Greg Bell (politician)
Encyclopedia
Gregory S Bell is an American politician
, land-use
attorney, and the seventh and current Lieutenant Governor
of the US state of Utah
. A Republican
, he was a member of the Utah State Senate
, representing the state's 22nd senate district
in Davis County
. Bell was appointed Lieutenant Governor
on September 1st, 2009, and later elected to office on November 2, 2010.
, Utah. He graduated from Weber State University
in 1972 with a BA., and from the University of Utah College of Law in 1975 with a J.D.
Bell is married to JoLynn and is the father of six children including sons Braden, Ryan, Davis, and Christian, and daughters Andrea and Eliza. Bell was employed as Vice President of United Savings from 1977 to 1981, Utah
. He founded Gregory S. Bell and Associates law firm from 1981 to 1984, when it merged with Kirton & McConkie Law firm in 1984, where he was a partner. He left Kirton & McConkie in 1997 when he became partner in Raddon/Bell Properties, a real estate development company. Bell was self-employed in real estate development until 2008, when he joined the old-line Salt Lake law firm Fabian & Clendenin.
Bell was elected to the Farmington City Council in 1990 and subsequently elected Mayor Farmington
, Utah in 1994. Bell then served as Mayor of Farmington until 2002. He was elected to the Utah Senate in Utah's 22nd Senate district
in 2002.
He was elected to Senate Leadership as Asst. Majority Whip by his colleagues for 2008–09, serving on the Joint Leadership, Executive Appropriations, and Legislative Management Committees.
in district 22
in the 2002 General Election held on Tuesday, November 5, 2002 with approximately 87% of the vote. His opponent was Green Party
candidate David L. Rowland who obtained approximately 13% of the vote. Bell was up for re-election in the 2006 General Election held on Tuesday, November 7, 2006 and defeated Democratic Party
candidate Dave Rowland by a margin of 71% to 23%. Also running in 2006 was Constitution Party
candidate Sheryl Fluckiger who obtained approximately 6% of the vote.
as Chair of Envision Utah, a position he held from 2001 to 2003. Envision Utah is a public/private partnership that "work[s] toward quality growth within the Greater Wasatch Area of Utah" and to develop a "vision to protect Utah's environment, economic strength, and quality of life for generations to come." Bell also served on the Board of Trustees of the Coalition for Utah's Future. He formerly served as President of the Farmington Bay District of the Boy Scouts of America. He served as Chair of the Real property Section of the Utah State Bar.
Voting Record
Financial Disclosures
Politics of the United States
The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States , Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.The executive branch is headed by the President...
, land-use
Land use
Land use is the human use of land. Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as fields, pastures, and settlements. It has also been defined as "the arrangements, activities and inputs people undertake in a certain land cover...
attorney, and the seventh and current Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Utah
The Office of the Lieutenant Governor in Utah was created in 1975. There have only been seven Lieutenant Governors in Utah's history. Prior to the creation of the Lieutenant Governor's office, the succession to the Governorship of Utah was held by the Utah Secretary of State...
of the US state of Utah
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...
. A Republican
Utah Republican Party
The Utah State Republican Party works to nominate and support the election of Republican candidates in partisan races for public office in the state of Utah...
, he was a member of the Utah State Senate
Utah State Senate
The Utah State Senate is the upper house of the Utah State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. The Senate is composed of 29 elected members representing an equal number of constituent senatorial districts. Each senatorial district is composed of approximately 91,000 people...
, representing the state's 22nd senate district
22nd Utah Senate District
The 22nd Utah Senate District is located in Central Davis County and includes Utah House Districts 11, 15, 16, 17 and 18. The district includes Farmington, Kaysville, Fruit Heights, most of Layton and part of North Centerville...
in Davis County
Davis County, Utah
Davis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2010 the population was 306,479, a 28.2% increase over the 2000 figure of 238,994. It was named for Daniel C. Davis, captain in the Mormon Battalion. The county is part of the Ogden–Clearfield Metropolitan Statistical Area as...
. Bell was appointed Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Utah
The Office of the Lieutenant Governor in Utah was created in 1975. There have only been seven Lieutenant Governors in Utah's history. Prior to the creation of the Lieutenant Governor's office, the succession to the Governorship of Utah was held by the Utah Secretary of State...
on September 1st, 2009, and later elected to office on November 2, 2010.
