Thomas Nast denounces Tammany Hall as a ferocious tiger killing democracy.
[UPDATE 8:58 AM, 1-20-2012]: To clarify, no part of this post should be read as an endorsement or opposition to one candidate or another for Salt Lake County mayor.
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Julie Dole, Chair of the Salt Lake County Republican Party, is “not thrilled” that Mike Winder is preparing to throw his hat in the race for Salt Lake County mayor against her pick Gary Ott, and she’s letting people know it.
Winder, if you recall, has been embroiled in scandal since he revealed that he had published articles touting his job as West Valley City mayor under the pseudonym “Richard Burwash.” Coming clean was the right thing to do, but it cost him his day job and many wondered whether he ought to resign his position as West Valley City Mayor. I wrote about this issue earlier here and here.
“No harm, no foul,” say others, and Winder remains at his post with the support of family, many legislators, and an ardent group of supporters looking forward to his campaign for Salt Lake County mayor. He may someday prove to be a wise and able public servant. Time will tell.
Julie Dole, waves to delegates on her election as Chair of the Salt Lake County Republican Party. (Salt Lake Tribune)
But Julie Dole doesn’t think he should have the chance. The first term Salt Lake County Republican Party Chair, elected to replace Thomas Wright when he stepped down to take the reins at the Utah State Party, then reelected by the entire county party, has tied her hopes to Gary Ott, one of three other Republican candidates for Salt Lake County Mayor. She told the Salt Lake Tribune that she did not support Winder’s choice to run for county mayor.
“It’s unfortunate he’s chosen to be a candidate with the pending litigation,” she said Wednesday, referring to former UTOPIA official Chris Hogan’s notice that he intends to sue Winder, West Valley City and the high-speed Internet system developer for a Burwash story published by Deseret Digital Media.
“Several party members have expressed legitimate concerns because of publicity about his misconduct overshadowing the important issues surrounding the Salt Lake County mayor’s election,” Dole added.
“He’s put the party in a similar posture as Nancy Workman did when she refused to step aside,” she said. In 2004, then-County Mayor Workman reluctantly gave up her office and her bid for a second term after being charged with misusing public funds (she later was cleared).
While it would be unsurprising for a political veteran like Dole to not have a favorite for the post, it is strictly again Republican party rules to have an elected chair openly support one candidate previous to nomination by the party.
Nor is this the first charge of malfeasance against Dole for supporting one candidate over another or helping candidates get a leg up on the competition previous to nomination by the Republican Party.
Does it matter? Should Republicans worry that a party boss, as the Salt Lake Tribune is calling her, is trying to pull the strings behind the scenes to get her friends elected instead of leaving selection of candidates to delegates and the public?
If ever there was an argument to end the caucus system and to shift selection of candidates to an open primary, Dole is, by her behavior, making the case. She’s flaunting the republican (little ‘r’) process and trying to act, if a bit clumsily, like the party bosses of Tammany Hall fame, when Democratic Party bosses would tell delegates who had bought their vote. It’s undemocratic and it’s not Republican.
Julie Dole, at the very least, needs to apologize for speaking out against candidates, including Mike Winder. At the most, it may be right for her to resign. Resignation would, to her credit, prove that she has recognized that her actions have hurt the Party and have damaged the process. It would also show that she applies the same standard to herself that she applies to Winder.
[UPDATE] To clarify: I am not opposed or attacking Gary Ott, who I have referenced as Julie’s pick for the County mayor race. What I think is dangerous for our electoral system, and for the Republican Party, is party leaders openly opposing any particular candidate prior to a candidate being nominated by the party delegates.
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Click here to take our survey: Should Julie Dole resign?
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Related articles
- Utah Mayor Admits to Posing as Reporter to Write Upbeat News Stories (foxnews.com)
- Mayor Mike Winder: Poor Judgment or Fraudulent Behavior? (publiusonline.com)
- Mark Crockett to announce candidacy for mayoral race ()
About Daniel Burton
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I think she should resign for her support of a specific candidate, but not for setting the expectations of candidates with high ethical standards that wouldn’t put the party at risk of losing the election. I think she is right to oppose Winder and wrong to openly support Ott.
I agree, Aaron. Her mistake is not in supporting ethics, but in openly opposing one candidate over another. Even then, her support of ethical behavior should have been behind the scenes, not in the press.
If you read my quotes from the SL Tribune article, you will find I only shared the concerns that many party members have expressed about Winder entering the race. I have NEVER told him not to run. As Daniel Burton well knows, I have never openly supported any opposed Republican candidate, Gary Ott, or otherwise. I have always
and will continue to follow the county bylaws remaining neutral in all opposed in-party
partisan elected races and again as Daniel Burton knows, I have offered and provided
the same support to all of the candidates, including the candidate he is working for. This post appears to be Daniel Burton’s blatant attempt to refocus the campaign away from real issues and away from the candidates. Daniel Burton has deliberately
chosen to misconstrue the information in the article and survey attributing the
reporters’ comments to me instead of what I actually said. It is disingenuous for someone who is working for a candidate to fail to distinguish his bias and to make wild and outlandish unsupported accusations in order to divert focus and perpetuate an ongoing rumor mill with inaccuracies. Daniel, as an attorney, should know better. Shame on you Dan! One can only ask if this is his personal opinion and attempt to discredit me or if he is voicing the opinion of the mayoral candidate he works for.
Julie Dole, Chair, Salt Lake County Republican Party
Julie: I have received no compensation for working for any candidate. If I had, that candidate cannot stand to benefit by your retraction or apology for criticizing Winder or staying out of the race. Quite the contrary, in fact.Without a doubt, this is my personal opinion.
Further, I am not constrained from sharing my opinion by holding an elective office in the party. You, however, are, and in the race to produce a strong county party organization to prepare for a formidable Democratic candidate in Ben McAdams, you are hurting the party by criticizing a potential candidate. How could Winder ever count on your support to win if he secures the nomination? How could any candidate’s victory not be colored by questions of whether you have attempted to influence the process? How can your vocal and open criticism to the newspaper of a potential nominee help the Republican Party?
Specifically to the point of your allegation that I’ve misconstrued the article: I quoted what you said specifically. Did the reporter misquote you? If so, I recommend you take it up with the Salt Lake Tribune, not with me.
As to your failure to follow party by-laws and to influence a candidate: it’s clear to me by your plain language in the article that you are negative towards the Winder campaign. The role of party officials–which you are–is to stay completely out of any race until nomination. You should keep your advice to the candidates between you and them, and by going to the press on this you’ve violated the bylaws of the party.
That you would take issue with my criticism is a bit humorous–while Mike Winder is my friend, I am not supporting his candidacy, yet he is the candidate who stands to lose the most through your comments and in whose support my comments can be best construed.
Lest anyone question whether this is actually in the bylaws of the Salt Lake County Republican Party, here is the passage in question:
Article X, Section 5A. Neither the Party officers nor any Party committee acting as an entity nor the convention chairs shall endorse, support or oppose any candidate for the Republican nomination for any elective office at a primary election unless such candidate is unopposed in the primary.B. Where there is more than one Republican candidate for nomination for election in a primary election, the County Central Committee shall not endorse, support or oppose any candidate for the Republican nomination or election to any elective office in such election,[…]
http://slcogop.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/SLCOGOP-Bylaws-Amended-12-02-2010.pdf
Daniel,
I am also uncompensated. I am simply a volunteer for the party, just as you apparently are a volunteer for your mayoral candidate.
Nothing in the bylaws restricts the sharing of my opinion. However, I DID NOT SHARE MY OPINION. I simply voiced the concerns of many Republicans and nowhere in my comments do I criticize Mike Winder nor do I oppose his candidacy. I have not violated the bylaws. Again, your comments are disingenuous and misleading.
I do take issue with your lies regarding my integrity and neutrality in this and all Republican races. There is no evidence to support or substantiate the following statement from your post, nor your allegations that I am or have supported one candidate over another. “Nor is this the first charge of malfeasance against Dole for supporting one candidate over another or helping candidates get a leg up on the competition previous to nomination by the Republican Party.”
If Mike where to become the nominee, he would have the party’s full support; just as I have offered and continue to offer him the same party support I offer ALL Republican candidates. Your attack on party leadership through your survey and comments is what places the strength of the party in jeopardy at this critical time. Instead of pulling together, you are endeavoring to drive a wedge and divide party members and leadership and claim foul where there is none. Any harm to Mike Winder is from his own actions and choices, not from comments I or other party members have made.
Julie Dole, Chair
Salt Lake County Republican Party
Daniel,
I am also uncompensated. I am simply a volunteer for the party, just as you apparently are a volunteer for your mayoral candidate.
Nothing in the bylaws restricts the sharing of my opinion. However, I DID NOT SHARE MY OPINION. I simply voiced the concerns of many Republicans and nowhere in my comments do I criticize Mike Winder nor do I oppose his candidacy. I have not violated the bylaws. Again, your comments are disingenuous and misleading.
I do take issue with your lies regarding my integrity and neutrality in this and all Republican races. There is no evidence to support or substantiate the following statement from your post, nor your allegations that I am or have supported one candidate over another. “Nor is this the first charge of malfeasance against Dole for supporting one candidate over another or helping candidates get a leg up on the competition previous to nomination by the Republican Party.”
If Mike where to become the nominee, he would have the party’s full support; just as I have offered and continue to offer him the same party support I offer ALL Republican candidates. Your attack on party leadership through your survey and comments is what places the strength of the party in jeopardy at this critical time. Instead of pulling together, you are endeavoring to drive a wedge and divide party members and leadership and claim foul where there is none. Any harm to Mike Winder is from his own actions and choices, not from comments I or other party members have made.
Julie Dole, Chair
Salt Lake County Republican Party
Julie: I appreciate your concern. You probably should have thought of that before you convey to the Salt Lake Tribune, which has a fairly large readership compared to, well, compared to me, the things they are quoting you as saying.
It is “unfortunate,” as it were, that you did not choose to tell them “no comment,” as I have seen other party chairs do–from the national level on down to the county–when asked about their thoughts on one candidate or another.
I recommend, as I said earlier, that you retract your comments and apologize. I think it’ll go a long way to showing your commitment to not harming a candidate previous to nomination.
Wow! Another diversion.
Nice try counselor.