Standing on My Record

I spoke for a few minutes at Caucus meeting on the 20th at the invitation of our Precinct Chair. After composing my thoughts for a moment, I shared with the room my feelings about our great system in Utah. I owe my participation in civics and government to the Caucus/Convention system. There's hardly a greater honor than when your precinct tells you, in effect, "We trust you. Go vote for the best person for the job." That type of trust is powerful and humbling, and unites neighborhoods. A system that produces that kind of civic and community involvement should be the model for the nation.

Each night, I call 20-30 delegates, hoping to speak to them about my record, about their concerns, and about what matters to their neighborhood. It usually takes several hours to finish. It is invigorating! Talking to such engaged and thoughtful people, I can feel how much delegates care about good government. It is why I serve.  If I haven't had a chance to talk to you, please know, I will be calling soon. 

A few delegates have had questions about my voting record. The bullet points below give an idea of where I have stood on some major issues before the Council, but you can also go to this link here and do your own research. Most major votes are cast in the Council of the Whole meeting (councilmembers call this work session "COW" for short), though a few are in our 4:00 Council Meeting. 

So you know, my standard for casting my vote is based upon two basic questiosn: First, what is fair and reasonable? Second, what does the Party Platform say about the issue? Those two questions guide me, and I am proud of my record. 

• Served in the County Council’s leadership for three years, including election by colleagues as Chairman in 2013.

• Voted against constructing a new District Attorney building when it went over budget by a whopping $17 Million, forcing the project back to the drawing board, and saving taxpayers millions.

• Supported projects in District 5 that improve the economy, like the Transit Oriented Development in West Jordan, EBAY, and Scheel's, while requiring that tax incentives for developments only fund public infrastructure.

• Aided water conservation efforts at the Jordan Valley Water Conservation Garden Park with a 5 year agreement with Salt Lake County to provide up to $150,000 annually to help educate homeowners on methods to save water in our fast-expanding portion of Salt Lake County.

• Supported the construction of the JL Sorenson Recreation Center in Herriman, the most heavily utilized recreation center in Salt Lake County.

• As a member of the Library Board for Salt Lake County, helped make the new Salt Lake County Library and Viridian Event Center in West Jordan a reality.

• Played a key part in providing resources to keep our County Jail and District Attorney’s Office fully operational after years of cuts, keeping our communities safer.

• Helped secure $1 Million in funding for the Living Planet Aquarium, a tourist attraction in the South Valley that opened March 25th. The money came from source dedicated by state law to tourism and cultural facilities, which will provide a boost to the local economy.

• Worked with city leaders in South Jordan to improve the County-owned Equestrian Center and make it a better tourism destination. When the private sector brought forward solutions and showed a better way, voted to support the privatization of the management of the Equestrian Center.

• Sponsored and passed rules that require that bonds voted upon by the public must be explained in plain English, and must be voted on during regularly scheduled general elections, not at odd times when people might be on vacation or have less time to become informed about an upcoming election issue.

• Supported rules that require the Salt Lake County Mayor to propose his budget, and any tax increase, before a general election, instead of sneaking it through afterwards