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Governor launches Centennial Values Initiative at joint convention; private and civic co-chairs named
Summary
In a joint convention with the Senate, the governor introduced a Centennial Values Initiative to promote civic values across Utah's centennial year and named Joe Cannon and Daryl Barrett as co-chairs to lead statewide, community-level efforts.
At a joint convention on Jan. 25, Governor and the Utah Legislature formally launched a Centennial Values Initiative aimed at promoting personal responsibility and shared community values during the state's centennial observance.
The governor described the initiative as a nonlegislative, community-focused effort to encourage civic engagement and character discussions in schools, churches and civic organizations statewide. He cited the centennial cleanup day as evidence of strong civic participation—"I saw 300,000 Utahns donate in 1 day over a million hours of service," he said—using that turnout to make the case for a coordinated statewide values campaign.
The initiative will be coordinated by a state Centennial Values Commission and by local partners. The governor announced Joe Cannon, chairman of Geneva Steel, and Daryl Barrett, a member of the state school board, as co-chairs of the effort. Speakers said the commission will be broad and bipartisan, drawing participants from civic groups including, by their account, diverse organizations as varied as the ACLU and the Eagle Forum.
Co-chairs described plans to convene a 20-member state commission, meet the following week, and support grassroots activities such as classroom assignments and community projects that highlight values like respect, responsibility and hard work. Leaders emphasized that the initiative is intended as civic encouragement, not as legislation imposing specific moral standards.
The joint convention included a formal signing and expressions of appreciation to civic leaders and visitors. After the ceremony, the House resolved from the joint convention and adjourned to reconvene the following morning.
