Regional health care provider says influence peddlers need 'to choose one side or the other.'
Jump to full article: Salt Lake Tribune, 2009-07-30
Author: Robert Gehrke The Salt Lake Tribune
Intro: Intermountain Healthcare is issuing an ultimatum to its lobbying corps: Kick tobacco or else.
The region's largest health-care provider sent letters this month to its contract lobbyists -- including former House Speaker Greg Curtis -- demanding that they sign a conflict-of-interest statement vowing not to lobby on behalf of tobacco companies or Intermountain would terminate their pacts.
"The purpose of the statement is to preclude Intermountain lobbyists from working for tobacco interests, and to force current lobbyists who represent tobacco to choose one side or the other," said the letter from Alan Dayton, Intermountain's director of government relations.
Five lobbyists worked for both Intermountain and tobacco companies in the past legislative session: Curtis, Miles and Sue Ferry, their grandson David Stewart and Rob Jolley.
"We're tightening our policy," Intermountain spokesman Daron Cowley said. "We felt it was incongruous for firms to represent health care and tobacco at the same time." . . .
During the 2009 legislative session, a team of tobacco lobbyists helped derail various efforts to increase the cigarette tax by anywhere from 61.5 cents to $1.31 per pack, but the proposal promises to be back again next year. Utah's current cigarette tax is 69.5 cents per pack.
"Their role was significant," said Michael Siler . . .
Sue Ferry said her husband, Miles "Cap" Ferry, a former Senate president, and their grandson will stick with the tobacco company.
"We will be staying with Altria. We've represented them a much longer period of time," she said. "[Intermountain] has known from the very beginning that we represented [Altria] and up until this last session that hasn't been a conflict or a problem." . . .
"This company," she said, "has never asked me to do one thing that would be contrary to the health, safety or welfare of the people of Utah or my religion."
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Quotes from this article:
This company has never asked me to do one thing that would be contrary to the health, safety or welfare of the people of Utah or my religion.
Utah Altria lobbyist Sue Ferry.
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