Reply #28: Emery County clerk takes back his resignation [View All]

Emery County clerk takes back his resignation
Now what? But the feud over election machines heats up, and commissioners say the clerk is out of a job
By Glen Warchol
The Salt Lake Tribune

Salt Lake Tribune

The state's $27 million transition to touch-screen voting machines has triggered an ugly dispute between the Emery County Commission and its elections chief.

The commissioners maintain that County Clerk Bruce Funk resigned Monday night after the commission met behind closed doors with state elections officials and representatives of Diebold Elections Systems over Funk's allowing election activists to test the machines.

But Funk, who had no legal representation, says he was emotionally drained by Monday's confrontation when he said he would step down from his 23-year post. "At that point I just wanted out," he said.

But by Tuesday, Funk changed his mind. Instead of confirming his resignation in writing, Funk hired a lawyer and says he will fight for his position.

"I plan to fulfill the term of my office," Funk said. "I was elected to this position by the people of Emery County."

Commissioner Ira Hatch said oral or not, Funk resigned.

"As far as I'm concerned, it will stick," Hatch said. "The legal beagles may look at it differently."

Funk says he plans to monitor Diebold's retesting of the voting machines and even videotape it to protect the integrity of the Emery County vote - and himself.

"I don't think Diebold wants anyone to know what they do to the machines," Funk said. "It needs to be documented as to what they do and and why, and videotape everything they did."

more at:
http://www.sltrib.com/portlet/article/html/fragments/print_article.jsp?article=3649394