Today, I received Representative Kevin Garn's resignation. I respect his decision and feel it is appropriate and have therefore accepted his resignation on behalf of the Utah House of Representatives. I am grateful to Representative Garn and his family for the time he spent in service to the State of Utah. Mistakes made many years ago should not detract from the good work the Representative has done during his time in the Utah House of Representatives.
Members of the House recognize this. And while not condoning his inappropriate actions, we wanted to show support to a colleague. This is the state of mind that gave rise to the applause directed to Representative Garn on the final night of the session. A standing ovation is a standard custom of the House, and was a natural conclusion to Representative Garn's difficult and emotional statement. I hope the people of Utah understand that our support of Representative Garn and his family does not in any way signal support for illegal, unethical or ill-advised action by any member of the House.
There are no handbooks on how to handle these difficult situations, and we were dealing with this matter on the busiest legislative day of the 2010 session. In hindsight, an alternative forum for the announcement may have been more appropriate. I sincerely appreciate those who evaluate this situation with a sense of justice and compassion for everyone involved.
I want to remind each public official to remember to protect the trust the people of Utah have given us.
Speaker Dave Clark
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