Nearly 12 months ago, Attorney General Paul Van Dam wanted a second term. Now, after a tumultuous year spent defending how his office handled the state's controversial abortion law, he's changed his mind.
Van Dam's announcement, which was made first to some 200 members of his staff in a closed-door meeting early Friday afternoon, should have come as little surprise to most of them.As early as last September, the attorney general told a reporter he was having second thoughts about running for a second term. And at this year's staff Christmas party, he all but said goodbye.
Van Dam was clearly the early favorite in the attorney general's race. Only Michael Deamer, a Republican who served as a deputy to former GOP Attorney General Robert Hansen, had come forward to challenge him.
Jan Graham, Van Dam's solicitor general, is known to be considering the race. So are House Minority Leader Frank Pignanelli, D-Salt Lake, and former state Public Safety Commissioner John T. Nielsen, a Republican.
During his talk to his staff, Van Dam said he had no doubt he could win re-election and cited a Deseret News/KSL poll published Thursday that indicated he has a 50 percent approval rating with Utah voters.
Although he only briefly referred to the controversy over the law firm hired by his office to defend the new state law banning most abortions, Van Dam did tell staffers he was tired of being criticized in the media.
The hits hurt, he said. He said he decided to meet individually with reporters later in the day about his decision instead of holding a press conference because he didn't want the media to "gang up" on him.
He also warned staff members to brace themselves for further criticism of the attorney general's office, an apparent reference to the heated campaign expected now that he is not running.
Staffers listened attentively during the hourlong meeting, which included long lists of both past accomplishments and future goals, and gave their boss a standing ovation at the end.
Van Dam, who is 54, told a reporter that he made the decision chiefly for financial reasons, especially concern over having enough money for a comfortable retirement. He cashed in his retirement after his single term as Salt Lake County attorney ended in 1979, using the money to finance 15 months in the mountains of southern Utah, where he built a cabin and contemplated his future.
This time, he is leaving office with plans to significantly increase the $58,300 he earns as attorney general by returning to a private law practice here or possibly even overseas.
Despite speculation that some top-level employees would leave their posts if Van Dam did not run for another term, the attorney general said he expects them to stay put through next January.
Many members of Van Dam's staff have been complaining privately for some time that their boss showed little interest in the day-to-day running of the office, evident in his sometimes erractic schedule.
"What he did, he did well," one of his top aides said. That included boosting his staff and getting them enough of a pay increase over the past three years that turnover has been significantly reduced.
The aide said the general feeling among the staff was that it was time for the attorney general to step aside. But Van Dam would not rule out future runs for public office, including governor, senator or another stint as attorney general.
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Attorney general doesn't sing for captive audience
Attorney General Paul Van Dam's entire staff, called to the State Office Building auditorium Friday afternoon for a meeting, were waiting to hear whether their boss would run for re-election.
The man walked on stage. He commented on the value of a captive audience.
"But I won't sing," he said.
He could have. Besides being Utah's top lawyer and the only Democrat elected to statewide office, Van Dam is a country musician and singer. He performs with the Rosewood band, whose members include District Court Judge Dennis Frederick.
In an interview with the Deseret News a couple of years ago, Van Dam explained his love for music.
"Music came a long time before the interest in politics did," he said. "I've done all kinds of singing since I was 9, from a capella choirs and barbershop quartets to folk and country."