Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said Thursday a task force created to root out the reasons voters are disenchanted with democracy will be worthwhile, even though he has taken discussions of legislative ethics and redistricting off its agenda.

"In the spirit of keeping everyone together, moving toward a common endpoint, you've got to make sure everybody plays their respective roles," Huntsman said Thursday in his monthly KUED news conference.

Huntsman changed the commission's charge at the request of House Speaker Dave Clark, R-Santa Clara, who expressed concerns to the governor that the panel would be encroaching on legislative turf.

Pulling redistricting and legislative ethics off the table did not sit well with some members of the task force.

"I'm personally disappointed, only because I think those are two issues that are of great interest to the public and I think of great interest to the committee members," said commission member Randy Dryer, although he said Huntsman has the right to change their assignment.

He said some other members shared his concern.

In the wake of the governor's change, a community group called the "Fair Boundaries Coalition" said it plans to start an initiative drive to create an independent commission to recommend new political boundaries after the 2010 Census.

Lawmakers say the governor was right to pull back.

"Constitutionally, these are legislative responsibilities," Clark said Thursday. "The Legislature is taking this very seriously. Whether we've done enough on ethics or not is always going to be a question mark, but it was different this session than it has been in previous sessions."

Huntsman agreed with Clark's assessment, saying there has been progress on the ethics front, with legislation passed in the past legislative session and the creation of a committee to study the state's ethics rules.

"I think we need to recognize the steps that have been taken," Huntsman said. "In total, I think we're making pretty good progress. This is unprecedented movement on ethics, generally and I think that's better than no movement at all."

Previously, Huntsman has been dismissive of the Legislature's movement on ethics, calling it simply "a good first step." Lawmakers put a one-year moratorium on legislators becoming lobbyists, required more disclosure of lobbyist gifts and campaign contributions, and limited how former office holders can use their leftover campaign money -- although the measures also have some glaring loopholes.

Huntsman said the commission will still be looking at how people vote and perhaps moving voting online, which he said "would be great if we could do that." It will also consider Utah's unique process for nominating candidates through neighborhood caucuses and party conventions, and at potential reforms to the state's campaign finance laws.

Former Democratic Party Chairwoman Meg Holbrook, who is also on the committee, agreed with the governor's decision to scale back the panel's scope.

"I just think there's only so much you can do on a commission with a full agenda and I think the Legislature has made a good-faith effort to tackle the ethics problems," she said.

The commission has a full plate, she said, and taking on redistricting is impractical when the panel is supposed to come up with recommendations by the end of the year.

Huntsman said the possible voter initiative will create a public discussion in the coming year over whether that is something voters and the Legislature want.

Clark said legislators will seek public input as they redraw political boundaries, but he expects that the redistricting process will remain a legislative function.