proper location for the hotel.

Redistricting

Utah voters could decide whether to form an independent commission to redraw political boundaries in Utah after 2010 census. The Legislature upset some Summit County residents when it formed two districts in the House and Senate in order to serve the GOP.

The state senator who represents eastern Summit County lives in North Ogden and Park City’s senator lives in Vernal, more than 100 miles from Old Town.

“As soon as you start drawing lines, if you’re on one side of the line you’re offended, if you’re on the other side of the line you’re happy,” Herbert said. “If we had an independent commission, not everybody is going to be happy with how they draw the lines either. If we think the complaining will be over if we have an independent group that probably is not going to happen.”

Immigration crackdown

State officials began cracking down on illegal immigrants when the controversial Senate Bill 81 took effect in July.

“People don’t understand it, generally. Emotions are just running high and almost raw,” Herbert said. “I think we need to reduce the tone and tenor of the debate so that we make sure we understand the humane side of this issue. At the same time, it is not humane to have chaos and not enforce the rule of law.”

SB 81 requires Utah to negotiate an agreement with the federal government so local law enforcement can investigate illegal immigrants. The law also makes it illegal to transport or harbor an illegal immigrant.

The new law requires public employers register to use a system that verifies the immigration status of new employees. The system must also be used by private companies contracting with state government. SB 81 also makes it illegal to discharge a legal worker while retaining an illegal employee in a similar capacity. Immigration statuses must also be verified for those who apply for government benefits.

“The immigration issue is a difficult one, it’s one that the federal government has been AWOL, which has allowed this rhetoric to reach a boiling point,” Herbert said.

Other states have enacted tougher immigration laws similar to SB 81.

“People are frustrated. They feel like nothing is being done to fix the problem, as they define the problem,” Herbert said.