Workman also is on paid leave by order of the County Council after she was charged with two felonies.

Dayton placed Shaw on leave, while allowing her to continue to collect her 09,000-per-year salary, after consulting with legal counsel in the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office. After further consultation, however, he may bring Shaw back as a working employee to earn her salary.

Section 17-33-11 in the Utah State Code prohibits state and county employees from political campaigning during working hours.

Being placed on paid leave and working all day on a campaign puts a twist on that prohibition lawmakers apparently didn't consider.

One way to do it: An invitation to a seminar instructing executives on how to "Leave the office earlier without working for the government" was mailed to local public relations exec Jeri Cartwright on the same day county Mayor Nancy Workman was placed on administrative leave and shortly before Gerrie Shaw was placed on paid leave.

Close call: The Utah Elections Office, which dismissed a ballot challenge to Republican candidates President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney for allegedly being certified by the party a day after the deadline, kicked a Democratic Utah Senate candidate off the ballot for missing the deadline for his campaign financial statement Wednesday.

But he was disqualified for only one day.

Gene Bradford, running in Senate District 13 in southern Utah County, says he filed his statement on-line Tuesday while on the phone with an Elections Office clerk. He says she told him everything was fine, so he hung up.

But the office did not have his filing by 5 p.m. Wednesday, so he was disqualified. After an electronic data search, however, they found his filing deep in the bowels of the system. So he was reinstated.

Nancy Who? At the Salt Lake Chamber's annual membership meeting Thursday, President Lane Beattie mentioned this year's accomplishments, including an agreement with the Outdoor Retailer Association to keep its trade show here on the promise of expanding the Salt Palace.

Beattie heaped praise on several individual employees involved in the effort. Not mentioned in his remarks was Salt Lake County Mayor Nancy Workman, who was at the meeting and who had led news conferences about the negotiations and agreements with the retailers.

Unkindest theft of all: A $300 portable bocce court in a large duffel bag was stolen from the clearly marked Special Olympics Utah truck Tuesday in Salt Lake City. The court was on its way to St. George, where more than 40 athletes were expecting it for their area competition.

Bocce is an Italian game of lawn bowling and more than 250 Special Olympics Utah athletes compete annually in the sport.

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Paul Rolly and JoAnn Jacobsen-Wells welcome e-mail at rolly wells@sltrib.com.