I am a member of the Concerned Taxpayers of Utah and feel it is my duty as a citizen of our county to comment on the recent full-page ad placed in the Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News by our group. I and others of our group reviewed the ad prior to its publication and agreed to its contents entirely.
In response to our ad, County Commissioner Brent Overson contacted the press and local television stations and held a press conference. At Mr. Overson's press conference, he chose not to address our group's concerns. Conversely, he attacked David Mast, chairman of Concerned Taxpayers of Utah, personally.It has proven quite difficult for a small, non-profit organization to receive equal press coverage and opportunity as is reserved for public officials, namely Brent Overson. In addition, since the issues raised by CTU were placed on the "back burners" to Mr. Overson's personal attacks at the press conference, he now enjoys the luxury of relying on his team of county attorneys to get him out of this dilemma, at taxpayer expense. I found it quite amazing that not one media or news representative had questions about the allegations against Mr. Overson.
Personally, I left California after living there 16 years for the "kinder, more gentle" life in Utah. Illegal immigration and generation after generation living on government programs continue to erode Cal-ifornia's fiscal strength. Utah's Legislature chose to squander most of our state's tax-surplus last year, and ill-spent funds such as Mr. Overson's golf course proposal can send our swiftly growing economy into the same land of economic quandary.
The golf course in question is expected to be completed in 1998, and South Mountain developers are contractually required to build it at their expense and dedicate it to Draper city as a public golf course. Why then would the county even consider purchasing this course for $7 million to $9 million or for any price?
Dave Mast is one of the most scrupulous and empathetic men that I have had the fortune to meet. His purpose and the purpose of the Concerned Taxpayers of Utah is the protection of our fellow taxpayers from waste and corruption. Our group's questions to Salt Lake County and Brent Overson still remain unanswered, and our request for incomplete and denied documents continues.
Vincent Ventura
Salt Lake City