Dear Democrats,
Brace yourselves, I'm about to say something I've never said before...and may never say again: Congratulations to Governor Herbert. He did the right thing with Denice Graham - after all other options were exhausted. The sad story of John Njord, UDOT chief, scapegoating and bullying Denice Graham to try and cover up the incredible mistakes and mismanagement of his department has finally, finally come to an end. Governor Herbert will pay Denice Graham's legal fees.
The story is familiar enough now, but Denice, a Tooele grandmother and model UDOT employee, was scapegoated for the $13 million dollar UDOT bidding scandal. A quick refresher: high level UDOT officials altered the bid scores for a major Herbert campaign donor and then had to spend $13 million to settle the claims of the company that originally had the higher score, but was not awarded the bid. Denice Graham had the audacity to give information available on UDOT's public website to a caller, and for that, Governor Herbert and John Njord determined she should be blamed for the whole mess. They not only fired her, they blacklisted her. What commenced was a year of hell, in which Denice and her husband had to pinch pennies and take out loans to stay afloat as she fought her firing. After an administrative law judge ruled her firing was improper, and that John Njord and UDOT had absolutely no evidence that she had leaked confidential information, UDOT and the governor dragged their feet on rehiring her, initially placing her at a secreterial-level position, with none of the roles or responsibilities she once had. In order for her to collect her back pay, they, along with the Utah Attorney General's Office, tried to make her sign a statement saying that the administrative law judge was wrong, and her firing was actually correct, and they tried to intimidate her into silence about the issue. And up until Friday, they refused to pay the massive legal fees that accrued as a result of her inappropriate firing, and all the roadblocks UDOT and the Governor have thrown up since then.
So now, Governor, if you're reading: all that remains is an apology. You owe Denice Graham an apology, for forcing her into the fight of her life, for absolutely redirecting and redefining her career track, for ducking and covering when you should have owned up to the mistakes made within your own administration. And you owe Utah taxpayers an apology. The state has now shelled out over $100,000 - on top of the $13 million - to resolve this matter. I can think of a school or two that could really use an extra $100,000.
And to you, my brave Democrats: Utah's Democratic party is proud to have been a part of helping Governor Herbert to be fair with Denice. Just like we were part of the voice that forced the Governor to do the right thing on the abstinence bill. But we could not have accomplished either of those goals without you. You signed petitions, you attended rallies, you wrote letters, you called in. You replied to my emails, shared your own stories, and helped me to fight on. You stood for Denice when she attended conventions and spoke at events. You stood with Denice, and you stood with me. And together, we win.
Will you stand with me, and make a contribution of $25, $50, or $100 today? Your donation keeps us on the front lines of fights like these.
We intend to raise our voice together with you to hold Utah's politicians accountable to Utah's mainstream, hardworking people - and not special interest lobbyists and the far-out fringe of the Republican Party!
Until next time,
Jim
https://chumly.com/n/1369051
No comments:
Post a Comment