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HEBER CITY — The governor made a visit to the Heber Valley Friday, but it was a work outing — not just a trip for pleasure.
His mobile office is a chance to hear what people have to say, away from Capitol Hill. Herbert likes a packed schedule of meetings, tours and speeches. In situations outside the Capitol, he is more relaxed and very productive.
“If you just camp out, it’s like an echo chamber, you hear the same thing over and over again, which may be a distortion of what the people really want to say to us,” Herbert said. “So it’s important to me that I get out around the state of Utah.”
In Heber City, he gave speeches, took tours of businesses and signed a bill.
It was a ceremonial signing for House Bill 282 — a bill to allow 17-year-olds to work at polling stations if they want . Many students may not be interested in that issue. But Luke Searle, who played a key part in drafting, negotiating, and passing it, definitely is.
“It was quite an amazing experience, for me, to give a suggestion to my representative, to the governor coming here,” Searle said. “It was an awesome experience to have him in my high school and show hard work does pay off.”
Traveling from location to location, a new one nearly every hour, the bill signing was just one event for Herbert.
Visiting a local manufacturer, Herbert took a tour to get an idea of how the company might want to expand in the future and to explore whether state assistance might be possible. The owners might have to wait weeks at the Capitol to get the same listening ear they received on their own turf.
For the governor, it's just good to get out of the office. He said the quarterly tradition will continue.
