OK, here we go again...into the cesspool of the Utah statehouse. Bear with me...
For those who don't know, Chris Buttars is a racist Utah state senator, who also has a record of homophobic and reactionary activity in the Utah Senate.
Yesterday he was "booted from [the] chair of judicial committee". This follows a demeaning letter he wrote to a sitting judge on behalf of a wealthy campaign contributor.
The official reason that Buttars lost the chair he has held since 2002 has not been announced. The Republican Senate President John Valentine noted "that it is the prerogative of the president to select committee leaders". According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Buttars:
wrote a letter last May scolding 4th District Judge Derek Pullan after the judge ruled against developer Wendell Gibby, a prominent Buttars campaign donor, in a land dispute with the city of Mapleton.
Gibby wants to build 60 homes on 120 acres he owns in the foothills above the city, and has been in an ongoing legal dispute with the city over the zoning of the land.
In his letter on state Senate letterhead, Buttars reminded the judge that he headed the Senate committee that confirms judges and that he had been "subject to some criticism for having supported your confirmation."
Accusing the judge of "bias" in the case of Mapleton v. Gibby, Buttars, who is not an attorney, said the court's decision "lacks statutory support."
Buttars continued, "I had hoped that we had appointed a judge that would err on the side of individual rights, not a liberal activist judge who would champion government."
He went on to question the judge's integrity, concluding, "I am embarrassed in this case to have supported your appointment."
This comes after Buttars asked forgiveness of his "perceived" racial insult from the congregation of Salt Lake City's most prominent African-American minister.
(By the way, if you think that Buttars's quote about a Senate bill is something other than racist, or only "misperceived" as racist -- you should see SLCdon's comment on an earlier diary, which includes an audio file.)
Here's my suggestion for action:
First, email Senate President John Valentine and congratulate him on taking the correct action regarding Sen. Buttars's letter.
Then suggest that he take another correct action, and have the Senate censure Mr. Buttars.
Last, if you are from Utah, help identify a strong candidate to run against this jerk, who apparently is planning on running again.
I think the emails from across the country may in fact have an impact. Let these people know that across the country people recognize that Buttars should resign.
--Sen. Chris Buttars (dcbuttars@utahsenate.org)
--Senate President John Valentine (jvalentine@utahsenate.org)
--Senate Majority Leader Curtis Bramble (cbramble@utahsenate.org)
And email the Salt Lake Tribune here: letters@sltrib.com