When I heard that San Juan County Commissioner Phil Lyman is planning a run for governor of Utah this year, I got a little nauseous.
Lyman, as you may recall, is a self-styled “patriot” who was convicted in 2014 for illegally desecrating sensitive lands in a closed southern Utah canyon on his ATV and prompting others to do the same. This act of rebellion cost him 10 days in jail and a $96,000 fine, neither of which was punishment enough.
Not surprisingly, in the midst of a Trumpian dystopia, Donald Trump pardoned Lyman, thereby sanctioning his actions and greenlighting anarchy in all its forms.
After the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Maryland, Lyman blamed the bridge’s collapse on “governors who prioritize diversity over the wellbeing [sic] and security of citizens.” That’s an interesting and delusional perspective considering that the bridge was struck by a ship in an unfortunate nautical accident.
The mayor of Baltimore is Brandon Scott. The governor of Maryland is Wes Moore, who was seen with Gov. Spencer Cox during an NGA event earlier this year. Both Moore and Scott are African-American.
Whether he’s trashing a pristine desert canyon on his ATV or implicating Black leaders in a nonexistent conspiracy, Lyman’s MAGA roots run deep. Lyman retweeted a post on Twitter that highlighted the biographies of three of the commissioners of the six-member Maryland Port Commission, two of whom are people of color.
Utah can do better than to elect a criminal and a racist like Phil Lyman for governor.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
David E. Jensen, Riverton