Donnelson: 'Right is Right'
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No Comments [ Add Comment ]By Loretta Park
Standard-Examiner Davis Bureau
lpark@standard.net
S
ALT LAKE CITY -- For Glenn Donnelson, it's a simple matter of right and wrong.
In the Legislature this session, the 68-year-old Republican state representative from North Ogden is sponsoring some of the more controversial bills, including ones dealing with immigration.
"What's right is right and what's wrong is wrong," Donnelson said during a break between committee meetings at the state Capitol last week.
Donnelson was first elected in 2000 and has been front and center on the immigration issue for the past four years.
His passion for the bills he sponsors comes from his "love of the Constitution," he said. "I will defend the Constitution. I will defend the laws of this country."
Donnelson said he expects those who come from other countries to respect this country's laws, as he would respect the laws of any country he visited.
Because another representative had too many bills, Donnelson took over sponsorship of a bill four years ago that would discontinue in-state tuition for undocumented students.
When he went to the committee the first time, "I got hammered," Donnelson said, because he did not fully understand the issue.
The bill never made it out of committee.
This year, it was approved by the committee in a 9-5 vote and is now waiting for a vote by the full House.
Donnelson called officials in Washington, D.C., asking for help with the immigration issue and was told the state had to deal with it.
"I believe they should enforce the law or make it easier to come here," Donnelson said. "We encourage (undocumented students) to go to college, but they can't use that degree."
Employers who hire anyone who is here illegally can be fined thousands of dollars under federal law.
"We're doing an injustice," he said. "What are we doing? We're giving them (undocumented immigrants) false hope."
Donnelson said he believes if the federal law changes, he would abide by it even if he didn't agree with the changes.
But the law hasn't changed and he does not believe Utah should be offering in-state tuition or driving-privilege cards to those who are here without proper documentation.
"I believe in being consistent with the laws of the land and with the Constitution," Donnelson said.
He would like to see the federal government make it easier for those who want to come here. Stretching his hands about a foot apart, he showed how much paperwork a person from another country has to fill out in addition to waiting years before becoming a legal resident.
Donnelson is also sponsoring bills ranging from allowing notaries to notarize documents that have been signed as long as they know the person, to no longer allowing driving- privilege cards, to not allowing state employees who have retired to be rehired within a year by the same agency.
"We've agreed to disagree," said Steven H. Peterson, executive director of Utah School Superintendents Association and Utah School Boards Association associate executive director, said of his relationship with Donnelson.
Even though Donnelson and Peterson disagree on several issues, like rehiring retired state employee, Peterson said Donnelson is willing to listen "and sometimes will even change his mind."
"What you see is what you get," said Chris Bleak, chief of staff for House Speaker Greg Curtis. Donnelson is not afraid to tackle issues that others shy away from, Bleak said.
And, despite being controversial, Donnelson is well-liked and is "considered one of the more conservative representatives of the body," Bleak said.
"He's his own person," said Rep. Ronda Rudd Menlove, R-Garland.
Donnelson grew up in Ogden and graduated from Ben Lomond High School in 1956 and later from Weber State University. He retired in December 2002 as the facilities manager at Deseret Industries after 25 years of service.
He and his wife, Carol, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on June 1. They have two sons, three daughters and 17 grandchildren, with one on the way.
When he told his wife, after losing a Weber County commission election, he was going to run for state representative, she said she thought, "No way. You can't do this. You don't have the background. You lack the experience.
"But once he sets his mind to a job, he just wants to get out and do it."
Carol Donnelson said the past seven years have been interesting.
"I've met some really great people. Many people call and I end up talking to them."
She believes it's important to try to understand the issues her husband is passionate about. She doesn't always agree with him, she said, but would not be specific.
"Either you're for them or against them," Carol Donnelson said about some of the bills her husband is sponsoring.
She said one thing her husband does not understand is "why schoolteachers target him. They say he's not supportive of education, but he really is."
Her husband's interest in politics is not something he just decided to pursue after retiring. Carol Donnelson said for as long as she can remember, he was always reading everything he could about the government and the Constitution.
Glenn Donnelson said he was involved in politics for years before he ran for office, but more in a behind-the-scenes role.
When asked why was he tackling the big issues, Carol Donnelson said, "I don't know. I guess he really feels they need to be dealt with now."
Rep. Gage H. Froerer, R-Huntsville, is two weeks into his first term at the Legislature.
"It appears to me (Glenn Donnelson) takes his duties here very seriously," he said.
Froerer said the more experienced representative has also found time to help freshman representatives, like him, learn the ropes.
"We do not always agree with the issues, but he's always kind," Froerer said.
Another Top of Utah legislator also doesn't agree with Donnelson on an issue both view as important.
"I question his taste in athletic teams," said Sen. Sheldon Killpack, R-Syracuse, a fan of the University of Utah.
"I bleed blue," said Donnelson, who spends his free time, when not gardening or caring for his orchard, watching college football, especially Brigham Young University.
His grandson, Dan Van Sweden, is a BYU freshman and an outside linebacker.
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