With former county auditor Craig Sorensen's resignation Monday over theft of gasoline, and chief financial officer Randy Allen's resignation earlier this month over personal trips in a county car, driving a county-owned vehicle is quickly turning from a benefit to a liability for county officials.
With various media snooping around examining every trip and every fill-up, officials are giving up their cars faster than a Ford Expedition can go through a tank of gas.
Mayor Nancy Workman banned all cars — and car allowances — from her office last week. And the council Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution urging all officials using cars full-time (except the sheriff and fire chief) to give them up in exchange for the $500 to $600 monthly car allowance.
Councilman Russell Skousen questioned whether the move would be cost-effective since providing a car might actually be cheaper. But Councilman Joe Hatch, one of the original three Democratic sponsors of the bill, said the intent is to avoid the appearance of evil.
"Driving expensive automobiles, even if it's less expensive than a car allowance, is symbolically more important in the public's mind," he said.
Given the often ill-understood policy on personal use of county cars, the whole affair is becoming an opportunity to point fingers. Several county officials, for example, have pointed to Workman's legal counsel, Greg Curtis, who took at least one personal trip to St. George in his county-owned Ford Explorer last year. And they're demanding retribution.
"They talk about death by 1,000 cuts, well, I'm the one getting 1,000 cuts," Curtis said. "They continually make allegations and don't substantiate them."
Curtis admits he took the trip and leaves open the possibility that he may have taken others, but he says he was abiding by the policy as he knew it at the time. He said he is willing to reimburse the county for the trip.
"They could investigate me up the wazoo and not find anything criminal, because there was no intent," he said.
"What do they want me to do, resign?" Curtis said. "I don't want to give them that satisfaction."
Curtis says he's being targeted because he is the Republican majority leader in the Utah House of Representatives and his Democratic enemies see an opportunity to damage him.
Nevertheless, he conceded, "I think we could have been more cognizant of" proper vehicle use.
While deputy mayor Alan Dayton, Curtis' boss, doesn't excuse the trip (and other possible personal use), he says it was understandable.
"It was a mistake," Dayton said. "I don't think it excuses it, but it explains it. . . . I don't know that there was ever a time when we sat down and read every page of the policy."
Dayton said he bears some fault because he should have taken the time to fully understand and explain the policy. "To the extent that I'm to blame, I'm to blame," he said.
Dayton did agree with Curtis in one respect.
"It's kind of becoming, 'How can we trip them up?' " Dayton said. "Greg's a high-profile target."
County chief administrative officer David Marshall said he is OK with Curtis not resigning. Financial officer Allen, he said, was specifically responsible for understanding the policy and explaining and enforcing it.
"He was the chief financial officer," Marshall said. "His role was different."
Knowing what he knows now, Curtis says he would run as fast as he could in the opposite direction if someone offered him a county car.
E-mail: aedwards@desnews.com