This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Sen. Dan Eastman, R-Bountiful, took a courtside seat for a Utah Jazz game during the legislative session along with three of his colleagues.
But it wasn't a gift. Eastman paid the $500 to lobbyist Spencer Stokes.
"Because of the price of this seat, I just thought it was appropriate that I pay for it," Eastman said at the time. "I was always taught to avoid the appearance of evil, and if there is some there, we ought to avoid it."
Apparently cheaper Jazz tickets avoid the appearance of evil, according to lobbyist disclosure statements recently filed with the state.
Eastman watched the Utah Jazz beat the Minnesota Timberwolves on Jan. 22 from seats provided by Tetris lobbyist Paul Rogers at a value of $156. He was also on hand for the Jazz's only win in the Western Conference Finals, accepting a $90 ticket from Kevin Boardman, lobbyist for Rocky Mountain Power.
Customer service: After D. Scott Wells read my column item recently about Glenn and Odette Gregorcy having to take a number at the state Driver License Division's express office in Sandy, he sent me his own story.
Wells arrived at that same office around 8 on a Friday morning and was the only customer there, among four uniformed employees. He told one of them he needed to renew his driver license and she barked: "TAKE A NUMBER AND FILL OUT THAT FORM!"
He filled out the form and returned to the woman, who was reading a newspaper. Wells said she then screamed: "YOU'LL HAVE TO TAKE THAT TO SOMEONE ELSE. I DON'T HAVE A COMPUTER!"
Wells has since shared the experience with employees in his office as an example of how not to do customer service.
Road rage: If you go to the Salt Lake City Post Office at 230 W. 200 South and want to park on the street rather than seek a spot in its limited parking lot, you must fight through the traffic to back into one of the diagonal metered parking spaces.
Then, if you are unlucky, you discover that after all that hassle, the parking meter doesn't work and you have to move.
The two meters closest to the Post Office driveway have been out of service for weeks and calls to the city have gone unheeded.
Philanthropic politician: I mentioned Friday that the Jordan School Board members who quadrupled their salaries last week likely can keep drawing that inflated pay even after the board has disbanded if voters decide to split the district.
The precedent was set when the county switched from the commission to council-mayor form of government. Commissioner Mary Callaghan took two years' worth of pay even though she wasn't a commissioner. I said Commissioner Mark Shurtleff took the difference between his attorney general salary and the high county commission salary. That's true, but Shurtleff ended up giving that money to several charities.