Motivating Forces
James L. Davis
Cindy Draper was surfing the internet one day when she came across a website advertising that Oprah Winfrey was looking for overstressed, overwhelmed and overworked single moms. So on a whim she thought she would apply. In the end it came down to her and one other mom to make up a panel of moms that would take part in a segment on the Oprah Winfrey show.
She didn’t make the show, and if you were to ask her why Cindy just might say she was overqualified.
But being runner-up isn’t half bad. Cindy was happy to be considered. “I think the kicker, what got me noticed was that I said I wanted to be a nicer mom. And I do,” she said with a laugh, but behind the laugh you can see that it is something she thinks about, something she even feels guilty about.
Of course, in the life of most single parents, guilt is a primary motivating force. It is what keeps you moving when sometimes all you really want to do is curl up and got to sleep, or watch TV, or anything other than face a world designed with couples in mind.
But Cindy knows something about keeping moving. She’s become an expert at it since her husband, Kip, passed away four years ago. Today the Orangeville resident keeps herself busy by being busy. She chases after her five children and at times wishes she could clone herself to be able to make it to overlapping ball games or dance recitals. And when she isn’t chasing after her own children, she can usually be found helping out with someone else’s.
In Orangeville she is the youth city council advisor and she volunteers for the Junior Jazz organization. She is also the Emery High Cheer Team advisor, but admits, perhaps with a little guilt, that she is the cheer advisor for completely selfish reasons.
“I do that for self fulfillment, because I have to have something to do. I used to dance. That’s just something I have always wanted to do.”
Sitting on her recliner in her living room, Cindy laughs her way through much of the discussion about the frustration, fears and chaos that make up the life of a single parent. She considers her own five children, Ryan, 19; Whitney, 16; Tappan, 13; Kaden, 9; and Madison, 7; and says the most important thing for her, whether she was a single parent or not, is her conviction that her children come first.
“I am such an advocate that you need to be with your kids for whatever they do, whether it be sporting events or a band concert. I feel you need to be there to show them your support. This is probably the first year that I have actually had to miss some of my kids’ games and not felt totally guilty for it. To me that’s the hardest thing,” she said and then adds with a laugh, “and keeping up with the housework.”
Being a single parent can at times seem much like being lost at sea with a storm brewing all around you and the storm is most often all of the things you feel you could do, should do, would do if you had just a little more time, and perhaps a little less chaos.
But most days the chaos is preferable to the calm that can drown you if you let yourself slow down enough to start thinking.
“My alone time is when the kids go the bed. When you’re not busy, that’s when you start thinking. The busyness keeps you from feeling bad,” Cindy said.
When asked if it works she admits that it probably doesn’t. But the guilt does, sometimes. It at least keeps your feet moving, keeps you thinking that you can and should do more. Cindy thinks that is one thing most single parents have in common, guilt about their children and a difficult time adjusting to old friendships.
“You don’t have friends who are single parents. You really do feel like you’re in a sea by yourself. You have all of these friends and when you lose a spouse or get a divorce, they still have their spouse, they have their own world. They’re still your friends but it’s different,” Cindy said.
Trying to be both a mother and a father is an impossible task and Cindy said she has had to depend on her older children to help out far more than she has ever wanted to.
“You get tired of asking other people to help you so you feel like you give all the responsibility to the older kids to take care of the younger ones. Whitney gets to the point where she says ‘don’t ask me to do that again’ because the younger ones don’t respect her,” Cindy said.
Cindy husband, Kip, was a law enforcement officer for the Division of Wildlife Resources and earlier this month the Draper family journeyed to Salt Lake City, where Kip’s name joined others on the memorial at the State Capital to fallen law enforcement officers.
With her extended family in Bountiful, Cindy has been grateful for a tight-knit Emery County community that has always been willing to help out when needed. It is that community spirit that has made adjusting to the life of a single parent a little easier. That and the ability to laugh in the face of chaos.
