I am writing concerning the upcoming vote to remove John Pingree as general manger of the Utah Transit Authority. One of the newest members to the board is a representative from Weber County, Robert Davis.
When I called Mr. Davis to ask him about his reasons for voting against Mr. Pingree, he said, "I have not been on the board long enough to form my own opinion so I have asked the Weber County commissioners what I should do."I also called Richard Kuchinsky, who represents my community, Sandy city. He said, "I won't give you my reasons for voting against Mr. Pingree. It will be an open meeting; you can attend and hear them there." As a resident of Sandy city I believe I have the right to know why Mr. Kuchinsky is voting the way he is before he votes. What are his reasons for maintaining his silence?
When county commissioners and mayors appoint people to public boards I would hope it would be because they are honest, successful, active citizens who want to make a difference, not because they will be puppets for the elected officials that appoint them. Am I wrong.
I sincerely believe that UTA is a strong and vital asset to our communities because of the wise leadership of John Pingree. His foresight and experience have served us well. It is not the general manager who is bad; what we have here is a bad board filled with individuals who have personal agendas that are selfish and vindictive. The ugly witch hunt that has been conducted by Dan Berman, Randy Horiuchi, Brent Overson and others is dishonest, dirty and very damaging to the transportation future of this state.
Raylene Thueson
Sandy