Jon Greiner Statement of Withdrawal of Candidacy

After months of negotiations with the federal Office of Special Counsel regarding federal funds, that represent less than 1% of the annual Ogden Police Department budget, and trying to find a compliance program, previously decided in recent case law, acceptable to the needs of the office of Special Counsel, and being able to find nothing. I have been advised by my legal counsel to withdraw my Declaration of Candidacy for the Senate District #18 of the State of Utah for the year 2010. Today, March 31, 2010, I did such at the Utah Lieutenant Governor’s office.

Our founding fathers would probably roll over in their graves at the notion that a part time state or local citizen legislator would be denied his or her 1st amendment rights and all voters would be denied their rights by a 70 year old act of Congress that was originally passed to curb the currying of partisan political favor for federal employees. This act today, the Hatch Act, not only has the potential for significantly lesser civil penalties for federal employees than state and local workers it doesn’t even require an act of political currying. It only requires that there may exist a potential of partisan political currying for any federal grant or loan anywhere in an organization that accepts federal money, of any amount, as determined by the Office of Special Counsel.

I apologize to the citizens of Ogden City, Utah and to the elected leadership of Ogden City for the embarrassment this locally, legally, misunderstood process has taken over the last four years.

Jon Greiner