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Show The SaltLakeTribune UTAHFriday, September 26, 1997 B3 Counties Want to Speak as One claimedthe campaign was sponsoredby AC. which Disputed Wilderness Statements PromptPolicy on Public Voice operates largely on taxpayer funds from each coun: ty But the Emery County commissioner's claims of complete support took Overson by surprise At no time. said the Salt Lake County cor ioner, had UAC's governing board voted to endorse SUWA WATCH As complaints from their constituents and SUWA supporters poured in, urban county leaders declared they had beendragged unknowingly into the wilder BY LINDA FANTIN THESALTLAKE TRIBUNE BRYCE CANYON — Speaking their minds has not been a problem for the county officials who belong to the Utah Association of Counties, especially on controversial public-lands issues. Now membershave deviseda policy to decide who ness | Submariners Dedicating Monument To Those WhoStill Patrol the Depths BY JON URE THESALT LAKE TRIBUNE Rotten weather caused Ken- neth Johnson moreterrifying moments than Japanese bomb and depth-charge attacks aboard a U.S. Navy submarine in World War II. Johnson was lucky and made it home unscathed. The remainsof some 3,505 other U.S. submari- nerslie at the bottom ofthe sea. “That's the trouble with a sub- marine,” says Johnson, a resident of Murray. “When they go down, nobodyis found.” Johnson, secretary of the Utah chapter of the U.S. Submarine Veterans of World WarII, will honorthe dead during a ceremony Saturday dedicating a memorial at the Camp Williams cemetery near Point of the Mountain. The Utah chapter in the early 1950sset out to create a memorial to the 79 officers and crew members who went downwith the USS Harder on Aug. 24, 1944, off the coastcoast of Luzon, The Philippines. No one knowsexactly what sunk the Harder, but most assume it was a Japanese depth charge, Johnson says More than 40 yearsafter the ef- To protect the group's solidarity, Jolinson agreed Thursday to recommend that the campaign be ab sorbed by another group he oversees under the UAC and makeit less inflammatory said UAC President Brent Overson, a Salt Lake But most members believe the issue has become too controversial and is not worth the divisiveness it has created County commissioner who recommendedtheguidelines at the meeting, held at Ruby's Inn in Bryce As for the chain-of-commandpolicy, Johnson said hesupportsit in principle, but said it is unrealistic to believe one person should issue all statements on UAC’s behalf. Some members especially those Johnsonserved aboard the USS still lacks a roof. Johnson says the Pacific. It was fashionedafter anyone wishing to donate to complete the memorial may contact him at 801-266-1960. Germany's World War I U-boats. Johnson says the U.S. submarine fleet probably saved what whotransferred prior to the sink- ing the devastating sneak attack on Pearl Harbor on Dee. 7, 1941 Some former crew members ing of the Harder are expected to attend, Johnsonsays The Mark-14 torpedo, says George F. Hamilton, another member of the Utah submarine vets chapter, carried the 1,000pound warhead that is credited with sinking 105 Japanese war- ships and 1,113 merchant ships during the war. In front of the torpedo will be three bronze plaques: one depicting the Harder sinking a ship, another naming the 79 men whowerelost anda thirdlist- ‘There were someissues that wasleft of the Pacific fleet follow- He did not know the sailors aboard the Harder, but he knows someof the rigors and terrors of submarine warfare. People don’t realize this but everytimethesubdives, we were taking our lives in our own hands,” he says. Just one guy making one mistake could kill a crew. You get so closeit's just like family,” he says. “Some are even closer than brothers.” is bad,” said San Juan Commissioner Lewis. “Myphilosophy is that you give the kids both sides of something and then let them makea decision, but it sure didn't seem that way in the book.” Myers acknowledged the book could use some balance in some sections, but any slant readers Problemis, the book is already may perceive is simply an oversight by the publishing company schoolchildren. “This is the first time I can re- One particularly noted passage states: said he was never involved in Jerry Peterson, associate superintendent for the Utah State Office Automobiles and factories pol- said. People often hurt the land. basis before it received official approval from the Utah School forests. They build roads, dams, that the trict to use on a “pilot,” or test, Board But at last count, 28 of the state's 40 schooldistricts hadit in the classroom. “Thereare just no Utah books for fourth-graders. Peterson. “I just think the school districts said ‘Egads, this is won- see tae not officially.” Johnson said “And UAC needs to respondwith an appropriate level of support Other wise weare dangling out there by ourselves about wilderness issues. From UAC’s Murray headquarters, Committee Chairman Randy Johnson andcities. They put oil wells and telephone lines on the land. We needthese things, but sometimes they look ugly and destroy nature. “They're trying to get themearly and convince them that everything doneout there [on the land] 495-1557:ie aa Chrysalis Medical THE we ED PRESS. American Fork: thereis deep distrust and no one knows who can legally fire appointed officials ‘The Utah County town’s recent powerstruggles were discussed at a hearing Thursday in U.S. District Court, where an attorney for American Fork Police Chief John Durrant argued for a restraining order against Mayor Jess Green. Judge David Sam rejected the request, ruling it was unnecessary and not yet legally justified. Instead, the judge plans to schedule an evidentiary hearing and later, a hearing on a request for a preliminary injunction against Green. Last Friday, Green fired Durrant for alleged insubordination and placed six officers and a department secretary on admin trative leave. That action was overturned in an emergency meeting of the City Council that night. Attorney Kathryn Collard asked Sam forthe restraining order on behalf of Durrant and 23 other officers and department secretaries to prevent Green from But Green § m he believed said attorneys’ promises that the mayorwill make no further At the hearing, Collard cited a state statut da local ordinance that she said restricted Green's attempi to enforce his firing of power tofire appointedofficials officers while court action is pending “I understand that the mayor nowhas stated that this will not occur again. Isn't that true?” Sam tion.” she said. “The mayorcertainly cannot act as hedidin this Durrant and suspensionof police asked Green’s attorneys, L. Zane It's clear under the ordinance that neither the mayor nor the council can take unilateral ac case Gill and S. Baird Morgan. Although Green denies harass- Earlier, Green had said Durrant’s firing wasvalidandthat the council didn’t have the authority ing officers, he will refrain from to overturn the termination. any conduct that could be consid- ered harassment, Gill and Morgan, sai Collardtold the judge thesituation “is taking a terrible human toll” on Durrant and theofficers and that she has noreasonto be- lieve the mayor will keep his promise “The problem is there have beenassurancesin thepast she said For now, Collard said she will have to rely on Sam tohold Green As far as I'mconcerned. what I did was right and the termina tionis still in place.” hadsaid the mayor But his attorneys weren't so confident at the hearing ‘Thereis a question of the mayor’s authority here that has to be resolved,” Gill said Sam said “hat issue will likely beaddressedlater Durrant has said the feud between the mayor and the police to his word Left unresolved by Sam's rul- officers stemmed from a_ police investigation of a child-abuse complaint made by the mayor's daughter rant last Friday. Green had triedto fire Durrant al, one of Green’s teen-age daugh ing is whether the mayor overstepped his boundsin firing Dur- firing or harassing them Despite the council's reversal twice before, failing both timesto gain council support. When he of the firing, Collard said Green has threatened to fire Durrant and other officers again. legal battle heated up. went ahead and fired Durrant without the council's consent, the In a police report Durrant turnedover totheattorney gener- ters told police her father had physically abused her. State in: vestigators interviewed the mayor and others but have not filed charges. Its owner, Gibbs Smith, is a wellknown conservationist, but Myers lute the air. People and factories sometimes dump trash and harmful chemicals into lakes and rivers. These kill birds and fish and makethe water unsafe for people. Companies cut down explained You can't get around the fact that some of us will allegedly misleadingstatements the group had made S47 — it was commissioned before the Navy namedits subs — in rinefleetafter it sunk 20 enemy needed to be brought forward. but I'm not sure they were as extensive as one might believe,” he Peterson bound to be “throwninfront ofthe press” to explain issues on which they have some expertise, he said endup speaking on behalf of UAC. although maylx aimedat the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and turbine-powered torpedo, 21 feet long and 21 inches around, but it The memorialis a Mark 14 steam- fuddled by the controversy book had been OK'd for onedis- who chair the organization's committees an official UAC position. In June, members of UAC’s Rural Public Lands Committee launched SUWA WATCH, a mediablitz Two things are certain about the unpredictable politics in Peterson said schools already using the book will be sent replacement pages when the revisions are complete. He added that he was a bit be- of Education. paign that spawned the debate overwhatconstitutes Memorial Park at Camp Williams. An Agenda, member this happening,” said If approved, the policycouldget its first test this November in St. George, where memberswill be asked to dump a controversial anti-wilderness cam- Judge Rejects Mayoral Restraining Order it.” in the hands about 10,000 state the Rural Lands County Council, His first choice was to keep it sion we've experienced over the past few months, “destroyer killer” by the subma- the dedication of the monument Saturday at 2 p.m. in Veterans derful,’ and just started buying Critics Claim been ships, including five destroyers in five days. Its sixth patrol wasits last fort began, the public is invited to Textbook Has @ Continued from B-1 ing the 52 U.S. submarineslost in the war. The Harder was dubbed the had Theissue came to a chmax two weeks aso, when Salt Lake County announced its intention to with draw from the UAC if it did not distance itself from SUWA WATCH Canyon Membersof the U.S. Submarine Veterans of World War II will dedicate this monument to the USS Harder on Saturday at Camp Williams cemetery. The Harder was sunk during the war. debate. Rural commissioners said they abandonedby their colleagues speaks for the UAC. Under a plan endorsed Thursdayat thefall meeting of the association, the UAC would designate a spokesperson to announcethe group's official positions, which would be formalized at its annual winter conference. During the rest of the year, the 37-member boardof directors would havethe sole authority to makethose decisions. “This should go a long way to clear upthe confu- writing or editing the book “It got an excellent review [from the state] and we get calls from teachers daily compliment. ing the book,” she said. “We thought wedid ourjob well.” Revisionsto the book should be completed later this fall. The State Textbook Commissionis expected to decide whether to ap- provethe book after that Ute Named Director of Division of Indian Affairs Forrest Cuch has been named the new directorof the state's Division of Indian Affairs. Cuch, a member of theUtetribe, was most recent- ly the headof the social studies programat the Wasatch Academy in the central Utah townof Mt. Plea ant. Cuchhasalso workedasthetribal administrator for the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head, Mass. Earlier, Cuch worked as the education director for the Ute Indian Tribe In a prepared statement, Cuchsaid that he hopes to bring much-needed economic opportunities to Utah's eight tribes. I havehad the unique opportunity of developing a community fromthe groundup with the Wampan oag Tribe of Gay Head.” Cuch said. “Much of my work there was economic-development related Cuch replaces former Director Wil Numkena. who left the state job to work with his tribe, the Hopi. in northern Arizona nother Smith’s Exclusive ‘crib for life’ DINING ¢ The Great Salt Lake Council Boy Scouts of America Ne announces their annual ty Every Set In _Stock Reduced “SCHOOL NIGHT FOR SCOUTING!” All Cub Scout aged male youthare eligible to join the Scouting program in their area, Check with your local elementary schools throughout the Wasatch Front for date, time, and location of sign-ups. Counties include Davis, Salt Lake, Summit and Tooele. 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