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Show i . Is' f ; PAGE 19 THE ZEPHYR JUNE 1991 jr " i ' com Friendly Daves Corner Market Cartoon Ad t r. DAVE'S) "I A"1 ..j ' ,'- flBCIET 4TH EAST & MILLCREEK DR. OPEN -- A A flC COiJtiMOfS Y&, -- rKr NEVE LAOP6RIH1&1. CRAZC SWEEP VIE NOW 616J OFFICIAL WDDfRlN&l M0A5, HAVE LOlC WE CALL. IT... LCME and 3iJ likriO Ab. 'TCMPOKAWCV MEANWHILE, x LMRlN6lvOv SIM6 A PEW OF LAST TWS YOU CAfJ yUR ORDER Heart BMS toll THE $OONb TWrfioN Ladders1. STRAigHT" Trow My 7 259-699-9 RATHER T-- ATTllS K $HRT ADPSE49 VdU J "i'O BF 'RATHER. IAPP6RIN41 " SIZES $10.00 L 4-- xl 2.00 S?U WAVE'S CORNfR, MARKET 4fi SG. MILLCREEK MOAB , H(y! 7R. UT 84S3- Z- Vil'S V; t Y t 6 : 4 t Ak 3 4 1 t I A i i. nr I i' k ' J ' i j- t opinion to make the final ruling, state and local officials have once again corrupted the process by figuring out a way to make the laws feed their own desire for growth and profit A few months back Utahs Lieutenant Governor Val Oveson and Public Safety Director Doug Bodrero were In Moab, addressing the county commission and awarding nearly $100,000 to Grand County, Its portion of drug money seizures, which by law Is supposed to go Into programs combating drug use. And everyone was full of praise and good cheer. The lieutenant governor thanked the sheriffs department and the sheriffs department thanked the highway patrol and the highway patrol thanked the county. The mutual praise and backslapplng continued for close to a half hour. But I talked with Oveson and Bodrero after the congratulations were finished. And both acknowledged that there could be a problem with the drug seizure program, If counties arent careful about how they handle It They both warned local governments to look at the money not as a source of Income, but as strictly a one time revenue enhancement Both pointed out that getting Into a position of counting on the money would lead to legal, operational, and ethical problems. And here In Grand County, that advice was Immediately and completely Ignored. In November of 1990, county voters decided that County Attorney Elaine Coates should not continue In office. County commissioners were then charged with the responsibility of hiring a new attorney. One of the major criticisms of Coates was that she wasnt doing the work of the office, that a deputy county attorney was needed to complete even the routine county legal chores. That deputy, Lyle Anderson, was paid with drug seizure money. It was supposed to be a temporary situation, to continue only when the county had this "windfall of drug monies. The county commission advertised for a new attorney, but In truth they had already decided they wanted to hire Anderson. As one commissioner put It, they wanted someone philosophically In tune with them. The only problem was, the county attorney position paid about $34,000 a year, and Anderson, with a lucrative private practice In Montlcello, wanted more money. So he told the county commission that he would do the Job If they paid him and his Montlcello firm the salaries of both the county attorney and the deputy county attorney, or about $60,000 per year. The commissioners loved the Idea, and went for It without a single, solitary question about the financing of the deal. But the problem Is, about 40 percent of Lyles salary Is expected to come from drug seizure money, which the county was directly warned not to use to finance ongoing program. So the only way the county can meet Its financial responsibilities Is to guarantee that drug seizure money continues to flow Into the county coffers. Of course, the county commission could raise taxes, they could tell the public that they decided to give Lyle a 75 percent pay Increase, but they wont Instead, they will hope that drug money will keep coming In to the county. And the drug money largesse has not been Isolated to the county attorneys office. It has also become part and parcel of funding for the sheriffs department as well. Due to bookkeeping that would challenge even a CPA devotee of Dungeons and Dragons, the circuitous route of drug seizure money funding for various sheriff's programs has become so complicated that no one can tall anymore exactly what Is being paid for out of general e" windfall. funds and what Is a "special, fact stands out with stark clarity: Grand County one But whether It Is confusing or not, cannot meet Its budgetary requirements without significant drug money seizures. And that raises a question: