Campaign Issues
Trust in Government. Trust in Elected Officials to have our best issues at heart.
These are the issues I expect to tackle in this Campaign for City Council.
Read more about what my Top Issues are for this Election Year.
Stop passing laws just for the sake of passing laws
This year, the Utah legislature brought up 962 bills that they wanted to be made into laws. Of those, 582 passed both chambers. Our legislature found 582 things they felt needed to be changed in the state over 45 days. That is 21 problems proposed and 13 solutions - that affect an entire state - every day! Who can keep up with that?
The text of the average bill is 21 pages long. So you as an elected official would need to read through 12,222 pages on average over 45 days to be fully versed on how those bills would affect the State of Utah to cast a responsible and informed vote. No-one can do that! But to them, every minute aspect of our society deserves a law. This is ridiculous!
This is what happens at the Federal and State levels and not as much at the Municipal level. But it can still happen here! I will only support passing ordinances or take legislative action on items with a demonstrable need using facts and logic - not emotions. Laws proposed - for their own sake, as a solution looking for a real problem, or for the ego of the proposer - should not be passed. I commit to use sound judgment, facts, and input from all sides to weigh what should and should not be done in the public's best interest.
Promote and establish responsible housing and growth for the city
We live in an age where the American dream has soared out of reach of most of us – who can afford a $600,000 to $800,000 first home? And if our kids want to buy a home for their own family, the market is tight and the options to buy are sky-high. No one looking for their own first home is able to get one anymore unless mom and dad are rich and can help sign on the dotted line.
We need options. We need to come up with creative ways to incentivize developers to build for not just the richest segments of our society, but to find it in their best interest – through volume, tax incentives, and other creative ideas – to build a variety of housing options. We need to come together and find real solutions to these problems. And the old school ways obviously aren’t cutting it, so we need to dedicate the time and resources to make a real difference.
Growth is coming to West Jordan. It is one of the few communities in the Salt Lake Valley where open land is still developable. Companies are eyeing what we have and how they can get in on it while the time is right. Approving development in appropriate ways for appropriate areas that contribute to the best good of the city must be our focus. I will be committed to vote for rezone and redevelopment requests only that make sense and are backed up with facts and reflect the appropriate character of the area. Not just those that will make the most money for the requester. Our land is our greatest natural resource. We need to be good shepherds of it or before we know it it will be gone.
Be frugal with the public’s hard-earned tax dollars
Taxpayer’s dollars are a sacred trust. They come from single moms and elderly couples and moms and dads who struggle to put food on the table and a roof overhead. We contribute to the pool so we can have roads and police and fire protection and clean water to drink. We don’t need people in office who treat these sacrifices with minimal care or concern. We need those who will treat these funds as the precious contributions that they are and not squander them. I am one of those people who recognize tax dollars as the sacred trust that they truly are.
Be accountable to ALL the voters – not just those who supported me
In a city-wide election (like this year), it is tempting to remember the parts of the city that supported you and pay special attention to them while not going the extra-mile for those who supported someone else. I am not one of these people. I recognize that I am accountable to all 140,000 residents of West Jordan, even though less than 10% of them will vote in this election. And if one of them contacts me with an issue, I will listen to them and make sure that their concerns are heard. Our constitution makes it a sacred right for citizens to “petition their government for redress of their grievances.” I believe in this right and will listen to and work for each and every person in West Jordan – no matter what it costs me in terms of time, resources or popularity. I am in this for you – not for me.
Only support issues that will contribute to our best future as a city.
Sometimes, government is reactionary. And when emotion gets into the mix and replaces reason and logic, bad decisions can be made. While it is impossible to completely eliminate emotion from our conduct as human beings, we can be committed to doing it to the best of our ability as we make decisions that impact the lives of our fellow men and women.
I am committed to use reason, experience, good judgment, and open mindedness so all aspects of a decision can be considered rationally. Those decisions that will affect generations of West Jordan stakeholders who come after us will reflect either positively or poorly on how we conducted their affairs. I will be one of these people that you can trust to handle your affairs with distinction and respect.
