As the newly elected representative of Utah's 3rd Congressional District, Democrat Rep. Bill Orton finally has to admit to being a politician - sort of.
A tax attorney with a limited background in politics, Orton last November pulled off what analysts called a huge upset - some said perhaps the biggest in Utah's political history - defeating a heavily favored Republican in the conservative 3rd District.The district encompasses parts of southwest Salt Lake County, Utah County and all of southern Utah.
Orton is a high priest in the BYU 163rd Ward, BYU 13th Stake, and lifelong Church member who describes himself as a "very conservative Democrat." He graduated from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at BYU after serving in the Northwestern States Mission from 1967-69.
While growing up, the 42-year-old Orton served in the presidencies of his Aaronic Priesthood quorums, and subsequently served in an elder's quorum presidency, as a counselor in a bishopric and as an ordinance worker at the Provo Temple.
His great-great-grandfather traveled to Utah from England with the early members of the Church and eventually established a homestead in Ogden. The old homestead is still in the Orton family.
The new Congressman is proud of his pioneer heritage, and said he derives the values that shape his political decisions from his family and gospel roots.
Orton downplayed his election upset and the importance of party affiliation, recalling that in the 1800s in Utah "you couldn't find a Republican in the whole state for decades. It's interesting to see that we've gone 180 degrees from the time of Brigham Young, when anyone who was a Mormon could not even consider being a Republican. If you were a Mormon, you were Democrat. Period. Now in Utah you see anyone who is a Democrat labeled as a `non-Mormon' or inactive member of the Church, and it's simply not true. It's a misconception."
The representative knows that particularly as a "Mormon Democrat" in a predominantly Republican, LDS state, his every political move will be scrutinized.
"The people of this state are watching me closely to see how I'll vote, and what stand I'll take on particular issues," he acknowledged. "They are going to recognize over the next two years that I do represent the majority thinking in this district. I think they recognize that I am an independent thinker. I don't care which political party it is, neither of them is right all of the time. In fact, neither of them is right most of the time."
Orton had what he calls "quite a personal experience" last spring that influenced him to seek office.
"I had never been in politics, and never had the desire to be in politics," he explained. "I hadn't considered getting involved in the political race. I had given speeches around the country to professionals and politicians where I had criticized Congress somewhat for some of its tax policies and its lack of vision in being able to see the ultimate results of the legislation it was passing. After giving a speech talking about that on one occasion, some people came up afterward and said, `You obviously understand this, why don't you go to Congress and see if you can make a difference, if you can make them listen.' "
Orton said he thought at the time, "No way. That's a job I'd never want." But he couldn't get the idea out of his mind when he returned to Utah.
"I read the newspapers and saw the different people who were vying for the position, and most of them were very fine people who would do an excellent job in Congress. But I just couldn't get it out of my mind, it seemed like something that I had to do.
"I could think of many reasons not to do it, but I only could come up with one reason to do it, and that was that I feel very strongly about our representative form of democracy. I feel strongly that people have to be involved, that we have an obligation to be involved. If those people who have the ability to serve the public, and serve in government, refuse to do it, they become part of the problem and not part of the solution."
Orton, who is single, decided to try and become part of the "solution" and now is a member of Congress.
Right off the bat he faced what he calls the "most difficult decision of my life" - the vote on the Persian Gulf crisis.
Orton supported President George Bush in sending U.S. troops to war, but only after gathering every bit of information he could and carefully weighing the options.
"The tough part was trying to determine what was best for our country today, for our country in the future, and for peace in the world. You can't lightly send someone into war, knowing that you're part of the government decision to send hundreds of thousands of people into battle, without it having an impact emotionally, spiritually, mentally and even physically. Neither choice was a good choice. There wasn't a right decision. You had to decide which was the least wrong, and which would give us the greatest opportunity for lasting peace and freedom.
"I personally believe that the only solution to the 4,000-year-old Middle East conflict is found in the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I don't think governments or military forces can do it."
The time and effort he put in attending countless briefings on the potential conflict before it began probably earned Orton his seat on the prestigious House Foreign Affairs Committee, the only freshman appointed to the high-profile body. He also received appointments to the House Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs and Small Business committees. The foreign affairs and banking committees are both considered "major."
Orton said to him the biggest drawback to politics is the loss of privacy, the burden of being a public figure who "has to get dressed up to go buy potatoes."
"Being in the public eye is uncomfortable for me," Orton admitted. "I'm not comfortable being a public figure. I don't like seeing myself on television or seeing my picture in the newspaper. All of those things come with the job and come with the territory. To me, it's one of the sacrifices you have to make if you're going to try to serve the public in government."
But the newcomer to the House of Representatives said the inconvenience of publicity shouldn't deter Latter-day Saints from seeking political office or being vocal on issues they believe in. People have a "stewardship" over their government, an obligation and responsibility to make government what they want it to be and what it should be.
"You've got to have people participating, that's the crucial thing," he emphasized.