MURRAY — Salt Lake County GOP leaders voted late Thursday to censure Julie Dole, the county recorder's chief deputy who has been under fire and accused of manipulating her elected boss and "hiding (his) mental health status" from the public.

The executive committee of the Salt Lake County Republican Party issued a news release Thursday night announcing the vote to censure Dole, who serves as a Senate district chairwoman for the county party.

The committee cited Dole for violating the party's ethics and standards by making "blatantly false public statements" that "appear to be a deliberate attempt to hide from the public the health and mental state" of Salt Lake County Recorder Gary Ott, party leaders said in the news release.

"It has become clear to us that Ms. Dole has been being dishonest and hiding the health status of (Ott). The Republican Party is disaffected by Ms. Dole's repeated attempts to deceive the public," said Salt Lake County GOP Chairwoman Suzanne Mulet. "Further, her behavior not only affects the public but has irreparably tarnished the legacy of Gary Ott's many years of effective and admirable public service."

Through the censure, party leaders called on Dole to uphold the party's platform, which states that members will "demand honesty, integrity, morality and accountability of our public officials" and "work to expose and stop corruption."

After the meeting, Dole said she was upset that the executive committee didn't tell her they were planning to censure her.

"I think it's a sad day when a member is judged without any prior notice" or proof of wrongdoing, she said. "They chose to blindside me."

Dole told KSL she believes the censure was nothing more than a publicity stunt intended to cause her embarrassment.

"All it is, is a message. It doesn't do anything," she said.

Dole said the committee could have used another one of its bylaws to remove her from her county GOP position. Instead, she said, the committee chose to issue a censure to avoid giving her notice of the action.

Jay Brummett, a county GOP Senate district chairman, dismissed Dole's assertion, saying she shouldn't have been surprised that her actions would merit some disciplinary action.

The point of issuing a censure rather than attempting to remove Dole from her position was to avoid an "ugly" and drawn-out process, according to Brummett. Removing Dole from her position wouldn't have been worth the intensive "legalistic" process that would require, he contends, and the bylaw that allows that action is obscure and has rarely if ever been used.

Brummett criticized Dole for the allegations of manipulation surrounding her. He said he considers Ott a friend and that if the county recorder still had his faculties about him, "he would have (felt) humiliated" by the actions of his office.

The executive committee has been following the office's troubles since Ott's competency was called into question by news reports, Brummett said, and has been considering disciplinary action since that time. He said the group didn't feel comfortable issuing a censure against Dole until the state audit into the county recorder's office was complete.

Party leaders acknowledged that the GOP is "very limited in its ability to take action in this matter" because the party has no control over elected officials' actions or their appointees, according to the news release.

However, GOP rules allow for censure of executive committee members whose "public actions may bring disrepute upon the committee and party," leaders said.

Related:

Confused county recorder struggles to answer council's 'basic questions'

What's your salary? Who's your chief deputy? What's your address? Those were all questions the Salt Lake County Council directly asked embattled County Recorder Gary Ott on Tuesday — and they were all questions Ott struggled to answer.

The committee also called on state lawmakers to take steps to address the situation.

"We call on the Utah Legislature to take action on legislation that will effectively hold our elected and appointed public officials accountable and prevent further occurrences of this form of behavior," the statement said. "Our community deserves and expects nothing less."

There's no mechanism under state law to determine an elected official's fitness to serve other than an election. Elected officers cannot be removed from office unless they commit and are convicted of certain crimes.

It's not the first time the county GOP has turned against Dole regarding the concerns surrounding Ott. At the party's convention in April, delegates voted to refuse to let Dole speak on Ott's behalf. At the time, Dole criticized Mulet's "competency" as party chairwoman, saying proxy speakers are typical and should be allowed.

The censure comes after a formal complaint was filed with the Utah Attorney General's Office last month, alleging that Ott's "failing health has made him a target for exploitation, specifically from members of his staff."

Earlier this month, a Salt Lake County Council member told KSL the Utah Attorney General's Office and the Department of Human Services are investigating "elder abuse" claims connected to Ott.

The same day, a group of concerned residents said they planned to ask Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill to investigate Dole for malfeasance, alleging that her actions have amounted to a level of public deception that she should be charged and removed from office.

The state agencies have declined to comment on or confirm such investigations, but Gill told KSL on Thursday that his office is now "taking the lead" on investigations regarding Ott while working with the Utah Attorney General's Office.

"Yes, we are investigating," he said. "We have a great working relationship with the AG's office, and we will continue to share information where it may impact our mutual interests."

Gill declined to comment about specifics of the investigations or whether Dole and Karmen Sanone, Ott's government affairs liaison, are specifically involved in the probe.

Related:

Audit: S.L. County recorder has 'very little oversight or involvement' in his office

The question has gone unanswered for nearly eight months: Is Salt Lake County Recorder Gary Ott really running his own office?

County employees and others have accused Dole and Sanone — who has been identified in police and court documents and social media posts as Ott's girlfriend, fiancee or wife — of taking advantage of Ott to stay in their appointed positions.

Those worries have extended to the Salt Lake County Council after Ott struggled to answer simple questions about himself and his office in a meeting last week. Several council members told Ott they worried he was being "manipulated."

Dole and Sanone have repeatedly denied those allegations. The women, however, regularly speak on Ott's behalf — often when he's being directly asked a question. The two have insisted that he's running the recorder's office but isn't a "detail leader."

When asked last week about the allegations against her, Dole told KSL: "I have no comment."

When pressed about the state investigations, Dole said, "Let those investigations show the truth."

The Deseret News first raised questions about Ott's health in an investigation published in February following a bizarre incident on a cold January night, when police found a shivering and incoherent Ott stranded on a rural highway west of Tooele, wandering away from his truck, which was out of gas.

Soon after police reports of that incident came to light, county workers claimed that worries about Ott's health have lingered for years, even before his re-election campaign in 2014.

An audit released earlier this month found that Ott has "very little oversight or involvement" in his office and that its management is delegated "almost exclusively" to Dole, Sanone and others.

Last year, Ott earned $179,746 in salary and benefits. Dole earned slighty more: $179,953.

Contributing: Ben Lockhart

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