If you’re in Utah, today is inauguration day. That means state officials will take the oath of office to some fanfare and probably a speech or two, and a new set of public officials (and some of the old ones) will start their work.
Only one won’t–former state legislator John Dougall, recently elected state auditor, is skipping the pomp and circumstance in favor of an early morning swearing-in at his new office so that he can get right to work. As he told the Salt Lake Tribune’s Robert Gehrke
“I’m going to be sworn in at 8 o’clock in the morning so I can get three hours of work done before the governor’s inauguration,” he said. “Rather than sitting around and waiting, I’d rather get some work done.”
Not intended as a dis to the Governor or other elected officials, Dougall is just trying to keep face with the voters. He will show up for the ceremony long enough to be respectful, sitting in the audience alongside Speaker Becky Lockhart and Senate President-elect Wayne Niederhauser, but then will head back to work during the reception.
“They’ve known from Day One that I was having my own separate swearing-in ceremony,” said Dougall, who will not be on stage for the event, but instead plans to sit next to House Speaker Becky Lockhart and Senate President-elect Wayne Niederhauser. “I told [the governor] I’d be respectful and come to his inauguration, but it’s not my inauguration.”
Related articles
- John Dougall cleans house in the Utah Auditor’s office (publiusonline.com)
- Legislature names House, Senate leadership (fox13now.com)
