As Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert is starting to piece together his transition team to ease his move to the state's top spot, he is looking to include members from all of Utah's communities.

Among Latinos, though, controversy is brewing as the name of community activist, and life-long Democrat Tony Yapias is being floated as a potential member. Some Latino Republicans say they would refuse to serve on a team with Yapias, a long-time friend of Herbert's. Others question his credibility and political clout with GOP insiders.

"Hopefully, Lieutenant Governor Herbert will choose credible people who have a good reputation, unlike some people who don't have a lot of credibility and are not considered a leader among the community," said Sylvia Haro, who is active in Republican politics.

Haro declined to comment on speculation that she, too, had been asked to serve on the transition team.

Others say that while there are legitimate concerns about Yapias, the carping is premature.

"Why should we get rowdy about this when nothing has been done yet?" asked Joe Reyna, chairman of the Utah Republican Hispanic Assembly. "One of the things I hate about our own community is we're always cutting somebody off or eliminating them because we don't like them. That is a big mistake."

At the same time, Reyna adds that Yapias is "not a team player" and is too eager to place himself in the center of news media coverage.

Yapias said Monday that he is going to officially abandon his Democratic ties and become an independent, which he says is how most Utah Latinos identify themselves. The move, he says, was prompted by recent disagreements with the state party and for heat he took from some Democrats for supporting select Republicans, including former Congressman Chris Cannon.

"All of the work I've done in the public sector has been under Republicans," Yapias said. "And I am a team player when the team is working toward helping our community members."

He was the director of the Office of Hispanic Affairs under Republican Governors Mike Leavitt and Olene Walker, but Gov. Jon Huntsman fired him -- along with about 30 others in the Department of Community and Economic Development -- immediately after taking office in 2005.

 

"The Republican Party is looked at as the anti-Latino party," Yapias said. "If I were advising the lieutenant governor, I'd tell him he has to bring people from independent and Democrat Latino groups if he wants to really address the issue."

Yapias and Herbert have been friends since Herbert was a Utah County Commissioner and Yapias served on the first Utah County Latino council.

"The Lieutenant Governor is friends with Tony like he's friends with a lot of Utahns," said Joe Demma, Herbert's chief of staff. "But there's no transition team, and there's certainly not any members of the transition team yet."

Reyna acknowledges that Herbert has the right to befriend people from across the political spectrum.

Yet, he says, naming Yapias to his transition team could prove to be a political liability for Herbert with Republican delegates, who will have a large role in deciding who is elected governor in next year's special election.

"Unfortunately, Tony is a liberal Democrat and for a political conservative, that sends the wrong message," said Reyna. "That could really hurt him."

Yapias says Herbert understands Latino issues, and hopes he will pick transition advisers based on more important considerations than currying favor with GOP convention delegates.

"Whomever is chosen," he said, "I hope it's for the right reason: to look out for the best interest of the community."

smcfarland@sltrib.com