SALT LAKE CITY — Before he was nominated to be Utah’s first records officer, Lonny Pehrson often found himself arguing to keep documents out of public view.

Pehrson, who has been a lawyer in the Utah Attorney General’s Office, referred to requests to see the calendar of then-Attorney General Sean Reyes as a “fishing expedition.” A judge said Pehrson and his employer did not sufficiently search for records, and there was an audit saying Reyes himself was not transparent.

“Lonny Pearson has proven through his service at the Utah Attorney General's Office to be someone who doesn't promote the spirit of GRAMA, but who makes every effort to thwart it,” said Paul Amann, a former prosecutor in the AG’s office .

“GRAMA” is Utah’s public records law — the Government Records Access and Manageme

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