Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Cooke Wants Ethics Reform

Cooke for Governor

Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Peter Cooke says he’ll limit individual contributions to his campaign, if Governor Gary Herbert will join him. Cooke and his running mate Vince Ramptom stood with Utahn’s for Ethical Government Tuesday at the State Capitol to propose a series of ethics reforms, including an overhaul of Utah’s campaign finance laws.

Cooke says declining voter participation in Utah is a testament to a lack of confidence in state government.

“We have to change it. And if that means that we begin our campaigns in July under new regulations and the governor does the same. That challenge is out and I’m ready to accept it,” Cooke says.

Utah’s campaign finance laws are some of the weakest in the nation, he says. In particular, the state’s lobbying regulations and laws governing ethics of public officials.

“Government should not be being run by those who can get easy access by political contributions," Cooke says. "I wish you could start a campaign out and give me x amount of money and give the incumbent x amount of money and say, go to it.”

Cooke wants to increase the time legislators are banned from working as lobbyists after leaving office from one year  to two years. He also would like to do away with a provision that allows legislative ethics committees to decide whether ethics complaints are valid, meaning complaints won’t reach the ethics commission if lawmakers block them.

Whittney Evans grew up southern Ohio and has worked in public radio since 2005. She has a communications degree from Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky, where she learned the ropes of reporting, producing and hosting. Whittney moved to Utah in 2009 where she became a reporter, producer and morning host at KCPW. Her reporting ranges from the hyper-local issues affecting Salt Lake City residents, to state-wide issues of national interest. Outside of work, she enjoys playing the guitar and getting to know the breathtaking landscape of the Mountain West.
KUER is listener-supported public radio. Support this work by making a donation today.