Kai Schwemmer was the hero Utah County didn’t know it needed.
When news broke that Utah County Clerk Aaron Davidson was appointing Schwemmer as his deputy elections clerk, backlash was immediate. Davidson’s office was flooded with calls, including mine. I voiced concerns that Schwemmer’s extremist views and lack of qualifications made him an awful choice. Davidson assured me he was taking the feedback seriously. He then ignored it, proceeding with the appointment, though he did later reduce Schwemmer’s title and compensation.
Backlash continued. Davidson claimed he hadn’t expected this level of community response, despite receiving hours of calls beforehand. He cited insufficient research and having to move quickly as excuses. This revealed one of two things to the public: either Davidson was incompetent, failing to research his own hire, or he was being dishonest about his intentions from the start. Most likely both.
This decision cost Davidson the election. Appointing someone as controversial as Schwemmer told the community exactly who Davidson was. Thank you, Kai Schwemmer, for uniting Utah County and being an unexpected instrument for accountability and change. We haven’t felt this jovial in a while.
Mark McConkie, Eagle Mountain