Thirty-eight-year-old State Representative Spencer Cox was officially sworn in Wednesday as Utah’s new Lieutenant Governor. The Sanpete County native will replace outgoing Lieutenant Governor Greg Bell.
Cox has only served in the legislature for one session, but he says in that time he’s learned the importance of public service.
“As we look at what I can only term a tragedy that is happening in Washington D.C., the lack of leadership we see on a daily basis and that has been on display over the past couple of weekS,” Cox says. “I am grateful every day for the opportunity that I have to live in the best state in the country run by the best men and women in the world and I’m proud to be a member of this administration.”
Governor Gary Herbert nominated Cox for the job on October 8. Herbert told reporters he was looking for a Republican who closely resembled the leadership style of Lieutenant Governor Greg Bell, who’s been described as a political moderate.
“A lot of people say there’s no replacing Greg Bell,” Herbert says. But we needed to find somebody that would have the ability to step in and have minimal disruption for our administration and keep this state moving forward.”
Cox is a former Sanpete County Commissioner, Mayor of Fairview City and a member of the Fairview City Council. Cox’s father Eddie told KUER his son resigned on Tuesday from his current position as Vice president of rural telecommunications company CentraCom.
