Rolly: Can you believe that conniving clique of Republicans from Utah County?

THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE; April 26, 2008

by Paul Rolly

Opinion

Because some sections of the Sunday Salt Lake Tribune are printed early, this column is being written prior to Saturday's Utah County Republican Convention. But no matter, because whatever happens there, Utah County, whose right-wing representatives enjoy the most influence in the Utah Legislature, is about to blow its political lid. This is a story about the power brokers in Utah County, including both legislators and their favorite lobbyists, desperately trying to hold the grip they've clamped on the Legislature, while a growing number of restless Republicans are rebelling against this cozy clique of the ethically challenged.

It's also about how the county's GOP leaders and their legislative co-conspirators manipulated the makeup of the convention's list of delegates. It's about alleged rule-breaking by county party officials to vault the incumbents over their upstart Republican challengers. And it's about threats and intimidation by these lawmakers and lobbyists who are scrambling, hand-in-hand, to stay atop the heap on Capitol Hill.

When Jacqueline deGaston filed to run against Senate Majority Leader Curtis Bramble of Provo, she was told directly and indirectly to butt out of the race. One precinct officer, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, says he was urged to block the candidacy of a woman running to be a delegate in his precinct because of suspicions that she supported deGaston. He refused, and the woman was elected.

At first, deGaston was denied a list of the names of all the county delegates because Senate President John Valentine, Bramble's buddy from Orem, supposedly misconstrued party rules. When the mistake was pointed out, deGaston was given the list.

But questions linger about the way "automatic" delegates are chosen. DeGaston and others claim that county GOP chair Marian Monnahan, state Republican Chairman Stan Lockhart and his wife, Rep. Becky Lockhart; Bramble and his wife, Susan; and Valentine, are violating the state party's constitution by the way they appoint delegates not elected in their precincts.

A former Republican legislator, a friend of deGaston, received a letter with the name of Jeff Rogers on the envelope threatening to expose the fact that deGaston, an attorney, was suspended by the State Bar for three months in 2000 for allegedly trying to get a court clerk to bend the rules on dating a document submitted to the court. She denies any wrongdoing but says her enemies were so persistent she finally agreed to the minimal suspension so she could get on with her life.

The letter to the former lawmaker said that would be the issue in the race.

Jeff Rogers is the son of lobbyist Paul Rogers, who last year took vacation in Italy with the Brambles and the Lockharts, and who organized a recent fund-raiser for the so-called "Fabulous Five," a group of one-term Republican legislators - four of whom are from Utah County and have Republican challengers. The invitation to the "Fab Five" fund-raiser was sent by the Utah Republican Party, headed by - who else? - Stan Lockhart.

Linda Housekeeper, who is challenging Rep. Brad Daw in Orem, was told by the legislative district chair that at least two replacement delegates appointed by the precinct chairs wouldn't get credentials because their names were submitted too late. Those delegates supported Housekeeper, who was informed Wednesday that still another "automatic" delegate appointed by party leaders would be added to the list in her race.

That was quite enough for Nancy Lord, the Republican national committeewoman from Utah, who said many of the shenanigans being pulled by Utah County party leaders violate the state GOP constitution. But, see, the convention rules chairman is Utah County Commissioner Steve White, who also buzzed off to Italy with the Brambles, the Lockharts and the Rogerses.

One for all, all for one, at home and abroad, it's quite the clique. And the rest of you can just get lost.

(c) 2008 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved.