Herbert Gives Final Address As Utah’s Governor

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Gov. Gary Herbert on Monday gave his final official address as Utah’s governor.

In a recorded message from the parlor of the governor’s mansion, Herbert said it has been “an honor and a privilege” to serve the state for the past 11½ years.

“It has been an improbable journey for me, and I have not taken a single moment 0f this experience for granted,” he said. “I truly thank you for the trust you’ve placed in me through my years of service.”

Herbert extolled the values of working together, noting the people with whom he’s worked who have exhibited those virtues.

He also thanked his family, specifically his wife Jeanette, who he called his partner in leading the state.

The governor also thanked his cabinet as well as state employees, his security detail, and the private sector, all of which contributed to Utah’s overall economic health, he said.

There have been many great leaders at the federal, state and local levels,” Herbert said. “The result of this combined team effort over the past decade is that our business community is thriving, with new businesses coming in every day, adding to the positive economic impact on the state.”

The Beehive State is also “equally blessed in the field of education,” he said as he recognized the efforts of teachers, professors and administrators who have shaped and are shaping young Utahns to be functioning members of the society.

Those who truly inspire him, though, are the “everyday, ordinary people of Utah,” he said.

Herbert explained that so there are many residents who work and sacrifice each day but don’t receive much recognition, and those Utahns add to the success of the state.

“The people of Utah are honest, hardworking and friendly,” he said. “They’re good people who truly care about their neighbors and the wellbeing of others. That is what sets our state apart.”

He used the recent difficulties the state has faced, such as the earthquake and windstorm, as examples to highlight how Utahns are ready and willing to step up and help out their neighbors in times of need.

That attitude is just one of the factors that draws people from out of state to not only visit, but also to want to live and work in Utah, Herbert said.

The governor finished his final address by asking Utahns to share the stories of what makes the state great with their children and teach them to honor those who came before.

“Utah is, and can continue to be, that beacon of light and hope for others to look up to and to learn from,” Herbert said. “I love this state. I love the good people of this state. It’s been the greatest honor imaginable to me to be able to serve you. My prayer is that God will bless you, my fellow Utahns, and that he will bless this great country of America, and that he will continue to bless the great state of Utah.”