Cottonwood Heights police Officer Beau Babka, who recently announced his candidacy as a Republican for Salt Lake County sheriff, may want to refrain from wearing his uniform during campaign stops in the future, just to make sure he, as a cop, isn't violating the law.
Babka, with Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff at his side, announced his candidacy Friday, while wearing his full uniform.
That is the very thing that got Lee County, Fla., Sheriff Mike Scott in trouble when he spoke at a Sarah Palin rally during the 2008 presidential campaign wearing his full uniform.
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel investigated Scott and, while closing the case without taking punitive action, told him in a letter that he did violate the federal Hatch Act by wearing his uniform. The letter advised him not to wear it when participating in future events.
Babka, however, may be immune to that law since the Cottonwood Heights Police Department gets no federal funds because it is so new. "We don't get federal money for three years," said Chief Robby Russo. But Russo did say he would research the issue "because we don't want to do anything inappropriate."
The National Fraternal Order of Police also has advised its members not to wear their uniforms when engaged in political activities.
Babka said he received authorization from his employer to wear his uniform and so he did. "I'm running for a uniformed position" he said, adding that he doesn't consider wearing his uniform improper.
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Sounding like a candidate » It looks like Merrill Cook, one of the most prolific political candidates in Utah history, will be at it once again.
While cautioning that he has not made a final decision about running for Congress against Democrat Jim Matheson this year, Republican Cook sounded like a candidate when I talked to him on Monday.
He noted this looks like a good year for Republicans, calling it a possible GOP tsunami, and noted that, "I was the tea party candidate before tea partying was cool."
By that he meant he had always run as an independent fiscal conservative, often against his own party's establishment, just as the tea party folks are advocating today. He said he has received "a lot of encouragement" to run.
Cook has run for political office 11 times: once for Salt Lake City mayor, once for Salt Lake County Commission, once for State School Board, twice for governor, once for Salt Lake County mayor and five times for Congress. He won the congressional race in 1996 and was re-elected in 1998, but failed to win his party's nomination in 2000.
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Left in the dust » When commuters departed the westbound bus at the 2100 South TRAX station Tuesday morning, the northbound train was already approaching, so they ran to the platform to make it. But as they pushed the door buttons, which didn't open, the driver looked at them, smiled and drove off, leaving the group standing agape.
The official clock at the station said it was 8:46. Their private watches confirmed it was 8:46. The schedule said the train wasn't supposed to depart until 8:48.
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The good old days » Utah Farm Bureau President Randy Parker, a speaker at last week's Ag Outlook conference sponsored by the Utah Bankers Association, complained about media sensationalism over the way farmers and ranchers treat their animals.
He was raised on a sheep ranch, he said, and remembers that to castrate the sheep, "My father would turn them over, and, after cutting them, would take out the testicles with his teeth."
Unfortunately, he made his remarks shortly before the group broke for lunch.
