LDS Church leaves dregs

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The shadowy dealings of Utah Attorney General John Swallow, the backroom special-interest dealings of Gov. Gary Herbert, the high-profile scandals of Republican leaders in the Utah Legislature over the past few years, and the zany, overzealous proposals of our leaders dispel one popular Utah myth: that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints runs Utah's government.

In contrast, the people the LDS Church picks to run its affairs are competent, moderate managers, not bozos. Think of the recently released Presiding Bishop H. David Burton, who successfully managed the development of City Creek Center and a host of other LDS church projects.

If the LDS Church really ran things here, we'd see a lot more people like Burton in high offices. Perhaps the real complaint should be that the church is stealing all the cream and leaving the dregs for the state.

David Smith

Salt Lake City