Noel's no bully | The Salt Lake Tribune

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

In "Noel bullies a witness and Ruzicka trumps all" (Tribune, March 11), Paul Rolly's calls Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, a bully of the defenseless and an "example of why some people don't deserve the power they are given." I add my experience.

As director of the Kane County Water Conservancy District, Noel contacted me about property I own along with partners in Kanab's Jackson Flat area. The district needed our property to build a dam. It had the right of condemnation and could have taken it and paid us current market value, which was less than what had been paid for the land.

The conservancy district worked with adjacent land owners and the city of Kanab and negotiated on our behalf. Through these negotiations, we retained most of our property and received improved rights of way and in-kind land exchanges.

Previously, the Utah Department of Transportation condemned for Interstate 15 a business property of mine. I was given a take-it-and-get-out-or-just-try-suing-us offer. I lost my business and lost money on the property.

Mike Noel a bully of the defenseless? Don't believe everything you read in newspapers.

George Fishler

Salt Lake City