This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
I live in the District of Columbia and am a retired Air Force officer who also served many years as a senior federal official and consultant at the Department of Homeland Security. I have supported this country, defended its flag and protected its shores for many, many years. I do not come to this correspondence lightly.
This letter is in regard to the odd and unwelcome behavior of your Rep. Jason Chaffetz. As the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, he has seen fit since the election of Donald Trump to meddle in our city's affairs and our progressive agenda. Let me remind you that in D.C. we have no voting members in Congress to represent or protect us. Therefore, Chaffetz has free rein over our city council's affairs and legislation.
We did not vote for Chaffetz and, given the diverse, educated, urban nature of our beautiful city, probably would never vote for him even if he ran in D.C.
Chaffetz does not know our city or care to know about our city and its citizen's needs. He sleeps in his office at night to avoid any contact with our citizens and is rarely seen in public. His conservative values may be your values but they are not ours.
I implore you, as fellow U.S. citizens, to contact his office and ask that he pay attention to the matters of the great state of Utah and its citizens and leave D.C. to govern its own affairs. We will all be better off.
Col. Shelly L. Myers, USAF (Ret.)
Washington, D.C.