The question before the Utah Committee of Consumer Services is whether the governor's choice for its new executive director is one who can, as is said of the best coaches, take his and beat yours and then take yours and beat his.

Or, in this case, hers.

The committee's job is to advocate for consumers who would not otherwise have a voice in utility rate cases. There has been no doubt that Roger Ball - the longtime director summarily fired by Gov. Jon Huntsman three weeks ago - was indeed a skilled advocate.

But one person's advocate is another person's "pit bull." That was the term used by the Huntsman team to describe Ball, as if being a tenacious exponent of consumer rights was a bad thing.

Thus have consumer activists quite reasonably worried that the business-friendly governor's goal is to fill the spot with someone who will be less effective in challenging the ability of electric, gas and communications providers to charge whatever they want. Instead of a pit bull, a lap dog.

Another understandable warning sign for those who know how crucial it is to keep a sharp eye on the multistate and multinational monopolies that provide vital services is that Huntsman's choice for that spot, Leslie Reberg, lists among her many adventures in public life that she was once a lobbyist for Utah's then-telephone company US West.

One of the feathers on Reberg's coup stick is the 2000 passage of a bill that benefited US West at the expense of its customers. It was an accomplishment that the Huntsman team stressed in promoting Reberg's qualifications for the post.

Though it has not been received that way, the governor's point could be that Reberg has been effective as an advocate in the utility arena, and thus has something of value to offer those on the other side of the fence. Sort of like those former IRS employees who now hire themselves out as consultants or attorneys for individuals with tax problems.

If the Reberg nomination is intended to put a knowledgeable utilities hand on the side of the angels, er, people, then she and Huntsman need to be much more explicit about it by exhibiting an understanding of how important that is.

If that's not the idea, then the committee should reject Reberg's nomination and post an ad for a new pit bull.