Joel Wright for Utah County Commissioner

Letter from my Wife to the Voters of Utah County

2010-06-18T11:30:00.000-07:00

My wife kindly sent out the letter below to the voters of Utah County a few weeks ago, and the positive response was overwhelming. Thank you very much for reading the letter, and learning more about who we are, and how we would like to serve you.

Dear Utah County Republican Voter,

Over the last several months we have enjoyed discussing the future of Utah County with Republican delegates. We received strong support at the Republican County Convention, and only 39 votes separated us from the incumbent seeking a 4th term. Our campaign is now in a Primary Election. So it’s your turn to decide who will be our next County Commissioner on Tuesday, June 22nd.

I’d like to give you a glimpse into Joel, his character and values, and why I believe he is the right man for the job of Utah County Commissioner.

Joel has been my husband and best friend for almost fourteen years. During that time we moved from Utah County to New York City for law school, and then to Washington DC for work, and then back home to Utah County. We now have four children, and love the family friendly atmosphere in Utah County. Joel has always been supportive of my service opportunities, and I appreciate this chance to share with you why I support Joel.

Joel was raised in Provo, and received a superb education in the public schools. Joel’s father is a math professor at BYU, and loved nothing more than “hanging out” with Joel and his friends when they did math homework. His enthusiasm for math was contagious, and Joel still loves to carefully review numbers, and spot the relevant trends. In high school he enjoyed competing on the debate team, and developed a passion for understanding both sides of an issue so he could be an effective advocate for his side. Joel’s peers in high school appreciated him, and elected him Senior Class President, and also President of the Young Republicans Club. I started dating Joel at BYU. I was attracted to his energy and intelligence, but also to his enthusiasm for life, and keen interest in people. Even though Joel was already very accomplished at BYU, I fell in love with him because of how he made me feel. I knew I could trust him, and that is why I married him. When our relationship turned serious, many people who knew Joel would tell me “Joel is a really good guy.” And I knew that good guys make good husbands, and then good fathers, and that is what I wanted to build my family on. When we were engaged, I was proud of how hard Joel worked as a waiter at Los Hermanos in Provo to save up enough money for us to be financially independent when we got married. Shortly after he graduated from BYU we got married, and then moved to New York City so Joel could attend NYU Law School.

In New York City we were outsiders. We didn’t have the vast network of family and friends we enjoyed in Utah County. We were also quite poor. But we were very happy. Joel and I learned and grew considerably during our time there. In fact, Joel believes the lessons he learned about self-reliance, and how to work 16 hours every day, were more important than anything he learned in law school.

Joel then had an opportunity to work with one of the best law firms in Washington D.C. I will never forget the day Joel gave me a personal tour of our Nation’s Capital. I was inspired by the love he has for our Constitution, and his appreciation of the checks and balances provided by our three branches of government. After several years in D.C., and the birth of our second child, we began to miss our home in Utah County. Joel and I are both 4th generation Utah County residents. We wanted to raise our children around our extended family, and in the family friendly atmosphere that is incomparable in Utah County. Like you, we love Utah County, where our roots are deep. Joel’s grandfather started Savage Brothers Trucking in 1946, which grew to become one of the largest employers in Utah County. And Joel’s Great Grandmother helped found the first library in American Fork.

Joel wants Utah County to be a place where our children will raise our grandchildren, and our grandchildren will raise our great-grandchildren. Joel loves nothing more than time with his children. He loves to read them books, take them to the library, explore the mountains behind our home, ride bicycles, go on hikes (he especially loves Timp Cave), and coach their teams. Joel knows you love these things too. We saw firsthand on the East Coast how increases in government spending, higher taxes and crime undermined families. Joel will not let that happen here. Joel understands that government cannot solve all, or even most, of the world’s problems. But Joel does believe government should do what it is supposed to do, and do it well.

