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SALT LAKE CITY — Lawmakers spend hundreds of hours each year preparing for the next legislative session, which doesn’t leave a lot of time to dress for success.
Still, Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, somehow shows up routinely to the Utah State Capitol in neatly pressed shirts and color-coordinated ties and socks even though he admits to being “kind of a natural slob.”
His secret?
“Well, you know, my wife takes good care of me,” Weiler said Monday as the 2018 session kicked off. “I would probably come with a smudge on my tie if she wasn’t looking out for me.”
It turns out Weiler’s wife, Elizabeth, takes wardrobe planning to the next level.
“I have to do like half the session — that’s 45 days,” she said, as she stood next to the couple’s bedroom closet. Elizabeth Weiler said that meant at least three weeks’ worth of ensembles, all ready to go by Day 1.
Weiler said in recent years he has grown an appreciation for colored socks, though his wife apparently won’t let the socks overpower her neatly-arranged shirt-and-tie combos.
“These are never going to be seen on the Senate floor,” Elizabeth scolded her husband, as she held up a black and yellow pair of socks that had the word “caution” printed all over them. “No, these are bad!”
The legislator said his wife’s selections seem to meet the approval of Capitol staffers. Elizabeth said she is just happy to help however she can.
“It’s the only way I can help,” she said. “His schedule is crazy! I don’t even know how he keeps up with his schedule.”
While there may not be runways at the Capitol, there are hallowed hallways, and Weiler seemed well-prepared Monday to saunter through them in style.
“It’s a good day today,” he beamed.
