OREM — Rep. Calvin Bird, R-Springville, helped his son-in-law lay sod till dusk on Tuesday night and hoped his official withdrawal from the Republican primary that same day would lay to rest both rumors and media interest.
The freshman legislator from District 65 announced last month he would resign after the Deseret Morning News reported that he had been cited for soliciting a prostitute in September 2003.
Bird sent a letter of resignation to House Speaker Marty Stephens and thought his political career was over, but then rumors circulated that Bird might be interested in an attempt to win back his seat.
The scuttlebutt seemed plausible. His resignation isn't effective until June 30, the Republican primary is June 22 and Bird hadn't withdrawn from the ballot.
"Marty and a couple of other people called me and said some people got nervous I was running," Bird said. "There were some minor threats from some people that they'd say bad things about me, but I never gave any thought to running any kind of a campaign."
He squelched the talk on Tuesday with a hand-delivered letter to the Utah County Elections Office.
"I have made the decision to withdraw my name from consideration in the Republican primary election race," Bird wrote on House letterhead. "I am sincerely sorry for the problems I have brought in to the lives of people who are affected by this decision."
The letter qualifies as an official withdrawal, said Kris Swensen, Utah County elections coordinator.
Utah County Republican Party officials immediately began to plan an emergency mini-convention to nominate a replacement for Bird. The meeting, which likely won't happen before June 18, will consist of delegates from District 65 who will select one, two or three nominees to forward to Gov. Olene Walker.
With Bird, 56, out of the race, Aaron Tilton, 32, will run unopposed in both the Republican primary and November's general election.
Any qualified Republican in District 65 can apply, but both Stephens and Utah County Republican Party chair Marian Monnahan predicted Tilton would be chosen at the mini-convention and ratified by Walker as the best option to serve out Bird's term.
"Mr. Tilton will be the representative after the election cycle, anyway," Stephens said.
Bird pleaded guilty in April to soliciting sex from an undercover female Salt Lake City police officer posing as a prostitute at 1899 S. State. The guilty plea was part of an arrangement that placed Bird on a year's probation and diverted his case to the Johns Program.
If he successfully completes the program, which consists of 10 classes, his guilty plea would be set aside in April 2005 and his record expunged.
"My family's been real good and supportive," Bird said. "It's not something that's going to happen again."
Bird characterized the publicity surrounding his resignation as painful, and he looked forward Tuesday night to the end of publicity.
"This is a difficult time for Rep. Bird," Stephens said. "He made a mistake, admitted that mistake, and he's resigned from the Utah State Legislature, which I think is appropriate." Stephens also saw a cautionary tale for Utah politicians.
"Politicians are susceptible to the same temptations and foibles as everyone else, but when they make a mistake it becomes public," he said, "People elected to public office need to recognize they have to hold themselves to an even higher standard. This is a good lesson that elected officials throughout the state can learn from."
E-mail: twalch@desnews.com