This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The chairman and treasurer of the Salt Lake County Republican Party have resigned.
Salt Lake County Republicans on Wednesday announced the resignations of chairman Chad Bennion and treasurer Mel Nimer.
"Their leadership will be missed and we wish them well in their future endeavors," Vice-Chair Suzanne Mulet said in a press release. Mulet will be acting chairwoman until party elections in May.
Nimer resigned to run for an at-large seat on the Salt Lake County Council, said Valarie Kingsbury, office manager for the party.
Bennion resigned for family reasons.
"Recent family circumstances have made this choice necessary," he wrote in his resignation letter. "While I love our party and the things we have collectively accomplished together, my children come first."
Mulet said Bennion wanted to spend more time with his children.
"It's a very demanding job," she said of holding office in the party. "It's a lot of work, we don't get compensated, and we all have full-time jobs."
Bennion suffered backlash from his party in August after comments he made in response to Salt Lake County Attorney Sim Gill's finding that two West Valley City officers were unjustified in the 2012 fatal shooting of Danielle Willard. Bennion said Gill, a Democrat, is a "cop-hater" and unfit for office. He also accused Gill of being biased after witnessing police brutality in India, where Gill was born. State party officials called Bennion's statements "inflammatory."