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Governor taps Park City attorney to serve on DABC commission

Posted at 4:58 PM, Aug 09, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-09 19:16:03-04

SALT LAKE CITY — Governor Gary Herbert has nominated a Park City attorney to serve on Utah’s alcohol control authority commission.

In a letter sent to Senate President Wayne Niederhauser and obtained by FOX 13 on Wednesday, the governor nominated Thomas Jacobson to serve on Utah’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission. He will replace Jeff Wright, whose term ended in July.

The DABC is one of the most high profile boards the governor makes appointments to. Jacobson has been an attorney for more than 40 years, graduating from the University of Utah’s law school.

“I am honored and humbled by the governor’s confidence in me. If confirmed, it is my intention to take on this responsibility with absolute dedication and service to the people of Utah,” Jacobson said in a statement released through the governor’s office.

Thomas Jacobson, nominated to serve on Utah’s DABC commission. (Photo via Jacobson’s law firm website)

He declined an interview request through the governor’s office ahead of his pending Senate confirmation hearing. Jacobson also did not immediately provide an answer to a question FOX 13 has asked of other DABC Commission nominees: do you drink?

With Wright’s term ending, there are now only two known drinkers on the seven member liquor control commission. In the same letter, the governor re-appointed Steven Bateman to serve another term on the DABC commission.

The DABC commission hands out liquor licenses to businesses across the state and also enforces alcohol policy and laws passed by the Utah State Legislature.

As the agency that ensures the sale and supply of alcohol in Utah, the DABC makes hundreds of millions of dollars in liquor sales annually. Funds from liquor sales to toward public safety, school lunches for underprivileged kids and the state’s general fund.