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Commissioners to invite state representative after disputed newspaper letters; debate over individual vs. county response
Summary
A dispute over a newspaper letter from Representative John Fitzpatrick and a subsequent response from Commissioner Blanche prompted the county to invite the representative to meet with the board; some commissioners criticized the use of individual letterhead and called for the matter to be discussed publicly.
The Granite County Board of Commissioners agreed Feb. 4 to invite Representative John Fitzpatrick to meet with the board after a letter he wrote to a local paper prompted a written response from Commissioner Blanche. Commissioners said the representative’s newspaper letter and the county commissioner’s response raised transparency questions and warranted direct discussion.
Commissioner Blanche told the board she answered the newspaper’s request personally to rebut what she described as inaccurate statements in the representative’s weekly column. Other commissioners and participants said that if a commissioner is responding in an official capacity they should use county letterhead and, if the response represents the whole board, the matter should be placed on a public meeting agenda. The board resolved to invite Rep. Fitzpatrick to appear in person or by Zoom within about two weeks so commissioners could address the issues on the record.
Elena Gagliiano, speaking on the record, said she had reviewed the correspondence and recommended the board schedule the representative to appear; several commissioners asked staff to publish the commissioner’s response on the county website. The board also directed staff to attempt to schedule an earlier meeting if Rep. Fitzpatrick’s availability allows.
No formal disciplinary action or vote was taken against any commissioner. The board’s direction was procedural: to seek a meeting with the representative and to post correspondence on the county website to improve transparency.
