OREM — One of the seven Republican candidates running for Utah County Commission was uninvited the final series of the "Meet and Mingle" meetings where delegates have been given opportunities to speak one on one with GOP candidates.
Linda Houskeeper, who is running for Utah County Commission Seat B, decided several weeks ago to hold 10 such events to allow delegates and candidates to have more direct contact with one another.
But after hearing about a verbal altercation last week between one of the delegates and County Commission Seat A candidate Joel Wright, Houskeeper decided to rescind his invitation to future events.
"These 'Meet and Mingle' events are meant to be a friendly atmosphere where candidates and delegates can come together to discuss the issues at hand," Houskeeper wrote on her campaign website.
Wright said he believes Houskeeper shouldn't have been allowed to uninvite him from the meetings because she sold them as Utah County GOP events and they took place in public or government buildings.
Wright said he told Housekeeper that she could not hold partisan events during campaign season in a charter school without inviting all the candidates. When this was brought to the attention of Liberty Academy, which was to hold one of the events Tuesday night, school officials called Houskeeper and let her know she would not be able to hold the event without getting special event insurance.
Houskeeper said she scrambled to find another venue for the event. She wrote about moving the event to the Salem City Community Center and her reason for doing so on her website, linda4liberty.com, calling the forced change an attack by Wright because she rescinded his invitation.
Taylor Oldroyd, Utah County Republican Party chairman, said he had some delegates e-mail him concerned that the Meet and Mingle events looked like the party was sponsoring them. Oldroyd said party officials are considering issuing a statement to let people know the events are not sponsored by the Utah County Republican Party.
The Utah County GOP Convention will be held Saturday at Mountian View High School, 665 W. Center.
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