Today the Draper family is anxiously awaiting the construction of a new home in Orangeville and Kaden and Madison are anxious to explain exactly what color their bedrooms will be and what the furniture will look like, much to the amusement of their mom, who perhaps hasn’t been notified of their plans.
The home will be a nice change for the family Cindy hopes as Madison and Kaden climb on her lap, fighting for attention and the chance to be read to. For Cindy the new house is more than just a home, it’s a sign that perhaps it’s time for a new beginning.
“I think that’s where I am. Trying to find myself again. You have all these dreams and aspirations, but we had those dreams together and now I wonder, is that really what I wanted, or is that what we wanted? I just don’t know,” she said.
But perhaps sitting in her new living room she might allow herself time enough to find out. Oprah Winfrey might even want to put together a panel on the subject.
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Commissioner Sitterud Sentenced
to 6 Days in Jail
James L. Davis
Emery County Commissioner Drew Sitterud was ordered to serve six days in jail and placed on two years probation on Sept. 30 as he appeared in 7th District Court for sentencing following his Sept. 2 guilty plea to two misdemeanor counts of wrongful appropriation.
Judge Douglas Thomas also ordered Sitterud to pay a $2,500 fine, complete a class on criminal thinking errors and write a letter of apology to the citizens of Emery County. He also received a one year suspended prison sentence term. The class A misdemeanor charges the commissioner pled guilty to could have each carried a one year prison sentence. Sitterud was not ordered to pay restitution because he had already done so to the county. If the funds are determined to belong to the state instead of the county, then Judge Thomas indicated that was an issue for the county and state to resolve.
The audience of mostly family, friends and the curious were visibly surprised at the sentencing by Judge Thomas and the ruling came after legal wrestling by Sitterud’s attorney, Sonny Olsen, and assistant district attorney, Pat Nolan, over the wording of the presentencing report.
What became an issue in the presentencing report was a letter from Sitterud that was published in both The Emery County Review and the Emery County Progress where the commissioner presented his side of the story to citizens of the county. Presentence investigators and the prosecutor’s office felt that the letter made a mockery of Sitterud’s guilty plea because in the letter he seemed to indicate that he had not knowingly done anything wrong.
“When we saw the letter we were concerned because some of the statements flew in the face of what he had pled to,” Nolan said.
Olsen countered that the reason the letter was sent to the newspapers was to set the record straight following a wave of rumors that were confusing the issue for voters prior to an election. Olsen further argued that the presentence report made it out that Sitterud intentionally stole from the county.
“That is not what he did and is not what he pled guilty to,” Olsen said.
The attorney general’s office, as part of the plea agreement worked out with Sitterud, had recommended no jail time for the commissioner and Nolan said they were satisfied with no jail time. Adult probation and parole had recommended 30 days in jail, however.
“My focus is going to be on the facts of this case, not on any opinion that may have been in the report,” Judge Thomas said prior to making his ruling.
Olsen had hoped to call Castle Dale Mayor Neal Peacock to speak on Sitterud’s behalf, but Peacock had already submitted a letter of support for the commissioner, so Judge Thomas did not allow his testimony.
In his ruling Judge Thomas said by reading the letter that was published in the newspapers he could understand why adult probation and parole would believe that the commissioner had not accepted culpability for the charges.
“The letter creates a new nuance to this case. We don’t generally have this kind of letter be published,” Judge Thomas said.
After making his ruling Olsen requested that Sitterud be allowed to serve his six day jail sentence on the weekends and Judge Thomas denied the request. Sitterud began his jail sentence on Sept. 30.
The sentencing brings to a close the legal portion of a political hot potato that has embroiled much of county government. From calls of a smear campaign by supporters of Sitterud to a cover-up by those who thought the charges were being swept under the carpet, the issue has torn at the fabric of not only county government, but the Emery County community. Whether it continues to be a point of political bickering until Election Day remains to be seen.
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Applicant Questions Pool Hiring
Procedures
Josie Luke
The controversy resulting from the hiring process of an aquatic manager for the new swimming pool facility has surged through the county, especially with those involved with the operations of the previous pool.
