This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah House Speaker Becky Lockhart, R-Provo, announced Monday that she is appointing Draper City Councilman Troy Walker to the board of the Utah Transit Authority. He replaces controversial Terry Diehl, whose resignation was effective last Friday.
"I believe Mr. Walker will be both a positive influence on the board of trustees and a valuable and effective member," Lockhart said. The UTA board has 15 members appointed by different cities, counties, the Legislature and the governor.
Diehl announced last month that he was resigning under pressure.
A legislative audit last year said Diehl may have earlier broken state law and misused official information by trying to benefit from a potential UTA commuter-rail station in Draper through buying rights to develop land around it.
Despite that audit, Diehl told the UTA board that he wants to be involved in more deals to develop land around transit stops. UTA board Chairman Greg Hughes, who is also a state legislator from Draper, said Diehl was asked to leave the board to avoid more controversy if he were to pursue more such ventures.
The board in May gave Diehl a parting gift by waiving for him a normal yearlong ban against former members doing business with the agency. Hughes said without that waiver, Diehl actually could more easily be involved in transit-oriented development if he stayed on the board and disclosed conflicts than if he left it.