By ones and twos, the former Utah lawmakers -- some with gray hair, some with white -- came to the Utah Capitol to stand together in support of a citizen's initiative that would establish a nonpartisan ethics commission and code of conduct for the Legislature.

Olene Walker was the first to speak. It's time, she said, for sitting lawmakers to recognize that absent specific, binding standards and rules, the Legislature will remain all but rudderless when it comes to binding ethics reform.

Walker is a former Republican governor and representative. Most importantly, in this case, she was lieutenant governor charged with overseeing elections and financial disclosure from officer holders, candidates, political action and interest committees and lobbyists, among others.

For nearly three decades, she has watched ethics reform efforts die in the Rules Committees and seen legislators enjoy gifts, though limited, from lobbyists who now far outnumber the lawmakers themselves.

Utah is often said to be the best-managed state in the union, she said, so why does it earn a failing grade from the Center for Public Integrity? (The nonprofit organization bills itself as a producer of investigative journalism on issues of public concern.)

"Utah should have the highest integrity rating in the nation" and the laws to get us there, her voice resonating in the domed ceiling high above.

Walker is one of 35 former legislators who back Utahns

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for Ethical Government's petition drive to get an ethics initiative on the ballot in 2010. They are Democrats and Republicans whose service spanned nearly 40 years. About 15 of them were there in the Rotunda to back Walker and former state Sens. Karen Shepherd and Karl Snow, who also spoke. Shepherd also served one term as Utah's 2nd District congresswoman.

Now the Legislature's Ethics Study Committee has endorsed a bill that would set up an independent commission to screen complaints against legislators. The five-member commission, made up of retired judges and lawmakers, would investigate complaints. Those found frivolous or politically motivated would be weeded out; those deemed to have merit would go to the Senate or House ethics committee for a public airing.

It's a step toward progress for the overwhelmingly Republican Legislature, which has strained for years against ethics reform. Today, Utah is one of only 10 states without an independent ethics commission and one of only five with no limits on campaign contributions.

Speaking of which, Gov. Gary Herbert last month hauled in about $1 million in his first annual campaign gala. More than half came from Realtors, developers, construction firms and energy companies.

Both UEG and Rep. Craig Frank, R-Pleasant Grove, have proposals to contain political contributions

Back on the hill, many sitting legislators remain hostile to the initiative, and last weekend, the state Republican Party's central committee voted 103 to 1 for a resolution opposing the ballot initiative.

There's no doubt that getting 95,000 signatures on the proposal by April 15 will be a long, hard slog. Even some of the former lawmakers at the Capitol could be heard wondering if they'll make it.

Kim Burningham, a former GOP lawmaker and one of the leaders of UEG, said Wednesday it's too early to even begin to count signatures.

The petitions now are all over the state, he said, "but there are weak pockets and strong pockets. Winter's a hard time."

But maybe you, like me, were taught to listen to the wisdom of the elders. It's clear to me that Thursday's bipartisan show of support for the initiative deserves the careful consideration of every voter in Utah.

As Shepherd said, reform is just a matter of common sense.

pegmcentee@sltrib.com