When it was announced during the Aug. 19 meeting of the Emery County Commission that the manager position had been filled, many took the news in stride, but there were some, two in particular who had serious doubts about the hiring process involved. They had doubts because they had never even been called for an interview.
Marilyn and Chris Collard had been co-managers at the Castle Dale pool, had been involved in the process of getting the pool project approved and had been on the new pool committee. “We really felt like we’d be part of the new pool,” Chris related.
They had both turned in applications for the position and were frustrated and confused when they learned the position had been filled, particularly that Marilyn had not been interviewed. She explained that she believed that with her qualifications, skills and references, she deserved an interview.
“To not hire me is completely undermining what a swimming pool is about. You need experience, you need qualifications, you really need to know what you are doing,” she said. “I have the experience. To not interview qualified applicants only hurts the people of Emery County.”
According to the Emery County Personnel Director, Mary Huntington, in order to hire for such a position, the first step is for the personnel director to get permission from the county commission to begin recruitment. After permission is granted, a personnel requisition is submitted to the personnel director. The director then can post the vacancy “in house” or to the general public. In this case, the vacancy was posted in local newspapers.
The job announcement was originally posted on July 8 for an Aquatic Manager for the Emery County Aquatic Center. The requirements included various required skills and certifications including pool operator, lifeguard and swim coach certifications, the ability to develop, organize and implement various aquatic programs, among others.
According to the procedures section of the county hiring policy, if the position is a “department head,” as was the aquatics position, the county commission is responsible to review the applications of no fewer than five applicants. Huntington reported that 10 people applied for the position, of which four were interviewed.
The policy directs that the commissioners then rate the applicants in order of preference. It states that preference “shall be determined by a consistent method of rating criteria: Education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities. No less than three applicants shall be selected by preference for interview.”
Marilyn felt she was “very qualified” according to the requirements, so when she found out interviews had already been conducted, she said she was “very hurt.” She attempted to contact the commissioners by phone the day she found out but was not able to reach them, and so she went to the commission offices to speak with them in person. When she found that they were not there, she said she left a message for them to call her. As of deadline she has still not received a call.
In a Letter to the Editor printed in the Emery County Review, Marilyn’s husband Chris reported that he was in fact able to reach Commissioner Gary Kofford. The letter stated, “I spoke with Commissioner Gary Kofford recently about the reason that my wife Marilyn and I were not even granted an interview for the manager position for the new swimming pool. Commissioner Kofford informed me that they only wanted one manager and that is the reason the commission did not even consider either myself or Marilyn for the job.”
This was confirmed by both commissioners who were active at the time. Commissioner Kofford said, “They put in a dual application. We were looking for one person.” Commissioner Horrocks echoed that saying, “The hiring policy was conducted according to county policy. There were some concerns expressed by one party. They had applied for co-managers, and that was the reason they weren’t granted an interview.”
In resumes obtained by the Review from the Collards, Chris’s resume does state that he is applying “to obtain co-management position of Emery County Aquatic Center.” Marilyn’s resume does not. The resumes are formatted differently. Marilyn’s objective statement reads, “A pool management position with Emery County Recreational Department.”
Though the resumes were received in person from the Collards, as of deadline, it could not be independently verified that these were in fact the resumes sent to the county.
Despite the claims of the commissioners that the interview was not granted because it was a dual application, the controversy was fueled by what Chris’s letter claims Commissioner Kofford said later in the call. “Commissioner Kofford also said that because of some of the things in my past, Marilyn was not considered for the job. He said, ‘I did not want you around all those kids with your background,’” the letter reads. Chris claims the comment stems from his substance abuse in the early 90s, and argues that his wife should not be held accountable for his past actions.
“Even though I have changed for the better, I might be able to understand the commissioner’s hesitation in considering my application, but to totally disregard the passion that Marilyn has put into this community and the swimming programs is absolutely absurd.”
Neither of the commissioners chose to comment further for this article.
