Here is a summary of the presentation that was made to our group. Feel free to comment and provide any thoughts or additional feedback on the candidates.
State House District 65
Mark Jarman- http://www.utahcountyonline.org/dept/clerkaud/elections/candidates.asp, jarmanart@sfcn.org
During his presentation he expressed several reasons for running against the incumbent Francis Gibson. The first point he made was that the incumbent was running unopposed, but then added several issues regarding taxation that he felt Francis Gibson supported. He represented that that the incumbent supported increases in auto registration, business, and licensing taxes. Also, that Francis Gibson supported increases in Medicaid spending that would include immigrant children.
He didn't have a polished presentation and used notes. He mentioned a book by Lawrence Reed (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Reed) who is a senior fellow with the Heritage
Foundation. He made a strong statement about the role of government when he said that "the
government can't give, but what it takes away.
Utah County Commissioner Seat A
Gary Anderson- www.electgaryanderson.com; electgaryanderson@gmail.com
Gary is the incumbent and a former attorney. He
mentioned three issues: financial, economic development,
and law enforcement. He mentioned that they resist
every opportunity to raise taxes and fight mandated tax
increases by the state. He stated very clearly that the
county has an important role in bring business to Utah
County and named several companies that were planning
to add jobs in our county. He defended the building of a
convention center and promised that it would be funded
through taxes on tourism. In the end he mentioned that
he is for limited government. I found the comment
interesting since he feels the role government is so key
to growth in our county.
Utah County Commissioner Seat B
Linda Housekeeper- linda4liberty.com; linda@linda4liberty.com
Linda is very enthusiastic and a former chair of District 64. She didn't present many issues related to the seat, but expressed concern over the amount of contributions the she said were made to those on the County Commission from businesses. She felt that her strengths were those of a "connector" and desires to cultivate the proper environment in county government. Other than that of a watchdog, she didn't make it clear where she would provide leadership on specific issues.
Doug Witney- www.dougwitney.com; doug.whitney@gmail.com
Doug has an impressive background with service in the military during Vietnam and law enforcement since 1975. He headed the financial fraud division for the FBI in Utah, I believe, and currently works part time at the district attorney's office helping in that field. He focused a lot emergency preparedness, from a transportation perspective, and finding ways to comabt drugs and violence. He emphasized that the role of county commissioner is both managerial and a leadership position, and that tax dollars have to be accounted for properly. He implied that there has been a lack of proper accounting by current officials. Overall he was a pretty impressive guy in appearance and presentation.
County Assessor
Kris Poulson- www.krispoulson.com; kpoulson99@yahoo.com
Kris is running for his third term as Utah County Assessor. He mentioned the qualifications needed for the position and that he's a certified residential appraiser. The role of assessor is to value properties for tax purposes. Interestingly he mentioned that they have no control over the rate of taxation, but rather school districts and other groups set the rate. He stressed that his role is to make sure that the process of valuation is both equitable and fair. He told me personally that they average the MLS listings for several years in order to determine valuations.
County Recorder
Rod Campbell- www.rod4recorder.com; rod4recorder@gmail.com
Rod has been in the recorders office for 32 years and was very passionate about the role of the recorders office in protecting right of property as outlined by the Founders. The recorders office is like a library where records from real estate transactions are stored. He mentioned that they don't determine property rights, but provide the records for the court to make a determination. He mainly stressed his experience and the love of the work he does as his qualifications. He mentioned that since he's about to turn 65 that this would be his last term in office. It was ultimately a joke, but in a way it sounded a little like he was running for a retirement pension than for service.
Jeff Ratcliffe- www.vote-jeffsmith.com; jeff@vote-jeffsmith.com
Jeff stressed his experience in the County Recorders office and his many positions there. He mentioned several times that he was the "go-to-guy" when things needed to get done quickly and that through his hard work he has built a "congenial" relationship with the public. He tried to set himself apart as a person to get things done within the recorders office, but Rod Campbell expressed more of his understanding and experience in the role of recorder.
County Surveryor
Gary Ratcliffe- surveyorgary.blogspot.com; garybratcliffe@gmail.com
Gary has been a licensed surveyor since 1885 and has worked for the county since 1980. He's currently the Assistant County Surveyor. Gary spoke primarily about his experience at the county and about the role the surveyor to preserve monuments. These monuments are used when surveying to define boundaries and property lines.
Scott Peterson- peterson-scott@comcast.net
Scott is a Springville resident who is a candidate coming from the private sector. During his presentation he extolled the virtues of having a private sector background and not being a career bureaucrat. Much of his focus on the role of the surveyor was on preserving property rights. He didn't provide much insights as to the role of surveyors in protecting property rights, but clearly passionate about that topic. He stated that he is currently President of his chapter of the Utah Council of Land Surveyors, and passed the Land Surveyor in Training (LSIT) exam.
Utah County Sherriff
Robin Wall- www.robinwall4sheriff.com; robinwall4sherriff@gmail.com
The first point that Robin made in his presentation as to why he was running was that "he cares." He then proceeded to tell a couple of jokes about politicians and showed a skepticism for the incumbents practices politically. The use of the phrase "good ol' boy boys" was a common thread among the challengers for the incumbent Sheriff. He talked a lot about what he was going to do for the youth of the county and focused on education, particularly with respect to drugs. He said that he had 3 military commands during his 15yrs. with the army, and while in charge of a company he received an award for the "Best Company in the U.S. Army." He mentioned that he has 17 years of law enforcement experience.
Dan Burton- www.dan4sheriff.com; dan@dan4sheriff.com
Dan spent 7 yrs. in the army as an M.P. until he service was curt short because of an injury. During that time he had served for a period as a supervisor. He mentioned that he spent two years recovering and had to leave the military because he had elected against a surgery that would have allowed him stay. He expressed a desire to make the department more community based through expanding role in neighborhood watch and instituting a "My Child Protection Program." Although he is from California, he said that his goal was to come to Utah and be sheriff in Utah County. He set this goal following his relationship with some officers while attending school in the state.
James Tracy- www.sherifftracy.com; tracyclan1@comcast.net
Jim has served in virtually every capacity with the sheriffs office since 1977. He tried to rebuff statement regarding morale and favoritism. He discussed a workers program for inmates that helped pay for their incarceration and also have money when they leave, but then mentioned that it is currently not being implemented at this time. He mentioned that the department has a $37M budget and defended their use of funds. Overall, he provided very little about his role or performance as sheriff, but rather discounted accusations and talked about a now defunct program.
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