Dear residents in the HI02 precinct,
You elected me to represent you at the
Utah County Republican convention in April and I wanted to report
back to you as to how and why I voted the way I did.
County Commission Seat A – Tom
Sakievich verses Tanner Ainge
I voted for Tom. I believe the
commission needs a disciplined and mature person who has high level,
organizational and planning experience within a governmental
bureaucracy.
Tom served thirty eight years in the
United State Marine Corps, the last few years being responsible for
restructuring a major section of the Corps, affecting 180,000 members
and saving several hundred million dollars in the process.
Tanner, on the other hand, is a very
bright, quick study and has highly developed evaluation skills as a
venture capitalist and was, without question, the best debater in the
field of six candidates.
The tipping point for me was when each
candidate was asked to say something they admired about the candidate
sitting next to them. Five struggled with this question but from
Tom, the compliments flowed like an open floodgate. He demonstrated
that he is a self-confident, people person who is comfortable
praising the good qualities of even a competitor.
Utah House Seat, District 27 –
Jared Carman versus Brady Brammer
I voted for Jared Carman. I looked
for a candidate who exhibited the qualities that I admire in Mike
Kennedy.
Jared is a successful entrepreneur (2
tech companies, 3 patents), helped the Utah legislators draft and
pass pro-family legislation and has worked for years to ensure
parents rights with regard to their children’s education. He has
experience working directly with the legislature and understands the
value of and the challenges that face small businesses. My support
for Jared has increased as I have gotten to know him personally since
the convention.
Brady Brammer, on the other hand, has
years of service on the Highland City Planning Commission and is
familiar with the legislative process. In truth, he has an
impressive resume. The deal breaker for me was circumventing the
caucus system by collecting signatures to ensure that he would be on
the primary ballot in June, regardless of delegate preference.
County Sheriff – Mike Smith
and Jim Phelps
I voted for Mike Smith. I talked with
both candidates at length and both would be good but for different
reasons. Mike is stronger in administrative experience and is well
known and supported by many of his fellow police chiefs. Jim, on
the other hand, has vast and varied experience working with other law
enforcement agencies as a US Marshal. I got the impression that Jim
may be too closely associated with the County Attorney’s office, a
bit of an insider. Even though they have to work together, as a
citizen, I prefer that they be as independent as possible. Mike
appears to be one more step removed from the other branch of the
justice system and that, I think, gives the average citizen greater
protection and may reduce preferential treatment of insiders.
County Attorney – David
Leavitt and Chad Grunander
I voted for David.
There are
accusations that the County Attorney’s office has been over zealous
in prosecuting some cases. The office has also vigorously resisted
the attempts by the County Commissioners to investigate and/or
regulate (hold accountable) the county attorneys. I understand the
need to for independence but I also recognize arrogance. Chad is the
assistant County Attorney today. He obviously comes with extensive
experience with the office and as a local prosecutor but he, in my
opinion, is tainted by the history of the office.
David, on the other, has extensive
experience in other counties at the County Attorney level in both
criminal prosecution and defending counties and
municipalities. For me, this is a very attractive balance. The
County Attorney needs experience in both disciplines in order to run
a balanced office. David is also an “outsider” to the Utah
County environment. And probably most important, I have great respect
for the two attorneys who represented him at the open houses when
David had scheduling conflicts.
State Races
I was not a state delegate but have
personal experience with two of the four candidates running for
Congress or US Senate.
US Senate
I support Mike Kennedy. I know him
personally and his values align perfectly with mine. He did NOT
collect signatures but allowed the delegates to interview him and let
them decide who would best represent Utah’s interests. Mitt, on
the other hand, did pay people to collect signatures, thus bypassing
the caucus system. Mitt’s signature health care legislation, as
Governor of MA, became the template for Obamacare. Mitt is an
experienced and highly effective executive but I have reservations
about his personal politics.
US Congressional Seat District 3
I know Chris Herrod personally and
worked on his campaign a year ago. Again, his values align perfectly
with mine. John lost badly in convention but because he paid to have
signatures collected, he essentially bypassed the caucus system and
forced Chris into a primary, which is where the man with the most
money won.
Thank you for electing me to represent
you at convention and I hope you agree that I voted for the right
people for the right reasons. I welcome your comments because it is
impossible for one person to know everything about every candidate.
Devirl Barfuss, Precinct Vice-Chair
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