Couple takes a big swing at baseball decision

LEHI — A tiff over a youth baseball team in Lehi is turning into a billboard battle against the city's leaders.

Recently, Catherine and James Johnston paid for a billboard on northbound I-15 near exit 284 that says in bold letters, "Something stinks in Lehi's recreation department" and "Keep them honest."

The phrases are accompanied by a Web site — www.citystinkers.com — and a pair of mischievous-looking skunks that are presumed to be Lehi city officials. The billboard went up Thursday.

The Johnstons are paying thousands for the billboard and Web site because they are frustrated with a recent decision made by the city's recreation department to restrict their son-in-law, Bill Doyle, from coaching a Lehi youth recreation team this summer.

Doyle has coached in the city's recreation league for some 20 years until this summer — a fact that greatly peeves the Johnstons — but the couple says their beef is bigger than baseball.

"This is an issue of freedom," James Johnston said. "This is an issue that goes far and beyond just little league. This is an issue where the government has abused their power."

According to the Johnstons, even though the city needed volunteer coaches, Doyle was told by Dan Harrison, director of recreation, in early April that he couldn't coach this year. Doyle was accused of cursing last year during the baseball season and starting a petition to get the city's Youth Summer League program director fired.

Both of those accusations are false, says Doyle, who also lives in Lehi.

"I think I've just been slandered," Doyle said. "I don't know why this stuff has been said about me. A lot of the stuff they said is completely wrong. I don't know why they've done it, and I don't know what the purpose is, but I know they've hurt a lot of kids."

Doyle says he wants to coach this year because his son Sean is in the league.

"I've been doing this for so many years, it's just a part of me," Doyle said. "For someone to take that away, you can't replace it. It's just been really hard."

When the Johnstons wrote a letter to city officials to complain about their son-in-law's mistreatment, the couple says they were brushed off without any explanation.

Subsequently, the couple hired a lawyer to demand answers and represent Doyle, should the issue turn into a lawsuit.

Mayor Howard Johnston said he cannot comment on Doyle's situation because the family has retained an attorney.