Traditionally, higher education and campaign politics in Utah haven’t mixed. But the new University of Utah President Taylor Randall is blurring that line, at least somewhat.
Randall will be the main attraction at a gathering on Aug. 29 where he’ll discuss “What Is The Future of Higher Education In Utah?” at the Thomas S. Monson Center — a university facility that is home to the Kem Gardner Policy Center.
Nothing unusual there. The odd part is that, according to the invitation, the event is being held, “In Support of Gov. Spencer Cox,” and the suggested donation to attend the event is either $10,000, $5,000 or $1,000, checks payable to “Friends of Spencer Cox,” the governor’s political action committee.
The hosts of the event include the current chairman of the university’s board of trustees Christian Gardner and the past chairman Clark Ivory.
People I talked to who have been involved in higher education and politics around the state can’t recall a president at a state-run institution taking such a prominent role in what looks like a campaign event — although there are a couple loopholes here.
First, the invitation clarifies that this is not a university event. The hosts rented the ballroom for the evening. Second, the last line on the invitation makes clear that “No donation is required to attend.”
University spokeswoman Rebecca Walsh said that “[President] Randall welcomes the opportunity to present to any groups interested in the future of higher education.”
He accepted the invitation with the two stipulations I mentioned, she said, and “is happy to present on this topic for other elected officials and candidates under similar circumstances in the future.”
Cox’s new energy czar
From the outlook for the Ivory Tower to the future of Utah power, the governor last week named a new top energy advisor who could signal a policy focus even more favorable to oil and gas.
Cox appointed Duchesne County Commissioner Gregory Todd, who’s spent his career working exclusively in the oil and gas industry, to lead the Office of Energy Development.
That’s a significant departure from the man Todd replaced, Thom Carter, who joined the governor’s office at the start of his term after serving as executive director of the Utah Clean Air Partnership, a nonprofit focused on improving air quality.
Carter left to take a job as director of government affairs at Rocky Mountain Power shortly after the governor issued his new energy blueprint.
Todd spent his career in sales, management and as a rig supervisor for several oil and gas companies.
He had also served as a county commissioner since 2015, but lost by 35 votes in the Republican primary in June. As commission chairman, he was a leading advocate for the controversial Uinta Basin Railway, a $1.2 billion rail line the county hopes can move waxy crude from the basin to refineries.
The governor’s office says the new appointment doesn’t mark a shift in the focus of the state’s energy policy.
“Gov. Cox is grateful for the expertise Greg Todd brings to our team,” said spokeswoman Jennifer Napier-Pearce, “and both he and the administration are committed to staying the course on an all-of-the-above energy policy.”
Perhaps that’s true. But as the state looks to diversify its energy portfolio, Todd is going to have to diversify his, as well.
The Utah GOP’s tax lien
As a party, Republicans like to brag about their belief in low taxes — but they may have taken it to an extreme.
In May, the Utah Tax Commission filed a tax lien against the Utah Republican Party over nearly $3,500 in unpaid state taxes, according to the court filing.
Not much other detail was available, either from the courts or the tax commission, but clearly this was over unpaid payroll taxes. As nonprofits, political parties don’t pay income tax and property tax is collected by the county.
So I contacted the party chairman, Carson Jorgensen, who was surprised by my question and said he had no idea the lien had been filed.
Jorgensen checked around and discovered that the company the party hired to administer its payroll had discontinued the service where it remits payroll tax to the state, meaning the taxes went unpaid for months, prompting the commission to file the lien.
Jorgensen said the party treasurer sent a check to the state this past week to cover the delinquency.
If they need help raising money in the future, maybe they should contact University of Utah President Taylor Randall.
Correction, Aug. 26, 9:30 a.m. • The story has been updated to accurately identify the university’s Board of Trustees.