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No more Jazz tickets? The head of the state Republican Party, who himself is a lobbyist and generous donor of tickets over the years, says lobbyists should no longer give gifts and lawmakers should no longer accept them.
GOP Chair Stan Lockhart wears two hats. He's the head of the state GOP, but he's also a lobbyist for technology company Micron. And according to state lobby disclosure forms, in the last six years he's treated lawmakers to more than 100 Jazz games, tickets worth nearly $19,000.
As a lobbyist for Micron, Lockhart's Jazz ticket generosity stands out. Our review of state reports shows leadership in both houses among rank-and-file lawmakers, including a few Democrats and dozens of Republicans, have accepted Lockhart's gifts.
Since last summer, Lockhart's been the Utah GOP leader. Given his history, we asked if he'd be willing to stop giving away those Jazz tickets. He replied, "Of course. If that's the rules of the game, then I'll follow whatever the rules are. I can tell you that, in terms of those tickets in particular, they've been valuable tools to educate elected officials on the things that are facing me and my company."
According to the Deseret News, over the years Lockhart has given lawmakers almost $60,000 worth of tickets, more than any other lobbyist. "It's perfectly legal and it's perfectly acceptable, and it's something that's been done for generations, so it's nothing new," Lockhart said.
Most democratic leaders say it's time for tough rules. Wayne Holland, Chairman of the Utah Democratic Party, said, "We are going to make ethics reform a huge part of our campaign." When asked about Jazz tickets for senators, he said, "We believe that should not be an appropriate place for the public's business to be done."
Sen. Pat Jones supports a complete ban, saying, "Give me one good reason why a legislator would accept a gift from a lobbyist."
After our interview with Lockhart yesterday, he asked to talk to us again. He said legislative ethics and Jazz tickets are the subject of "media hype and hysteria," but concedes it's worth exploring changes.
"This ethics issues is a nonpartisan issue. We should all be striving for open, honest, moral accountable government. That's just a part of being an American," Lockhart said.
We polled Utahns on the subject in January, during the legislative session.
A Dan Jones poll conducted for KSL Television and the Deseret News found 64 percent of those polled supported either a ban of all gifts or a lowering of the $50 gift-naming limit to $5.
