Election Day is less than a week away and the candidates vying to be Utah’s governor are exchanging jabs as the campaign season wanes.
Democrat Peter Corroon came out swinging in an interview in Park City on Monday. Corroon questioned incumbent Republican Gov. Gary Herbert’s ethics.
The challenger claimed that some who have contributed large sums of money to Herbert’s campaign have received special treatment from the governor.
“I think it has raised a red flag for the citizens of Utah who are concerned about the influence of money in politics,” Corroon told The Park Record. “Herbert really hasn’t disputed any of the facts and citizens are concerned about that.”
“I’ve witnessed over the six years that I have been mayor things that have concerned me with state government,” Corroon said.
Corroon also accused the governor of helping fast-track a permit for a strip mining operation in Southern Utah after a coal company contributed about $10,000 to Herbert’s campaign.
“Somebody in the governor’s office told the licensing division to speed things up,” Corroon said.
He said he would push to ban contractors doing business with the state from making large contributions to political campaigns in Utah.
“I don’t think you’re ever going to eliminate the influence of money in politics, but you can minimize it,” Corroon said.
Corroon chose state Rep. Sheryl Allen, a Republican, as his running mate.
“We should all be concerned about campaign finance reform,” Allen said. “The Capitol, whether you’re a legislator or governor, should not be used for fundraising.”
One of Corroon’s top priorities as governor would be to reform how public education is funded in the state.
“We should be talking about how we’re going to be funding our overall education system for the next 10 years,” Corroon said. “Every year we’re getting a significant number of new students but we don’t have a plan for funding it We have to look at our funding priorities.”
Tone of campaign disappoints governor
At a Park City Sunrise Rotary meeting last Thursday at Canyons, the governor criticized Corroon for his television advertisements attacking his integrity.
He rejected Corroon’s accusations.
“We not only dispute the facts but we dispute the conclusions,” Herbert said.
In a telephone interview, Herbert said the negative tone of Corroon’s campaign has “been extremely disappointing.”
“It’s not only disappointing to me, but it is disappointing to the people who have been broad brushed,” Herbert said. “Some of those people [Corroon] is impugning are not only Republicans, some of them are Democrats.”
Herbert said he has “never denigrated his opponent’s integrity.”
Herbert was serving as the lieutenant governor last year when President Barack Obama asked former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. to become the United States ambassador to China. Herbert became governor when Huntsman accepted the overseas post.
Huntsman was re-elected governor in 2008 and Herbert and Corroon are vying to serve the remaining two years of Huntsman’s term.
The governor said improving the economy would be one of his top priorities.
“Utah is one that’s leading the nation out of the economic doldrums,” Herbert said. “We have not violated principles that most of us understand as basic economic principles We’ve been pretty good at making tough decisions.”
He said he is committed to bringing jobs to Utah.
“What any politician should be focused on is growing the economy because it really is about job, jobs, jobs,” Herbert said. “No matter what your pet issue is, whether it be education or whether it be transportation or health and human services, the number one focus ought to be getting a healthy economy going.”
He said he has directed the Governor’s Office of Economic Development to help strengthen Utah businesses first.
“I am committed to strengthening businesses already creating jobs locally, while still aggressively marketing our state to industries looking to expand in the West,” according to Herbert. “In 2010 alone, corporate recruitment incentive offers from GOED have resulted in the creation of 3,386 jobs, nearly $3 billion in new state wages, $250 million in capital investment and $260 million in new state revenue.”
Cutting the income tax rate from 7 to 5 percent has been key to creating a friendlier environment for companies doing business, he said.
Money from tourism has also been important for state government surviving the recession, Herbert said.
“Even during this recession we’ve had robust increases in tourism and travel,” he said. “At some of our national parks we have had record numbers.”
Herbert said he would push for more state funding for tourism promotion.
Herbert’s running mate is Utah Lt. Gov. Greg Bell, a Republican.