SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Gary Herbert announced his pick for lieutenant governor Wednesday morning at the Utah State Capitol.
Herbert announced the selection to replace himself as lt. governor once Jon Huntsman resigns.
Huntsman is expected to resign after the U.S. Senate votes on his appointment to be ambassador to China. Huntsman was chosen by President Barack Obama to be ambassador in May.
Before a large crowd in the Capitol's Gold Room, Herbert said, "This has not been kind of a casual walk in the park for me in trying to determine who's going to be my partner."
To which Bell added, "He's very circumspect, very methodical and he worked me over."
Bell is a state senator from Davis County, and will also resign once he is inaugurated as lt. governor. Herbert will then select a replacement for Bell's senate seat after the inauguration, which is expected to take place next week.
Bell's appointment is expected to pass a Utah Senate confirmation vote, as well as his replacement in the Senate.
Bell was born on October 16, 1948 in Ogden, Utah. He graduated from Weber State University in 1972 with a B.A., and from the University of Utah College of Law in 1975.
Bell is married to JoLynn and is the father of six children including sons Braden, Ryan, Davis, and Christian, and daughters Andrea and Eliza.
Bell first worked as a bank vice president and then as an attorney fom 1981 to present.
Bell was elected to the Farmington City Council in 1990 and then as mayor in 1994. Bell served as Mayor of Farmington until 2002. He was elected to the Utah Senate in Utah's 22nd Senate district in 2002.
Bell was elected to Senate Leadership as Asst. Majority Whip for 2008-09, serving on the Joint Leadership, Executive Appropriations, and Legislative Management Committees.
He describes his political philosophy as, "Conservative in principle, moderate in tone."
When ABC 4 asked him who his role models are, Bell said Abraham Lincoln and Gordon B. Hinckley.
"I thought Gordon B. Hinckley did our community a tremendous service by his emphasis on reaching out apart from party and religion."
