Garcia Withdraws His Legislative District Nine Bid

Federal Office of Special Counsel Remains Mum in Greiner Matter

By Curmudgeon

The Standard-Examiner is reporting this morning -- full story here -- that Councilman Jesse Garcia has withdrawn his bid for a Democratic party nomination for the state legislature, out of concern that continuing might cost him his job with Weber County. He will remain on the Council because his Council seat was won in a non-partisan election, and so does not come under the provisions of the Hatch Act... a fact the Justice Department seemed unaware of when it first contacted Mr. Garcia's employer. The Justice Department investigator told Garcia's employer that his holding a Council seat violated the Hatch Act. It does not. Local public employees such as Garcia who stand for office in non-partisan races [Ogden city elections are all non-partisan] are not covered by the Hatch Act. But then, this is still the Bush Administration Justice Department, and competence has not been one of its hallmarks.

Still no word on whether, when or how the Justice Department intends to resolve the same Hatch Act complaint against Ogden Police Chief and State Senator Greiner, initially made during his campaign for the Utah Senate. But then, we have to remember that complaint about Sen. Greiner, a Republican, violating the Hatch Act by running in a partisan election for state office was made during the tenure of the now disgraced Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, whose corrupt and partisan operation of the Justice Department not even Republicans bother much to deny anymore.

Still, with a new attorney general coming on board, we were told the Gonzales mess was over, and integrity had returned. And yet, here in northern Utah and in Ogden we still wait for some resolution of the complaint against Sen. Greiner, who still is Ogden police chief, and who still holds his seat in the Senate. And we wait... and wait... and wait.