"If it's being politicized, it's being politicized by the mayor's office and the Republican Party, not by the Democrats," he said.

"I don't want to see the mayor attacked," he said. "Our campaign is not based on attacking the mayor. We don't need scandals."

Nonetheless, Corroon said the investigation should be seen through to its conclusion.

Yocom said the investigation should conclude next week, at which time it will be sent to the panel for determination of charges, if any. If Workman is charged with a felony, she would be required to take an administrative leave from her office.

The fact that Workman's daughter, Aisza, works at the Boys and Girls Club of South Valley, where the county employees in question were assigned, has been an issue in the investigation. The Republican group, though, pointed out that Yocom's wife and son also have been high-paid county employees.

"No one has said that's illegal," Skousen said. "We just need to have a sense of proportion."

Yocom's opponents have accused him at various times of softening investigations against political friends and playing hardball in investigations against his enemies. The Republican group said the current Workman situation, while it is one in which she apparently did not follow county procedure correctly, falls far short of criminal activity.

"It's not a question of right or wrong," Harmsen said. "It's a question of dotting the I's and crossing the T's."

Harmsen's Democratic fellow councilman Joe Hatch decried the GOP press conference.

"We (the countil) have been taking that middle course, saying let this thing take its course, let the chips fall where they may," he said. "The Republicans could simply have defended Nancy or been neutral, but they want this to be partisan so bad. If they had confidence in Nancy, they'd be defending her. If they had confidence in the system, they would be neutral. This is 'shoot the messenger.' This is politics 101."

---

E-mail: aedwards@desnews.com