Dear Utah County Neighbor,

As an elected representative of the people, I feel obligated to express my profound disappointment in our current County Attorney, Jeff Buhman, and to reinforce the call to end his tenure in that position during this primary election cycle. From the start, Mr. Buhman’s campaign has been rife with false claims and misinformation about his challenger, Ben Stanley; but, most recently, he has resorted to abusing the power of his office to improperly obtain and disclose private records in a misguided attempt to discredit his challenger. Sadly, Mr. Buhman’s campaign is but a reflection of the mindset employed in the administration of our County Attorney’s office: win at all costs.  Mr. Buhman’s conduct reveals that he clearly does not understand that neither winning re-election, nor being “tough on crime,” require the abandonment of principles or violation of law.

As disappointing as the level of negativity and misrepresentation of his challenger’s experience and qualifications is, Mr. Buhman’s personal assaults on the character of citizens who support Ben Stanley are reprehensible and inexcusable. Such tactics demonstrate a penchant for abuse and intimidation that has no place in government—especially in an office charged with upholding law and order.

In addition to his demonstrated lack of integrity, as a seasoned County Attorney, Mr. Buhman is certainly aware of the statutory prohibitions against (a) making false statements about another candidate (see, Utah Code § 20A-11-1103), and (b) the public disclosure of private records (see, Utah Code § 63G-2-302(1)(g)). Yet, neither a devotion to civility and integrity (which are indispensible character traits for anyone holding his office), nor a commitment to abide by the law has restrained Mr. Buhman in his “win at all costs” pursuit of victory. Such blind ambition and premium on victory have bred a culture of indifference to justice in our County Attorney’s office—a culture that may ultimately threaten the liberty of every Utah County citizen. 

In my opinion—which is shaped by my years of experience as an attorney in Utah County—it is time to replace Mr. Buhman with a new public servant committed to putting our County Attorney’s office back on the side of the citizens.  We have recently witnessed in our Utah Attorney General’s office the kind of institutional corruption that can quickly evolve when we, the voters, fail to demand change at the first sign of impropriety. Let’s not allow our County Attorney’s office to experience the same fate.

In recent years, I have come to know Ben Stanley very well, and I know that he is committed to integrity and the rule of law. I am 100% confident that he has the skill, knowledge and character to be an effective County Attorney, and that he will faithfully represent the interests of Utah County and its citizens. Please join with me in electing Ben as our next Utah County Attorney.

Brian Greene

State Representative – LD57, Pleasant Grove & American Fork