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Show WASATCH COUNTY COURIER NOVEMBER 15, 2000 { A6 _ The Need for Recall D uring the last election the Utah | eked | up on suspicion of DUL, his Senate Evans twins, Mont and second since March of 1999. Despite Beverly,. decided that the citi- - calls from Utah County Republican zens of Utah weren’t competent Party Chairman Stan Lockhart to enough to be allowed the privilege of recalling (removing) elected officials: ofrecall atin legislative Ps session, Utah this past comments were made that the voters could effectively recall errant elected officials by not the Utah Code, which allowed recall to be included in a Change of County Government Initiative, Senators Evans into the Since recall was | was included in the original initiative language when the signatures were collected, many feel that it was “grand fathered” into the initiative. The initiative sponsors only removed the recall provision when it became clear that the ‘County Commissioners, via their surrogate County Attorney Derek Pullan, abeyance period Gardner was charged berating a 9-year-old neighbor boy, including lifting him_off the ground by would his neck while yelling at the boy in a dispute this July. Gardner again pleaded no-contest to the charge, which his — lawyers contended was an infraction, resign saying, “I cannot tell you where - not a conviction, which would have that line is: I can only tell you | not place the initiative on the placed before a judge, recall will be reinstated into the initiative. Wouldn’t it be ironic if it were reinserted? Perhaps re-electing them at the next election. it could be used to remove the person who. showed such flagrant disregard for the will of the people by filing a lawsuit two days after the election. it”, Gardner refuses to resign from his such case. The citizens of Utah $66,000 a year job. When the removal © County and the rest of the State of LU | was again 7 t ballot unless it was removed. Perhaps now that the whole question has been Sometimes the next scheduled elecCommissioner Gardner stepped over . tion is just too far away. This is one in abeyance agreeGardner language. legal when the initiative signature drive was completed, and a recall provision with disorderly conduct for verbally Then last month “have crossed allow recall to be reinserted initiative a no-contest plea to a DUI charge, which was held in abeyance for nine months. However during the _ ment. to whenever. - regard for the public’s will is that it may Commissioner David Gardner entered plea ability by our elected officials to file a court case challenging the Change of County Government Initiative just two days after it was passed by a large margin of Wasatch County voters. The only bright side to this tragic display of dis- have to endure the shenanigans of politicians, short of a felony, until the ~ next election. We imagine that the eitizeiie of Utah County are wishing they had the power to recall a certain commission‘fac ia tags * Wier County his the officials they feel the = & Evans ensured that citizens would voided have elected the line”. That brings up the recent decision COUNTY COMMISSION Pool, PARTY from office. By changing Section 17 of should remove DAN STEPHENS PUBLISHER. © fhe deals done”? args - his former employees at the Attorney ~ Watch closely the meetings of ag county commission and other county comers a lesson) and indemnification General’s Office in an attempt to - gquelch the initiative, after spending an boards in the next few months before the new elections. See what deals are Jordanelle Pesn PanaHHEP SAssociation attorney Joe Tesch to lobby his week’s elections, both pres-idential and local, show an | eerie similarity. The losing side -refuses to acknowledge their defeat aedar sacs each the new- agreements protecting county employ- ees from personal lawsuits and the cost of fighting them (what, take per- | ungodly amount of money in a losing rushed through i in a feeding frenzy of. sonal responsibility for our actions?). effort to defeat the initiative at the pols, special interest groups. Among the Also don’t be surprised if. Wasatch these guys still can’t : ‘ _ things to watch for: a County faces potential bankruptcy in and runs to the courts to overturn the ‘give up. It just pesait cell. = towers. (S_ the not too distant future. Some of the ~~ will of the people. Especially in the ~ the question, “What tals), annexations — - mistakes made in the past could cost It just an the ques: county, where the outcome of the on earth are these - into cities outside — the county an enormous amount of Change of County Government -guys so afraid of ?” J tion, “What on earth — the county (read - money. Hopefully the new seven-memInitiative result is not in question, it mean really, what of Park City), asphalt. ber council will be able to disclose and won overwhelmingly, these kind of any importance in the - are these guys ¢ so afraid plants (is the deal resolve these problems before they | tactics are beyond unseemly. They day-to-day lives of the -done?), premature - become unmanageable. Regardless, leave you shaking your head and won- . citizens of the county of 2” I mean really, subdivision | and- -when all these nightmares begin to - dering about what kind of government is going to change? Is development _surface, remember which folks were ge close? employees shall cooperate fully in. making the transition between forms initiative by twice trying to remove it from the ballot, after giving County Attorney Derek Pullan carte blanche to change -sion’s. the wording satisfaction, to the commis- after sending Citizen isn't going to notice -any change. Who are. ~ the people who will of county government.” I may be wrong, but running out two days after you lose a legal election and filing a lawsuit doesn’t seem to be consistent with the words ‘ ‘cooperate fully in making the transition.” After trying their best to steal the right of the public to-vote on the legal Joe . feel the immediate effects? Ask yourself at the helm when the problems originated. in the day-to- day lives ‘special service districts (a developer’s You’d think that these guys would just do the honorable, honest thing and accept the will of the people. of the citizens of the county while you can), new ie is going t on who are the people cae who deal with county government on a. : - downhill), — that G-1 day-to-day basis? Who relies on the their day-to-day business dealings? Are there deals already cut that are in jeop- ardy? Is the three months before the” NOW), &- Given the players, we - expected too much. probably. Like it or not, (move that sewage - ‘Wasatch County. And as much as the (last chance, get old forces would like it, in America rezoning and- watershed changed. hiring of friends and family * (which, surprise, includes Wasatch County) you don’t continue to have © members (get them in the “you can’t elections and lawsuits until you get: fire me” merit system gravy train), new bonding by SSD’s (the new SSD will of the people and move on. That’s the results you want. You accept the new elections not enough time to make Boards, good on the promises? Is the lawsuit an dents, may actually ask what all the Sis _ It’s time for some of the folks around for), building “moratoriums” (aka haz- — here to start acting like adults. attempt to buy some extra time to “get | between — county with the election last Tuesday things — entities and SSD’s | have permanently changed in change? decisions made by county officials in friend: banker), new. agreements. made up of actual area resi- why you have to be eighteen to vote. ~capapeness (c ) of the Utah states. “all public officers and approvals (get ‘em _ wh at of any imp ortance + Section 17-52-403 Code to get picked up? Are the roads going to tet _the garbage not going at the ballot box? Beat them in court. AR we have evolved into. Can’t beat them eer UL CUCU oe i hould We Expect Results From Voting? |