Shurtleff to seek second term

Republican Attorney General Mark Shurtleff wants another four years as Utah's top cop, announcing Wednesday he will seek a second term.

"I sought the attorney general's post four years ago to protect those who are the most vulnerable: the elderly, the abused and the children," he said. "This campaign is about staying one step ahead of criminals and safeguarding our most vulnerable, our elderly, our children. I will not relent."

Shurtleff, flanked by his wife, five children and political supporters, rattled off a litany of successes during his tenure in office: 132 Medicaid fraud prosecutions netting $800,000 in restitution, an Internet-crimes-against children program that has made 54 arrests, cutting the number of methamphetamine labs in the state by half, an effective AMBER Alert program and 400 child abuse prosecutions last year alone.

It is a record he is proud of, he says, and wants to continue.

Shurtleff has become something of a national celebrity of late for his much-publicized campaign against polygamists, but that campaign is not even mentioned in Shurtleff's campaign materials — released Wednesday during a Capitol Hill press conference — even though he assured those present "I am going after" polygamists to "protect the children in those communities."

Shurtleff used the press conference to take credit for breaking the impasse with the federal government over rural dirt roads — called RS2477 roads — and for reversing a federal re-inventory of potential wilderness lands.

"Progress on RS2477 roads resulted only after pressure from the Attorney General's Office to restore state autonomy," Shurtleff's campaign brochure states. "Moreover, our efforts freed millions of acres restricted by wilderness study."

(In contrast, former Gov. Mike Leavitt has claimed credit for both settlements with Secretary of Interior Gail Norton.)

Shurtleff is a former Salt Lake County commissioner. He graduated from Brigham Young University and the University of Utah law school. He served in the Judge Advocate General Corps of the U.S. Navy.

He has been a champion of Boy Scouts, mentoring for at-risk children programs and anti-drug campaigns.

"I am the father of five amazing children. This drive to serve stems from my commitment to make the world a safer, better place for them," he said. "This campaign is about protecting them."

---

E-mail: spang@desnews.com

Comments