The issue has since been addressed by community members in comments to the commissioners, another letter to the editor by Amber Reed, and at the recent Meet the Candidates Night, where newly reinstated commissioner Drew Sitterud conveyed that Marilyn would be involved in the new facility.
After all that has happened, Marilyn has since elected to put the situation behind her. “I’m willing to forgive and forget and try to help a community I love to be involved in. I went and spoke to Shannon in person and explained my qualifications. Yes, my feelings were hurt, but I want to be part of this new pool,” she expressed.
She has submitted an application for a part-time lifeguard position at the facility, along with a letter expressing her hope that she can be involved in the facility she had hoped to have an opportunity to manage.
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State Budget Cuts Hurt CEU
College of Eastern Utah Interim President Mike King announced that the recent budget cuts by the state legislature would reduce CEU’s budget by four percent – an amount totaling $763,200.
“The legislature and governor needed to find $272 million and looked to higher education for $65 million of that. While CEU’s share of the total may seem small in comparison, this will have serious impacts on budgets both this year and next,” King said.
King added that the current year’s cuts would likely be funded from the Price Campus line item, where the college maintains funds from prior years that can be used to fill the shortfall.
“Next year (Fiscal Year 2010), all of our line items will be facing a four percent base reduction,” King said. The College of Eastern Utah has four line items: Price Campus, San Juan Campus, CEU Prehistoric Museum and the Educationally Disadvantaged Program.
Guy Denton, Associate Provost and director of the San Juan Campus noted the impact of holding harmless the campus in Blanding from current year cuts. “To have the Price Campus help us this year is critical – our smaller budget reduces flexibility to make such large adjustments without advanced notice.”
CEU began the year with $19 million in tax funds, including a one-time appropriation of $600,000 that will not be part of the fiscal year 2010 base, which means when the legislature convenes in January the college will be facing a budget $1.3 million below current year levels.
The college’s proportion of tax funds to tuition places it in a more volatile position than other schools. Less than 20 percent of the college’s budget comes from tuition, compared to other schools that collect 30 or even 40 percent of their funds from students. When the college receives increases for salaries, the legislature uses a ratio of tax funds to tuition, meaning CEU students pay less for compensation than students at other institutions. When cuts are made, the legislature does not seek to directly cut tuition funds, focusing only on general tax funds for a reduction.
“That means CEU is seeing a 4 percent reduction on 85 percent of its budget where other schools see a 4 percent reduction on only 60 or 70 percent,” said Robyn Sheriff, CEU’s budget director.
Vice President for Finance and Administration Kevin Walthers found a silver lining in the budget cutting process: “The irony is that we have worked so hard to get CEU in a position to have flexibility in the budget and as soon as we do, we lose it. The positive is that for the first time in many years, CEU is in a position to deal with the cuts without needing special help from the legislature or other institutions.”
College Administrators will begin preparing for the FY 2010 budget this month through meetings with the College Senate, a group comprised of representatives of campus faculty, staff and administration.
Justice Center a Cooperative
Effort in Caring
Josie Luke
Editor’s Note: Because the development new Emery County Children’s Justice Center has involves so many entities in the planning, design and construction, this will be the first in a two-part series. Part two will feature the Emery High construction students who are building the new center.
When the home being used as the Emery County Children’s Justice Center was sold by the owner, the operators were faced with the need to immediately begin looking for other options. The result of that process is a cooperation involving the staff of the CJC, Emery County, Castle Dale City, the Emery County School District, Emery High, local subcontractors and students, who like those who will be served by the facility, are still kids.
CJCs are used to provide a safe, comfortable and home-like environment for abused children to receive services during investigations. These centers are also funded through community donations, which necessitates that they be affordable. As such there are many variables involved in selecting an appropriate facility.
So, when faced with the loss of their facility, the staff began immediately weighing their options. There was the opportunity to simply find another rental property, but considering the need for it to meet ADA accessibility guidelines, it made finding a suitable property difficult. They also wanted the facility to be central, so the property needed to be in Castle Dale or Orangeville.
