6 Utah County officials sworn into office at Provo ceremony
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- Utah County Commissioner Brandon Gordon takes the oath of office from Judge Kelton Patten during a swearing-in ceremony held at the Utah County Historic Courthouse in Provo on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2022.
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- Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray signs his oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony held at the Utah County Historic Courthouse in Provo on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023.
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- Dozens attend the swearing-in ceremony for new county officials held at the Utah County Historic Courthouse in Provo on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2022.
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- Utah County Sheriff Mike Smith signs his oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony held at the Utah County Historic Courthouse in Provo on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2022.
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- Utah County Commissioner Amelia Powers Gardner takes the oath of office from outgoing Clerk/Auditor Josh Daniels during a swearing-in ceremony held at the Utah County Historic Courthouse in Provo on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2022.
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- Utah County Clerk Aaron Davidson speaks after taking the oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony held at the Utah County Historic Courthouse in Provo on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2022.
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- Utah County Auditor Rod Mann speaks after taking the oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony held at the Utah County Historic Courthouse in Provo on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2022.
Six Utah County officials took their oaths of office on Tuesday, promising to defend the constitutions of the United States and of Utah.
After an opening welcome from Utah County Commissioner Tom Sakievich, the officials — elected to office last November — were sworn in, one by one.
In order, the officials were Commissioner Brandon Gordon, Commissioner Amelia Powers Gardner, Clerk Aaron Davidson, Attorney Jeff Gray, Auditor Rod Mann and Sheriff Mike Smith. Powers Gardner and Smith were reelected to their offices while the other four took the oath for the first time.
Each person was given an opportunity to address the crowd of dozens — mostly family and friends.
Gray became the de facto county attorney after a GOP primary win over incumbent David Leavitt. During the race and on Tuesday, he leaned on 27 years of work in the Utah Attorney General’s Office. After thanking his friends, wife and campaign manager, Gray discussed several priorities he will have moving forward.
“One of the things I ran on is that we’re gonna hold criminals accountable and I pledge to do that. I pledge to move forward with that. I don’t believe that it benefits our community at all to be soft on crime,” Gray said.
He added that “taking accountability for our actions” will be a priority immediately. He also pledged support for law enforcement from the attorney’s office, calling the two members of the same team.
Additionally, Gray discussed being better advocates for victims, particularly though the Special Victims Unit.
“Those victim are entitled to justice and they’re entitled to the help of the system — cause it’s a scary system once you’re in it, for victims,” Gray said.
He went on to tell the commissioners, along with others in attendance, that he would seek funding for more victims advocates in the attorney’s office. There are currently four on staff, he said, explaining that he would work to get funding for more.
Smith was the final speaker of the afternoon, reflecting on the past four and a half years as sheriff from a local and national perspective.
“We’ve seen riots sweep across our nation, we’ve seen them here in the city of Provo,” he said, referencing Black Lives Matter protests held in the summer of 2020. “We’ve watched as the national media demoralized law enforcement to the point that we’re having a hard time getting good men and women who want to serve in this profession. We’ve seen attacks on our criminal justice system and I can’t tell you how happy I am today to see Jeff Gray sworn in as our county attorney.”
He also mentioned what he considers “good times” from the last four years including the creation of the honorary colonels program, the teacher’s academy which prepares educators for active shooter environments and a program pairing jail inmates with rescue animals, among others.
Davidson led by swearing to follow the oath of office and “securing the rights of your freedoms.” He is the first person elected clerk since the division of the Clerk/Auditor’s Office. Mann, the first auditor since the split, initially thanked his wife, friends and Rudy Livingston, the county budget manager and Mann’s primary opponent in the election.
He went on to quote a series of people from Founding Fathers (Alexander Hamilton, George Washington and Thomas Payne) and Revolution-era thinkers (Edmund Burke) to modern political figures (Robert Bork.)
Powers Gardner was reelected to office for the first time. She was originally elevated to the seat after the resignation of Commissioner Tanner Ainge. She spoke about growth from her view as an eighth-generation Utah County resident.
“The biggest challenge facing us ahead is ensuring for more generations to come that our children will be able to stay in Utah County,” Powers Gardner said.
Elected to the seat then held by Bill Lee, Gordon was a member of the Spanish Fork City Council and kept his comments to the crowd simple. He called it “a great day” and promised to actually have a celebration after the commission gets something done.
“So let’s get to work,” he said.
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