SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Oct. 19, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — Former Salt Lake County Recorder Gary Ott has died.
Ott, 66, had been in hospice care for about a week, and passed away early Thursday morning, a family member confirmed.
Ott’s competency to hold the position was challenged for more than a year before the Aug. 1 resignation date negotiated by his family on his behalf.
An investigation had revealed that Ott rarely came into the office, and that Ott’s subordinates had taken over most or all of his duties in his absence.
In a guardianship-related court case earlier this month, Dr. Trevor J. Squire testified that he diagnosed Ott with Alzheimer’s disease more than a year prior to Ott’s re-election to his job in 2014. Ott began to show initial signs of the disease several years earlier, Squire said.
Adam Gardiner has since been elected as recorder for Salt Lake County, which, at last census, had a population of 1,029,655.
