Rest of the Story
You probably have read by now that four state senators, two Republicans and two Democrats, enjoyed $500 courtside seats each for the Utah Jazz game against Memphis a little over a week ago and that one of the Republicans, Sen. Dan Eastman, R-Bountiful, paid for his own ticket. The other three took the freebie.
But here is a twist. The seats were made available to the senators by lobbyist Spencer Stokes, who, among other clients, lobbies for Salt Lake County.
The bill that will have an impact on Salt Lake County government more negatively than any other piece of legislation on the hill this year is a bill to redirect restaurant sales tax money earmarked for recreational and cultural projects from the county to the individual cities whre the sales tax is generated. County officials have said the change may force them to give up operating such icons in Salt Lake City as the Salt Palace, Capitol Theatre, Rose Wagner Theatre and Abravanel Hall.
The three senators who accepted the $500 seats from Stokes all sit on the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee, which considered the bill Monday, and then again Wednesday, passing it out of committee the second time after it failed on a 3-3 vote the first time.
One $500 seat recipient, Sen. Mike Dmitrich, voted in favor of passing the anti-Salt Lake County bill out of committee. Another, Sen. Curtis Bramble, R-Provo, was absent the first day. So he made sure he showed up the second time to get it passed out of committee.
The amusement is that they made sure they got their free Jazz game, where they got to sit next to the Jazz bench, from the generosity of Stokes before they voted in favor of the bill he so vigorously is opposing.
Cheers,
Paul Rolly
But here is a twist. The seats were made available to the senators by lobbyist Spencer Stokes, who, among other clients, lobbies for Salt Lake County.
The bill that will have an impact on Salt Lake County government more negatively than any other piece of legislation on the hill this year is a bill to redirect restaurant sales tax money earmarked for recreational and cultural projects from the county to the individual cities whre the sales tax is generated. County officials have said the change may force them to give up operating such icons in Salt Lake City as the Salt Palace, Capitol Theatre, Rose Wagner Theatre and Abravanel Hall.
The three senators who accepted the $500 seats from Stokes all sit on the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee, which considered the bill Monday, and then again Wednesday, passing it out of committee the second time after it failed on a 3-3 vote the first time.
One $500 seat recipient, Sen. Mike Dmitrich, voted in favor of passing the anti-Salt Lake County bill out of committee. Another, Sen. Curtis Bramble, R-Provo, was absent the first day. So he made sure he showed up the second time to get it passed out of committee.
The amusement is that they made sure they got their free Jazz game, where they got to sit next to the Jazz bench, from the generosity of Stokes before they voted in favor of the bill he so vigorously is opposing.
Cheers,
Paul Rolly
3:24 PM
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