are the law enforcement policies of the county based on meeting the protection and safety needs of local residents, or are they based on generating revenues? If they are based on making money, we are In big trouble. That means that when traffic violations occur, the facts of what happened are secondary to how much cash you happen to be carrying, how valuable your automobile Is, whether or not county officials can convince a Judge that you might, maybe, possbly, could have been out on the road not to even go to work or take your family to the rodeo or buy a quart of milk, but by any chance, a to a small chance, you might have been thinking about meeting someone buy tylenol with codeine. all the Are you a drug seller? That doesnt matter. If you cant prove you're not, thaf s tor the county budget county needs to take everything youve got And help pay In truth, the fault lies not with the county attorney. Some people think Lyle Anderson Is to publlcsgtrtlny a doing a great Job, others dont Like anyone else who does Job open one-tim- i there are different opinions as to the quality and value of his work. But most Individuals In town who have knowledge of the workings of the county attorneys office believe that he Is at minimum adequate as an attorney, and a number of them feel he Is doing a good and even excellent Job. And parenthetically, Individuals working In social services say that Lyle has done an extremely good Job In working to solve problems related to the secret shame of Grand County, child abuse and child sexual abuse. (Note the absence of articles In the local newspapers or segments on local television dealing with the problem. We dont know exactly how to deal with It) But the county commission decision to fund the county attorney position with drug seizure .money puts him In a position of having to defend his actions, even If there Is no evidence his actions are tainted by personal gain. He told the commission that he would not take the Job for less Anderson was He than $60,000 per year. didnt lie to them; he didnt coerce them; he made no threats up-fr- ont whatsoever. He simply told the commission he wanted more money than the position paid, and they went along with him. But look at the position he Is In now. If he pushes, If he prosecutes the Latino family to get the 12 thousand bucks, doesn't that raise questions In your mind that he could be doing It to guarantee his salary next year? The next time you see a notice that someone you know In town has had their automobile seized, wont you wonder If Lyle may be pressing charges not because the person Is a drug dealer, but because It could pay for his vacation next winter? The same situation applies to Sheriff Jim Nyland. Of course there are those who feel he Is doing a poor Job, Just as there are those who believe he does everything right But putting aside those Individual views, nobody, absolutely nobody, has ever seriously accused him of being corrupt, of organizing the county In a Boss Hogg manner, taking bribes, subverting law to meet his own greedy desires. The concept, for anyone who knows him, Is laughable. Jim may or may not have weaknesses, but he didnt Just pop out of A Touch of Evil. And yet ... A friend Is arrested up on Murphy Lane. Two Joints are found. His truck Is taken away from him. Was he arrested to "get the pushers off the streets, or Is he In trouble because the county needs to come up with cash to pay for a new Jailer? Anderson and Nyland will take the brunt of accusations, recriminations, anger. Two civil servants who are doing their Jobs will be blamed for miscarriages of Justice that even those of us who know them will have to look at with Just a tinge of question and cynicism. And of course, we have to look at the latest proposal from the commission. Lets set up a community squeal program. If you think your neighbor might be smoking marijuana, turn them In. Youll get a reward, the county will seize their cash and cars, and everybody wins. More drug money, cash In your pocket, maybe a house In the neighborhood you can pick up for payments, everybody comes out ahead. Is your neighbor selling drugs to kids? Who cares? Is your neighbor a threat to you or your family? What difference does It make? Cash talks, nobody walks. Including you, If they can make a buck off of It Drug use Is a social problem, requiring social solutions. But remember, If we turn It Into a profit-makiproposal, the more drug dealers the better for the tax base. ng |