Sparks fly when BLM director Bob Abbey comes to town, SL County Councilman defends the police fee, Congresswoman Giffords condition upgraded, Priebus new RNC chair and more in the district 57 saga.
*BLM director Bob Abbey showed up in Utah on Friday – and sparks flew. A clearly frustrated Governor Herbert told Abbey: “We have tried to be open and transparent and I think that ought to be the principle,” adding that “if we somehow have to do it in the shadows then it is probably not the right thing to do,” referring to the Dec 23 policy change in declaring certain lands “wild.” Abbey supporter, Pat Shea, stormed out of the room after former Congressman Jim Hansen was allowed to speak. Deseret News // SL Trib
*Salt Lake County Councilman Jim Bradley calls the county’s unpopular police “fee” the “best piece of public policy that you will see in a long time.” Aware that people are unhappy with that stance, he shrugged it off, saying “They can’t eat you.” SL Trib
*Congresswoman Giffords condition upgraded from critical to serious. She now has a tracheotomy and a feeding tube, but is off the ventilator. Continued prayers for her recovery. Politico
*The RNC has a new chair – former Wisconsin GOP activist Reince Priebus. Embattled former chair, Michael Steele dropped out early on and threw his weight behind Maria Cino, which boosted her numbers slightly but not enough to win. Priebus won in the 7th round of balloting. He started his 2-year tenure by firing the staff already working on the 2012 national GOP convention. Politico // The Hill
*More on the Craig Frank front. Does he or doesn’t he live in his district? If he does, as currently asserted by Rep Frank and the Utah County GOP, problem solved. The Lt. Gov’s office said on Friday they have not been asked for clarification on the maps. Rep Frank says he is the duly elected Representative and expects to be seated with his colleagues on January 24th. The Utah County GOP has canceled a special election for Jan 22 and has tentatively re-scheduled it for Jan 29. Speaker Lockhart released a statement that she does not believe Rep Frank lives in his district and the Constitution prohibits him from being seated. Expect the Lt Gov’s office and the Attorney General’s office to weigh in on this issue, perhaps as early as this week. It will also have no doubt end up in the courts. KSL // Daily Herald // SL Tribune // Deseret News
The post Daily Fix, Jan 17 appeared first on Holly Richardson.
