Greg Curtis
Encyclopedia
Greg J. Curtis is a Lobbyist and Attorney from Utah
. He is married to Teresa Curtis and the father of five children and two grandchildren. A Republican
, he is a former member of the Utah State House. He formerly represented the state's 49th house district in Sandy
and Cottonwood Heights
. He formerly served as the Speaker of the House.
Curtis was first elected to the State Legislature in 1994, defeating a fellow Republican in the primary.
Curtis grew up in his district in Sandy and served a two year LDS mission to New Zealand. He has worked for a private law firm; as a prosecutor for West Jordan City; and as staff counsel for County Mayor Nancy Workman. Curtis graduated from Brigham Young University
with a degree in accounting and then received a law degree from the University of Utah
.
Beginning in October 2008, Curtis was plagued by accusations from several former state employees who claimed that Curtis abused his government position to benefit his legal clients financially. One of these former employees, Doug Clark, claimed that Curtis cut funding and caused layoffs to anyone who opposed his plans to build a public transit facility in the midst of an ancient Native American settlement in Draper, Utah. Changing the location of the proposed facility would have kept land owners in the area from moving forward with subsequent development plans. Clark said that Curtis told him, *“Doug, I am the speaker of the House. If I want something, I get it. ... I want you to talk to DNR to figure out a way to get that road through there. I know this may sound a little strange. You may think it is unethical — because it probably is — because effectively I’m asking you as a state employee to work for me and do work for my law client.” **When a Salt Lake Tribune reporter asked him about such allegations back in 2009, Curtis said "Go find yourself another ************* boogeyman."
On November 4, 2008, Curtis became the first sitting Speaker of the House in Utah to fail to win re-election in 40 years. Democrat Jay Seegmiller
won by over 10% - nearly 1,400 votes. With this result, it became apparent that the public was fed up with Curtis's alleged abuse of power.
For the 2009 legislative session, Curtis returned to Utah's Capitol Hill - not as a state representative - but as a lobbyist representing several large companies, including Intermountain Healthcare
, UTA, Altria Group
, parent company of Philip Morris.
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. He is married to Teresa Curtis and the father of five children and two grandchildren. A Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, he is a former member of the Utah State House. He formerly represented the state's 49th house district in Sandy
Sandy, Utah
Sandy is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. It is a suburb of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,461 at the 2010 census, making it the sixth-largest city in Utah....
and Cottonwood Heights
Cottonwood Heights, Utah
Cottonwood Heights is a city located in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States, along the east bench of the Salt Lake Valley. It lies south of the cities of Holladay and Murray, east of Midvale, and north of Sandy within the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. Following a successful...
. He formerly served as the Speaker of the House.
Curtis was first elected to the State Legislature in 1994, defeating a fellow Republican in the primary.
Curtis grew up in his district in Sandy and served a two year LDS mission to New Zealand. He has worked for a private law firm; as a prosecutor for West Jordan City; and as staff counsel for County Mayor Nancy Workman. Curtis graduated from Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
with a degree in accounting and then received a law degree from the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
.
Beginning in October 2008, Curtis was plagued by accusations from several former state employees who claimed that Curtis abused his government position to benefit his legal clients financially. One of these former employees, Doug Clark, claimed that Curtis cut funding and caused layoffs to anyone who opposed his plans to build a public transit facility in the midst of an ancient Native American settlement in Draper, Utah. Changing the location of the proposed facility would have kept land owners in the area from moving forward with subsequent development plans. Clark said that Curtis told him, *“Doug, I am the speaker of the House. If I want something, I get it. ... I want you to talk to DNR to figure out a way to get that road through there. I know this may sound a little strange. You may think it is unethical — because it probably is — because effectively I’m asking you as a state employee to work for me and do work for my law client.” **When a Salt Lake Tribune reporter asked him about such allegations back in 2009, Curtis said "Go find yourself another ************* boogeyman."
On November 4, 2008, Curtis became the first sitting Speaker of the House in Utah to fail to win re-election in 40 years. Democrat Jay Seegmiller
Jay Seegmiller (politician)
Jay Seegmiller is a member of the Utah State House of Representatives who defeated Greg Curtis in the 2008 election.Seegmiller grew up in Salt Lake City and graduated from the University of Utah.-External links:*...
won by over 10% - nearly 1,400 votes. With this result, it became apparent that the public was fed up with Curtis's alleged abuse of power.
For the 2009 legislative session, Curtis returned to Utah's Capitol Hill - not as a state representative - but as a lobbyist representing several large companies, including Intermountain Healthcare
Intermountain Healthcare
Intermountain Health Care, Inc., DBA as Intermountain Healthcare, and formerly known as Intermountain Health Care , is a non-profit healthcare system and is the largest healthcare provider in the Intermountain West. Intermountain Healthcare provides hospital and other medical services in Utah and...
, UTA, Altria Group
Altria Group
Altria Group, Inc. is based in Henrico County, Virginia, and is the parent company of Philip Morris USA, John Middleton, Inc., U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company, Inc., Philip Morris Capital Corporation, and Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. It is one of the world's largest tobacco corporations...
, parent company of Philip Morris.