Early life and career
Bell was born on October 16, 1948 in OgdenOgden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
, Utah. He graduated from Weber State University
Weber State University
Weber State University is a public university located in the city of Ogden in Weber County, Utah, USA. It was founded in 1889 and is a coeducational, publicly supported university offering professional, liberal arts and technical certificates, as well as associate, bachelor's and master's degrees...
in 1972 with a BA., and from the University of Utah College of Law in 1975 with a J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
Bell is married to JoLynn and is the father of six children including sons Braden, Ryan, Davis, and Christian, and daughters Andrea and Eliza. Bell was employed as Vice President of United Savings from 1977 to 1981, Utah
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 founded Gregory S. Bell and Associates law firm from 1981 to 1984, when it merged with Kirton & McConkie Law firm in 1984, where he was a partner. He left Kirton & McConkie in 1997 when he became partner in Raddon/Bell Properties, a real estate development company. Bell was self-employed in real estate development until 2008, when he joined the old-line Salt Lake law firm Fabian & Clendenin.
Bell was elected to the Farmington City Council in 1990 and subsequently elected Mayor Farmington
Farmington, Utah
Farmington is a city in Davis County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Ogden–Clearfield, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 18,255 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Davis County...
, Utah in 1994. Bell then served as Mayor of Farmington until 2002. He was elected to the Utah Senate in Utah's 22nd Senate district
22nd Utah Senate District
The 22nd Utah Senate District is located in Central Davis County and includes Utah House Districts 11, 15, 16, 17 and 18. The district includes Farmington, Kaysville, Fruit Heights, most of Layton and part of North Centerville...
in 2002.
He was elected to Senate Leadership as Asst. Majority Whip by his colleagues for 2008–09, serving on the Joint Leadership, Executive Appropriations, and Legislative Management Committees.
Electoral results
Bell was first elected to the Utah State SenateUtah State Senate
The Utah State Senate is the upper house of the Utah State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. The Senate is composed of 29 elected members representing an equal number of constituent senatorial districts. Each senatorial district is composed of approximately 91,000 people...
in district 22
22nd Utah Senate District
The 22nd Utah Senate District is located in Central Davis County and includes Utah House Districts 11, 15, 16, 17 and 18. The district includes Farmington, Kaysville, Fruit Heights, most of Layton and part of North Centerville...
in the 2002 General Election held on Tuesday, November 5, 2002 with approximately 87% of the vote. His opponent was Green Party
Green Party (United States)
The Green Party of the United States is a nationally recognized political party which officially formed in 1991. It is a voluntary association of state green parties. Prior to national formation, many state affiliates had already formed and were recognized by other state parties...
candidate David L. Rowland who obtained approximately 13% of the vote. Bell was up for re-election in the 2006 General Election held on Tuesday, November 7, 2006 and defeated Democratic Party
Utah Democratic Party
The Utah State Democratic Party works to elect Democrats to office in the state of Utah. The Utah Democratic Party, like other national, state, and county parties, maintains a party platform that lists general principles or issues of importance to members of the Utah Democratic Party and maintains...
candidate Dave Rowland by a margin of 71% to 23%. Also running in 2006 was Constitution Party
Constitution Party (United States)
The Constitution Party is a paleoconservative political party in the United States. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers' Party by Howard Philips in 1991. Phillips was the party's candidate in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 presidential elections...
candidate Sheryl Fluckiger who obtained approximately 6% of the vote.
Political views
A leader in ethics reform, his SB 156 passed in the 2008 General Session, which lowers the disclosure threshold on gifts and meals. Bell generally supports increased funding for public education. In terms of Criminal Justice issues Bell has been a strong advocate for inmate education and counseling. He supported passage of a constitutional amendment which would allow the legislature to limit extensive post-conviction litigation by convicted criminals of the technical elements of their trials. Bell has been a sharp critic of state policies which essentially force cities and towns to rely on increasing their retail sales tax base and thus cater to sprawl-inducing, auto-dependent retail development which warps traditional land use and development. See his article: Sales Tax and Land Use: "Are Cities Being Driven to the Mall?", Gregory Bell, The Hinckley Journal of Politics (2007, Volume 8), p. 69.Organizations
In 2001, Greg Bell succeeded Jon Huntsman, Jr.Jon Huntsman, Jr.
Jon Meade Huntsman, Jr. is an American politician and diplomat who served as the 16th Governor of Utah. He also served in the administrations of four United States presidents and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.Huntsman worked as a White House staff assistant for...
as Chair of Envision Utah, a position he held from 2001 to 2003. Envision Utah is a public/private partnership that "work[s] toward quality growth within the Greater Wasatch Area of Utah" and to develop a "vision to protect Utah's environment, economic strength, and quality of life for generations to come." Bell also served on the Board of Trustees of the Coalition for Utah's Future. He formerly served as President of the Farmington Bay District of the Boy Scouts of America. He served as Chair of the Real property Section of the Utah State Bar.
Further reading
- Sales Tax and Land Use: "Are Cities Being Driven to the Mall?", Gregory Bell, The Hinckley Journal of Politics (2007, Volume 8), p. 69; url: http://www.hinckley.utah.edu/publications/journal/2007journal.pdf
External links
Legislative InformationVoting Record
Financial Disclosures