Because of the difficulties, CJC Director Shelley Wright approached the Emery County Commissioners for assistance. In discussing the issue with the Commission, Wright also expressed concern that if they were to find another house to rent, the possibility would remain that they could again lose the center.
After considering all the variables, constructing a new building was determined to be the most appropriate. In the discussions between Wright and the Commission, it was suggested that she might approach the Emery School District to consider donating the land for the center and considering the new building as a project for the high school construction classes.
Emery Superintendent Kirk Sitterud explained, “Shelley Wright invited us to a meeting with the CJC and DCFS where they presented the idea. Knowing we had the building construction program and since we have the building lots, they asked if the school district would consider donating the lot and the labor.”
They then presented the idea at a school board meeting, where, as Sitterud put it, the Board “fully embraced” the project. “They felt it was a good use of the property, and felt like it would be a benefit to those children who are at risk in the community,” he said.
Wright and her staff were predictably elated. “They loved the idea,” she described. “The whole thing just blossomed from there.”
It did blossom, to include: Castle Dale City, which granted a conditional use permit so the center could be built in a residential zone and waived the permit fees; Architect Robert DalPonte and Engineer LD Miller, who discounted their fees for the design; Jim Keele and the Emery High construction classes, who agreed to take on the center as their next project; and the many subcontractors who are assisting the efforts.
Commissioner Gary Kofford expressed, “The children are really the winners. It shows that through the cooperation of the school district, the county, the city and so many others, it shows what people really get if theymake up their mind that really want something. That’s the beauty of the whole thing.”
The building will be owned by Emery County and leased by the operators of the CJC.
The facility is being constructed at 900 North Center Street in Castle Dale; almost directly across the street from Emery High. The groundbreaking took place on Sept. 19, and construction is expected to be completed by May 2009.
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Law Enforcement Concerned Over
Prescription Drug ‘Crisis’
Josie Luke
In Emery County, since 2001, three deaths have resulted from an overdose of illicit drugs. During that same time, more than 20 deaths have occurred as a result of an overdose of prescription drugs. That statistic, along with a number of recent incidents involving prescription drugs has local law enforcement calling the situation in the county a “crisis”.
In response, the Emery County Sheriff’s Department Drug Task Force is set to begin a county-wide campaign to try to educate the public about the dangers of illegal and improper prescription drug use.
“I think we’re right in the middle of a crisis right now. We need to try to keep on top of it,” described Sergeant Tom Harrison, who along with Detective John Barnett will try to get their message out through the media, through presentations during church meetings, at schools, business offices and at work place safety meetings. “Basically it’s anywhere we can have a captive audience,” Harrison remarked.
In the presentations the officers will offer simple advice which they hope will decrease the availability of these drugs to young people and increase the public’s knowledge about the laws involved with prescription drugs. They will also provide some very startling statistics. For example, in 2007, more Utahans died from unintentional prescription pain medication overdoses that in motor vehicle crashes, making it the number one cause of injury death in Utah.
The task force’s objective is to convince citizens to be responsible with prescription medications. They offer several tips:
1. Keep prescription medications locked up away from children, friends and family.
2. Giving your medications to another person is illegal. Legally, there is no difference between giving medication to a friend and selling that medication.
3. Do not “broadcast” the fact that you have prescription medications. Nearly 90 percent of home burglaries in the county involve prescription medications.
4. Take advantage of information from doctors and pharmacists. If you have questions regarding prescription medications, ask.
5. If you don’t feel you need as many pills as prescribed, ask for fewer pills. If you need more, contact a doctor.
Harrison and Barnett explained that though the problem is clearly a national issue, revealing that more people are killed by prescription drugs each year than by firearms, the problem has recently become much more apparent in Emery County. “I’m afraid with the way our arrests have increased this year with juveniles and a few other indicators we’ve got coming in, if we don’t get on top of this as quickly as possible, we’re going to end up with some tragedies,” Harrison warned.
For more information on the presentations or prescription drug use contact Sergeant Harrison or Detective Barnett at 381-2888, or 381-2404.
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