Utah County GOP reads Executive Committee censure of Commissioner Amelia Powers Gardner

The Utah County Republican Party Central Committee on Jan. 17 read a Statement of Censure issued Dec. 15, 2025 by its Executive Committee that found Utah County Commissioner Amelia Powers Gardner in violation of party standards for misrepresenting her residence during a Nov. 2, 2024 credential challenge. Charles Wood read the committee’s report to the assembled Central Committee.

The statement reports that delegates had gathered public property records, utility records and witness statements and that an investigation and an Executive Committee hearing were held. As Charles Wood read the findings, the report quoted Gardner’s November 2 remarks to delegates: “I own a home in Pleasant Grove. I pay utilities in Pleasant Grove.” The investigative summary says subsequent records showed the Pleasant Grove home transferred ownership Oct. 9, 2024 and that Gardner had lease/mortgage and utility records tied to a Lehi residence, and that she voted as a Lehi resident on Nov. 5, 2024. The Executive Committee’s recorded outcomes were: 18–2 that Gardner was ineligible to participate in the Nov. 2 convention and 17–3 that she was guilty of misrepresentation, with censure as the penalty.

The statement circulated at the meeting describes the investigatory steps taken (records reviews, interviews and a hearing on Nov. 21, 2025 where Gardner presented a defense). The Central Committee did not vote on reversing the Executive Committee’s earlier finding during the Jan. 17 meeting; the censure text was presented as a formal report to members. The party secretary’s slides and the officer report summarized the complaint as initiated by 17 delegates and noted the Executive Committee’s reliance on Utah Code residency definitions in its determination.

The reading of the censure occurred alongside routine business; no additional formal discipline or review vote was recorded in the Central Committee minutes for Jan. 17. The party’s reported next procedural steps in other agenda materials include continued adherence to UCRP bylaws for any follow-up and the Central Committee’s regular schedule of meetings and conventions.