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Tonya Papanikolas ReportingThe trial for former Salt Lake County Mayor Nancy Workman is finished for the week, but it will resume again next week.
Today we heard from three state witnesses and three defense witnesses. A few common themes are running through the trial questioning: Did hiring these employees benefit Workman's daughter? And why didn't the employees do any county work? Was it a lack of communication or an intentional oversight?
Salt Lake County spent thousands of dollars on two accounting employees who worked exclusively for the Boys & Girls Club. Today we learned exact figures.
The first employee to hold the job, Alina Iorga received a gross total of $4,085. Jennifer Schroder then took over her duties, receiving $3,662 in 2003 and $10,255 in 2004. The total spent by the county -- $18,002.
Schroder took the stand this morning, saying no one, including Workman's daughter Aisza Wilde, ever told her she'd have to do health work for the county. She couldn't recall the mayor ever giving her any jobs to do. But she also said she was never instructed to hide information from the county.
Aisza Wilde's boss testified next, saying he asked Wilde in the beginning if the arrangement was legal, and she replied, “yes, the county loans out employees all the time.” He claimed hiring Iorga and Schroder did not directly benefit Wilde, who just took on other duties at the Boys & Girls Club.
This afternoon the defense called a few witnesses, including the county personnel director who admitted he didn't examine Iorga's job records closely, and would have questioned them had he noticed she was hired as a "community liaison" for Workman.
Sandy City mayor Tom Dolan testified to Workman's character, saying, "I've always considered Nancy one of the finest people I know. She has great integrity, she's honest, and she's very strong."
The state is not actually finished with witnesses yet, but the defense brought in a few who had a scheduling conflict next week. So when the trial resumes next Tuesday we'll again hear from both sides.
