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The Democrat-led Salt Lake County Council booted David Wilde from the valley health board Tuesday after the Republican councilman vigorously opposed a bill allowing doctors to prescribe medication to unnamed partners of patients with sexually transmitted diseases.
"There are consequences to elections," said Democratic Councilwoman Jenny Wilson, referring to her party seizing control after last fall's balloting. "This is one of them."
Wilde characterized his ouster as a potentially precedent-setting act of political retribution by Democrats, who voted 5-4 along party lines to replace him with Democrat Joe Hatch.
"While I am happy to be replaced if it's just a 'let's rotate things around and get new blood,'" Wilde said. "That's one thing. But if it is punishing me, because 'you said something on a controversial bill that we don't like,' then I'm telling you, we are going down a road that I don't believe we have ever gone down before."
Democrats concede that the switch was prompted partly by Wilde's loud resistance to HB17. But they insist his removal also was linked to the GOP councilman's seven-year tenure on the heath board.
Wilde finished his second term on the board last summer. His continued presence violated Mayor Peter Corroon's policy of limiting appointees to two consecutive terms.
"It is probably appropriate to move things around," said Democratic Councilman Jim Bradley, who told colleagues he supported replacing
For his part, Wilde said he offered to surrender his seat earlier this year, but was allowed to continue.
"If we wanted to have that change, we should have done it in February," argued GOP Councilman Jeff Allen, who said the switch amounts to nothing more than a "punitive measure."
The authority for appointing a council member to the health board remains with Corroon. But, in this instance, the mayor has said he would abide by the council's call.
