Transparency:

I have been a champion of government transparency from the beginning. Public records and our representative government should be easily available and accessible to the public. In my first term as a commissioner, I have pushed to live stream our Tuesday Commission Meetings. I also fought to allow the people to see all the backup documents related to our agenda, made available before our commission meeting. I have often voted for Government Records Access Management Act (GRAMA) information to be released fully and immediately. My office has always complied, sometimes equating to stacks of paper. I invite you to peruse our agenda and view our live stream meetings. In addition, you are welcome to come and participate in public comment. Transparency will always be a top priority for me as your Utah County Commissioner.

Economic Development:

As I travel around the state and nation I get asked, “What is the secret with Utah County?” When I first came to the area 30+ years ago, our economy was almost exclusively Geneva Steel, the hospital, BYU, and the school districts. When Geneva Steel began to decline, it dramatically affected the county. Since that time, we have pushed ourselves to grow, develop and diversify. Our economic success should not be attributed exclusively to government. In fact, there are countless support posts to our growth. However, our county government has created the benefit of keeping our tax base low, so companies are attracted to our county. In fact, we have the lowest property tax rate in all of Utah.  Between a competitive tax rate, fantastic culture, and well-educated workforce, we are moving the epicenter of business from Salt Lake City closer to Utah County.

Furthermore, when the concept of Silicon Slopes began, we promoted clusterization of businesses. This effort has been so successful that now these companies are competing for employees, and at one point, we had more commercial building permits being issued in Lehi than all of Salt Lake County.

In addition, I am a member of the board at the Economic Development Corporation of Utah. As such, I was made aware that corporate scouts often wondered about the water, electricity, infrastructure, and geotechnical landscape of potential areas. To solve this problem, we have been developing a mega site and completing all the preliminary material for scouts and working with property owners for seamless, smart development.

Personally, I believe in the free market and robust competition. I am ecstatic at our phenomenal economic growth. I know my role as a commissioner is to provide infrastructure, transportation and a stable tax structure to continue this positive growth.

Opioid Crisis:

Last year, the opioid crisis came surging to the forefront. As such, I sponsored a resolution on behalf of Utah County expressing our frustration as this tragedy was intensely impacting our families, health professionals and jails. We’ve found that this problem is no respecter of persons as it affects every age, gender and race.

Throughout this process, we quickly identified that the manufacturers who produce opioids were falsely advertising, one of their many claims was that opioids were safe for long term consumption. Since this realization, we have started the process to sue these companies for falsely advertising the effects of opioids.

As we continue the conversation our hope is that it will empower people to understand the medication they are receiving, its best uses, and warnings. Opioids, if used improperly, will destroy lives, families, and our communities. These drugs can benefit people, but because of powerful adverse effects must be better controlled and understood.

Transportation:

By 2065, Utah County will grow to be approximately 1.6 million people. Such astonishing growth takes time and strategy to manage. As such, we are working together with our local mayors and the Mountainland Association of Government to engage the public and in our planning conversations. Of key importance to our growth is our infrastructure. We must strategically maintain the roads we currently have, fund and build new roads, and secure land for future roads.

I believe we are on the edge of a transportation revolution between technology and convenience. As technology continues to revolutionize the transportation industry, we must continually research options and be at the forefront of these developments. While mass transit is a part of our modeling, we need to make certain these developments make sense for the riders and the taxpayers.

Form of Government:

The generations before us were founded on the principle that we are governed by the consent of the people. I firmly believe a vote on the county form of government needs to go to the people. On the same token, the people need to be educated on the options and consequences of each. Changing the form of government is a serious endeavor not to be taken lightly or undone at a whim. It is of utmost importance that this decision be driven by data-based research, not by personalities or emotion.  We must study other counties that have made the change to evaluate for effectiveness and cost; very rarely does growing government solve any problems.

Why Am I Running:

The first time I ran, I did so because I was asked to. I was recruited by people who had come to know who I was and how I stand on principle and limited government. Why do I want to continue? I enjoy being part of the conversation handling the issues of the county that affect our lives, our families, our future generations. There are numerous issues that I have been honored to be involved in, and even initiated in some cases; issues like transparency, economic development, the opioid crisis litigation, resource management plan, domestic violence, agriculture, transportation, and many others. Utah County is a phenomenal place to live. The growth we have and the challenges that come along with it need a leader who can think generations ahead.

Over the years, I’ve learned that there are times when you will stand alone for what is right. I am happy to take that stand for the people of Utah County. If I could truly champion one issue, it would be that of accessibility. When you need someone to listen to your side with tax issues, permits or planning questions, I want to be a resource to you and help navigate solutions to the concerns you may have. I love being involved. I love finding solutions to the challenges we face. It is an honor to represent you.