Hughes' self-appointment leads list of those named to inland port board

When the state Legislature passed SB234 that created the Utah Inland Port Authority board, it set June 1 as the deadline for the various entities that have board members to make their selections. Last week, the initial board members were named.

One of those with an appointment to make was House Speaker Greg Hughes. And he picked the person who he thought would best be suited — himself. Hughes, very much the driving force in the Legislature for the creation of the Port Authority, said he picked himself because of his “institutional knowledge” of the proposed port because of his involvement during the time it has been debated and planned.

“So, I did appoint myself,” Hughes told KSL. “I thought it would be appropriate, in that vein, to be on the board. This is a big project; there’s a lot of work to do to try and bring people along and make it a success. What will happen and how the board will move forward, there’s a lot to be discovered.”

Hughes has announced his intention to not seek re-election and will therefore have additional time to devote to his board duties. His inland port board position is for a four-year term.

The board appointments became effective as they were made last week. The first meeting of the 11-member group will be at 8:30 a.m. on June 18 at the State Capitol and will be open to the public.

The statute creating the board gave Gov. Gary Herbert two appointments and he chose Ben Hart, deputy director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development for a four-year term); and Derek Miller, president of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce (four-year term). Senate President Wayne Niederhauser appointed Sen. Don Ipson, R-St. George (two-year term), and Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams named Salt Lake County Councilman Michael Jensen (two-year term). Jonathan Hardy, the director of housing and community development at the Utah Department of Workforce Services, tabbed Sevier County Commissioner Garth Ogden (four-year term).

Salt Lake City will be represented by Councilman James Rogers, whose district includes the port site in the Northwest Quadrant of Salt Lake City (four-year term). Salt Lake Mayor Jackie Biskupski also directed that the appointment given to Airport Advisory Board Chairman Larry Pinnock be extended to her economic advisor, Lara Fritts (four-year term).

Also, Stuart Clason, director of the Salt Lake County Office of Economic Development and the executive director of UDOT, Carlos Braceras, are automatically on the board for initial four-year terms, according to the law. West Valley City Manager Wayne T. Pyle hasn’t announced his appointment yet for a two-year board seat.

Last week’s announcement of the Inland Port Authority board members came two weeks after negotiations over disagreements about the port between state leaders and Salt Lake City broke down. A special session of the state Legislature has been planned to fix the bill creating the authority. Biskupski and other city leaders say the law grants the port board power to usurp land use authority, as well as capture 100 percent of the area’s taxes.

Herbert issued a statement at the time of the board appointments announcement regarding the inland port. “Three years ago, I introduced the concept of an inland port as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Utah’s prosperity. The inland port will make use of prime undeveloped land to enhance Utah’s position as a world-class business destination. The legislation and funds are in place. Duty and opportunity compel us to act. By convening the Inland Port Authority, we start a powerful economic engine for the entire state and honor the law.”