This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The hearing conducted by the Salt Lake County Council on the recent audit of Gary Ott's performance as the Salt Lake County recorder was a shameful and callous action, at best, and showed absolutely no compassion for Mr. Ott and the issues that he may be dealing with.
I can think of a dozen ways to confirm the performance of Ott's office without demeaning him. If he is suffering from dementia and related issues, the decision to have a public airing of these issues is an embarrassment to everyone involved, including, by proxy, we, the voters, who elected these officials who called for and conducted this hearing.
District Attorney Sim Gill was the only official who expressed any concern for what happened at the hearing. The council members who asked questions such as, "What's your address?" ought to look in the mirror and ask themselves that question. They might see a reflection that says "Out to Lunch." Based upon most politicians' daily actions, I doubt many could answer that question. Have any of you considered the fact that Ott's presence in the office, alone, on a daily basis, given these issues, may give other employees an additional incentive to step up their performance and circle the wagons? Now you want to cut his pay in half. How is the worth of a person measured? "Judge not that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." Or as I like to say, "What goes around comes around."
Leonard W. Burningham
Salt Lake City