SALT LAKE CITY — It's a question that's often asked by lawmakers, the press and even some in the public who grumble about Utah liquor laws: Do the people on Utah's Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services Commission actually drink?
A review by FOX 13 News of their confirmation hearings and public statements show a majority of the seven-member commission now does indeed imbibe. The question is frequently asked by Utah legislators themselves who vote on the governor's nominations to the powerful commission, usually in response to constituent questions about how alcohol policy is handled in a liquor-control state like Utah, wich seeks to carefully balance access and hospitality with public safety and responsible consumption.
"I have drank in my lifetime, so I have experiences with alcohol," said Falyn Owens, the newest member of the DABS Commission. "Currently, I do not drink."
Commissioners Juliette Tennert, Jennifer Tarazon, Tara Thue and Thomas Jacobson have said they drink. The last time FOX 13 News surveyed the commission, only Jaquelyn Orton was considered an X-factor — she said she doesn't drink but has in the past and described herself as an "alcohol enthusiast."
"No, I don’t," said DABS Commission Chair Steve Handy.
Handy told FOX 13 News he doesn't think the question is relevant to the DABS commission's overall decision-making about who gets a liquor license or how they enforce policies.
"Legislative policy is set by the legislature. Alcohol policy is set by the legislature. So we’re here to implement the policies. I think certainly, everywhere in life people bring their biases and experiences to whatever they’re doing. But I don’t think that plays into anything at all," he said.
Michele Corigliano, who leads the Salt Lake Area Restaurant Association, believes it is relevant. SLARA represents bars and restaurants when it lobbies the legislature and advocates for the hospitality industry.
"I do think it should be a factor," she told FOX 13 News. "Because sometimes in the past, we’ve seen commissioners that just don’t think in the business sense. They think in the anti-drinking sense."
The Utah State Legislature, which passes the liquor laws, is still believed to be made up of a vast majority of non-drinkers (a 2021 report by The Salt Lake Tribune put the legislature at 89% Latter-day Saint, a faith whose tenets include abstaining from alcohol consumption). Corigliano said she was glad to see that Governor Spencer Cox had nominated a majority of drinkers to the commission.
"The life experience and to not think it’s an evil thing," she said of drinking.
Owens, whose day job is overseeing Garfield County's tourism and hospitality industry, said she believes both perspectives are valid.
"I think it’s good to have both sides of the fence, honestly," she said. "I think it’s good to have perspective from a nondrinker and the perspective of a drinker. I think it’s valuable."
