Brown promises transparency as he becomes Utah’s new attorney general

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah will soon have a new attorney general.

Derek Brown will be sworn in on Monday and take over an office that’s often been tainted by scandal and controversy over the years.

As he prepares for his first days on the job, Brown said he has one top priority.

“My goal,” he told KSL TV in an interview Friday, “is to create a transparent office.”

Brown said that will make him more accountable as the state’s next attorney general.

“One of the things, for instance, we’ll be doing is releasing our calendar publicly so that people know what we’re doing,” Brown said.

That’s a change from outgoing AG Sean Reyes, who fought to keep his calendars secret. He finally released them late last year after settling a lawsuit with KSL.

“I’ve always been very in favor of more transparency as opposed to less,” Brown said.

Brown has worked as an attorney and lobbyist. He led the Utah Republican Party and served in the Legislature. Since winning the attorney general’s race, Brown has assembled a mostly new executive team while doing a top-down review of how the office of nearly 600 attorneys and staff is run.

“My goal is to run a really efficient and effective law firm,” Brown said, “and I want this to be the most well-respected law firm in the state of Utah.”

That hasn’t always been the case. Former AGs John Swallow and Mark Shurtleff both faced corruption allegations. Eventually, criminal charges against Shurtleff were dropped, and Swallow was acquitted after a trial.

Reyes himself has been criticized for his extensive travel and for his association with former Operation Underground Railroad founder Tim Ballard, who’s accused of misconduct.

Reyes did not respond to a request from KSL TV for an interview.

“I wish him all the best,” Brown said of Reyes. “He’s been there for 12 years. The more I’ve learned about him, the more I’ve learned that he’s worked really, really hard.”

Once he takes office, Brown will take on a number of issues, including social media and public lands.

“We’re protecting Utahns,” Brown said. “We’re protecting kids.”

Brown promised to work hard as attorney general and create an office Utahns can trust.

“With that measure of accountability, I think that’s better for the public,” he said, “I think that’s better for the office, I think it’s better all around.”

Brown will be sworn in privately Monday with a public ceremony to follow on Wednesday.