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No, these Republicans haven't endorsed Julie Dole in her bid to keep county recorder’s post

State elections office has told her to remove misleading posts.<br>

(Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune) Acting Salt Lake County Recorder Julie Dole was next in line to lead the office when Gary Ott left on Aug. 1, 2017. She is hoping county Republicans will pick her over numerous others for interim recorder on Thursday night.

Julie Dole, who is filling in as the acting head of the Salt Lake County Recorder’s office, has been making Facebook posts that have upset several Republicans who say Dole is misleading voters in the run-up to a scheduled Thursday night vote.

Dole posted the images of over a dozen Republicans and included their endorsements of her successful 2011 bid to become chairwoman of the county GOP.

A majority of the people featured responded, many demanding Dole remove the posts and noting they hadn’t endorsed her in her current bid for recorder. The posts were referred to the state elections office, which wrote Dole asking that she remove them.

She refused, telling Mark Thomas, director of elections in the lieutenant governor’s office, she didn’t see how the 6-year-old endorsements posted days before the Republican selection of an interim recorder would mislead voters.

But over a dozen of the people featured believed they would.

“Julie Dole has lost all integrity with this Facebook campaign,” wrote Sam Fidler, a former state Senate candidate who also demanded that the post featuring him be removed. “I, like many others caught up in this mess, have not made any endorsements in the race for county recorder. Based on just her actions of the past few days and without regard to any previous accusations, I will not endorse or vote for her.”

Sen. Daniel Thatcher, R-West Valley City, said Dole’s posts were “grossly unethical.”

“Either you know this and don’t care, making you unethical,” Thatcher wrote. “Or you don’t know, making you extremely foolish.”

Almost immediately upon being sworn in as acting recorder on Aug. 1, Dole began making staffing and other changes in the office. A portrait of longtime Recorder Gary Ott, who suffers from an undisclosed mental incapacity and whose family won guardianship in court before negotiating his resignation, was removed on Dole’s first day in office. Her portrait now hangs in its place.

Hundreds of Salt Lake County Republican precinct leaders, elected officials and party officers will meet Thursday night to pick an interim recorder who will serve through 2018 in the office that primarily handles real estate documents.

The County Council won’t wait until its regular Tuesday meeting to swear in whoever is chosen.

Dole’s posts generally include the name of the current or former county party insider, a line in present tense of that person apparently heralding her work ethic and a quote endorsing her for party chairwoman.

Salt Lake County “Treasurer K. [Wayne] Cushing says Julie Dole doesn’t let anything fall through the cracks,” she wrote, adding Cushing’s 2011 endorsement.

Cushing quickly responded, reminding Dole that he told her in July he wouldn’t endorse her in the recorder’s race.

Dole also included former county party insider Michelle Quist Mumford, who is now a columnist at The Tribune, and who also asked Dole to remove the post and picture because Mumford isn’t endorsing Dole.

“You are using my image and writings without consent,” Mumford wrote. ”I hereby order you to cease and desist, and remove this post.”

Dole’s posts also included old endorsements from County Councilman Max Burdick and Melvin Nimer, who have both expressed interest in becoming interim recorder.

Thomas said the posts represented possible criminal violations and the Salt Lake County district attorney’s office is reviewing the matter. The office, run by Sim Gill, has been investigating the recorder’s office on other matters for months.

“You have individuals that have stated to her that they no longer give her permission to use their name as an endorsement,” Thomas said.

In an email to The Tribune, Dole pointed to another post she made, where she said she was the victim of a “smear campaign.”

“As part of their orchestrated campaign, they are now targeting, threatening and bullying those that have nothing but nice things to say about my character, my honesty, any my work ethic,” she wrote in the post.

She didn’t respond when asked why she didn’t remove the posts.