This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

We said:

County recorder should be appointed, not elected — Salt Lake Tribune Editorial, June 9, 2017

" ... It was much more in sorrow than in anger that Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams has called for County Recorder Gary Ott to resign his post. For months now, it has been apparent that Ott is suffering from a serious mental decline. He is seldom seen at the county's office building on State Street and, meeting with the County Council back in October, was unable to answer some basic questions about himself, his office, even the name of his chief deputy.

"The immediate solution to this problem would be for Ott to resign. Apparently, he will not, though it is unclear whether he does not wish to relinquish his office or just doesn't know what's going on. ..."

We read:

Embattled Salt Lake County Recorder Gary Ott may agree to early retirement, aide says — Taylor W. Anderson | The Salt Lake Tribune, June 12, 2017

"Gary Ott, the embattled Salt Lake County recorder whose mental cognition has apparently declined in recent years, is interested in talking about retiring early from his elected post.

"Ott's aide and longtime friend Karmen Sanone told The Salt Lake Tribune that the recorder has offered to discuss terms of his retirement before the end of his elected term, which runs through 2020. ..."

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We said:

Utah governor should cast wider net for transportation chair — Salt Lake Tribune Editorial, June 2, 2017

"Former Lindon Mayor and Utah County Commissioner Larry Ellertson has a long résumé of public service. You could say he has done his part.

"Gov. Gary Herbert nominated Ellertson to be chairman of the Utah Transportation Commission, the six-member board that oversees state highways and their roughly billion-dollar annual budget. But that nomination has brought an unusual amount of blowback from Utahns who have watched Ellertson work. ...

" ... Ellertson has indeed done his part, and the Utah Senate should reject his nomination to the transportation commission. Then the governor needs to look harder the next time."

We read:

"After a contentious confirmation hearing two weeks ago that he advanced from by one vote, Larry Ellertson withdrew his name Friday from consideration to become chairman of the Utah Transportation Commission. ...

" ... On Friday, Ellertson's withdrawal was announced in a short news release that said "retirement plans with his wife will make it difficult for him to fulfill the six-year commission term" for which he was nominated by Gov. Gary Herbert.

"In the same release, Herbert has asked that residents interested in representing UDOT's Region 3 (Utah, Juab, Wasatch, Duchesne, Uintah and Daggett counties) on the commission to apply using materials available at boards.utah.gov. ..."

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But, we also said:

Utah's national monuments have already justified themselves — Salt Lake Tribune Editorial, April 27, 2017

" ... This must be more than a search for reasons to unrecognize Utah's national treasures. Rescinding a monument would be unprecedented and sure to be a long legal fight, and just changing boundaries will end up in court while changing little on the ground.

"Meanwhile, the changes that are taking place in southern Utah — both social and economic — are not caused by monuments and won't be reversed by rescinding them. ..."

And today we read: