Todd Weiler on the Senate, Sutherland, and what Utah politics feels like right now

Mentioning that you're sort of an elder statesman there in the Senate.

You get these freshmen who come in, maybe not so much the ones that may come over from the House.

You've got Fia Fia going to make that transition most likely this year.

Maybe some others.

Jill Colford.

Yep, Jill Colford in the same position.

So maybe not someone who's been in the legislature, but if you get like a true freshman, this is my...

I ran for the Senate first.

This is where I am.

It's my first session.

What's some of the advice that you find yourself... either giving or wanting to give to someone in that position.

Oh, I give this advice

all the time, and it's probably too long for your show, but I'm going to tell you two things that I always tell people, whether they ask me or not.

Number one, if you tell a stakeholder, and that's a nice word for lobbyists, and there's, by the way, we're outnumbered at the legislature five to one.

There's 500 lobbyists, there's 100 legislators.

If you tell a lobbyist that you're with them or you're, if you tell a lobbyist, I'm no on this, you know, or I'm yes on this, and you change your mind, you need to go back and tell the lobbyist.

And you might say, why, you know, those people are scum.

Because lobbyists play a very important role.

I cannot be an expert on 200 issues at one time.

And the lobbyist on one issue can educate me.

And a good lobbyist, if I say, well, tell me the other side, they'll tell me the other side.

And because they value the relationship with me more than one vote for any one client or one bill.

The second thing I tell them is anything you say in the Capitol will get back to the person you're saying it about.

So there are no secrets.

And