Sandy and Utah County in the spotlight

Some politicians were pounded recently by the media for accepting money from "special interests" and receiving lobbyist gifts. Utah County GOP leaders are criticized for playing hardball within their own party. Now Sandy city is under the spotlight for passing out "secret" bonuses to Mayor Tom Dolan and top administrators. Our thoughts on pressing questions:

What is the fallout from the Sandy revelations?

Pignanelli: "What the ______ (insert adjective, dependent on the temperature of your caffeine fix)?" Politicos are flabbergasted Sandy officials committed political suicide for secret bonuses in such small amounts. Further, fighting The Salt Lake Tribune from obtaining information extended the life of this issue. Awarding such payments in a public manner would have diminished the backlash.

The bonus controversy is great political investigative journalism and contrasts with the activities of most political reporters: constant rewarming of tired issues regarding lobbyist gifts and campaign contributions. How does Mayor Dolan, a seasoned and shrewd politician, respond to the controversy? Does he apologize and return the money or fight to the end? His actions will determine the long-term reaction of friends and colleagues — stand by or run away. Finally, the matter may ultimately prove a theory held by many politicos (including me). The public may express to pollsters displeasure with lobbyist gifts and campaign contributions, but it is not an issue at the polls. However, hidden uses of public funds irritate taxpayers. It is one thing to dine at the expense of

a lobbyist, but quite another to accept a tax funded bonus without public scrutiny.

Webb: If we expect government to be well-managed and efficient, we need to pay competitive salaries. I don't think the overall pay packages for Sandy department heads are out of line, and paying bonuses in government makes sense. Top public employees ought to be rewarded with incentives and higher pay, just as they are in the private sector. But Sandy's bonus system could have been more adroitly handled. When bonuses are routinely dished out year after year, they lose their effectiveness as incentive pay. Also, allocating such a large proportion of the overall city bonus money to a handful of department heads, amounting to several thousand dollars each, was sure to raise eyebrows.

Finally, fighting for four years to keep the bonuses secret from The Salt Lake Tribune was a sure loser. This is public money, and public employee salaries have always been public information. The cover-up always becomes a bigger story than the original mistake.

Is the recent focus on Utah County political intrigue having any impact on the convention results?