Finally, I have observed Joel first hand during this campaign, as well as when he served on our City Council, the State Charter School Board, and the Board of Regents. In all those positions I have seen the entrenched interests try to exert enormous pressure on him to protect the status quo. Every time I saw Joel stand up for what was right, and tell the truth. Joel understands the difference between the public interest, and the interests of the status quo. He will fight for you and your family, and not for the status quo. Joel has always put the needs of both me and our family before his own, and I know Joel will do the same thing for the residents of Utah County.

Our Founding Fathers understood that elected office shouldn't be a career. They believed you should get in, make your contribution and then get out. We need more men and women willing to do the same. I know Joel understands this, and is ready to prepare Utah County for the future, and thus ask for your vote on June 22nd.

Marisa Wright (signature)
Shameless Advocate for the Man I Love

P.S. If you have any questions, feel free to call Joel on his cell phone at 801-368-5385, or learn more about him at any of the links below:

WEB: http://electwright.com/

CAMPAIGN BLOG: http://wright4countycommissioner.blogspot.com

TWITTER: http://twitter.com/JoeldWright

Call Joel at: 801-368-5385 (MOBILE)

Email Joel at: JOEL@ELECTWRIGHT.COM

P.P.S. Don’t forget to vote on Tuesday, June 22nd! And early voting should be available by June 8th.

Record on the Cedar Hills City Council

2010-06-17T15:30:00.000-07:00

Some of my opponents closest supporters are circulating rumors that I had a poor attendance record when I was a member of the Cedar Hills City Council. I am happy to respond.

1. Attendance Record. I attend 35 of the 39 Regular Meetings while on the City Council, for an attendance record of 90%. The evidence is here: http://cedarhills.org/government/city_council/minutes/index.shtml#2006
These are the actual meetings where city business is conducted. All the other meetings are for information only. While I attended the vast majority of the other meetings, I frequently was conducting City Council business that I believed had a higher priority, and I knew my other City Council members could transmit the information from the informational meetings to me. I frequently remember missing information meetings to meet with residents so I could directly address their concerns.

2. Salary Increase. When I was on the City Council, we increased the monthly salary for City Council members from $200/month to $300/month. I still believe it was the right thing to do, and would make the same decision again. At the time Cedar Hills had the lowest paid City Council members of any major city in Utah County, and we still had about the lowest salaries in Utah County. We had had two City Council members resign mid-term, and were struggling to get anyone to run for office. I did jokingly propose "tripling" the salary, with the increase held back until the City Council fixed the golf course problem, since our golf course was losing $30,000/month at the time.

3. Other Allegations: The other allegations have no proof, so I will not respond to them.

4. Re-election: I did not run for re-election to the Cedar Hills City Council in 2007 because I had two other volunteer jobs at the time (State Charter School Board and Republican Legislative District Chair) and I believed I had accomplished what I wanted on the City Council (Wal-Mart started, Golf Course breaking even and plan to eliminate the debt). I don't enter public service to just be there, I enter to contribute what I can and then move on. However, note that my wife ran for the City Council in 2007, and won. I don't think she would have won if the majority of residents didn't approve of the job I had done on the City Council, but you can draw your own conclusions.

5. Unanimous Support from other City Council Members: During my time on the City Council I served with five other City Council Members. All five are supporting my candidacy for County Commission, and have yard signs up for me. They know my record, and they are supporting me. You are welcome to contact any of them to learn more.

Finally, ask yourself this: Why are Gary Anderson's supporters releasing this information only via email in the last week? Because they know it is wrong, and have no other strategy.

Endorsement from Utah County technology guru Phil Windley

2010-06-17T11:25:00.000-07:00

http://www.windley.com/archives/2010/06/early_voting_in_utah_county_vote_for_joel_wright.shtml

Early Voting in Utah County: Vote for Joel Wright

I’m encouraging everyone I know to vote for Joel Wright for Utah County Commission. Joel is running against Gary Anderson. Joel is experienced and believes that the proper role for county government in creating jobs is to keep taxes low, plan for and build needed infrastructure, and stay out of the way. Joel recognizes that Utah county will have 1,000,000 residents (twice our current population) in 20 years and the time to plan for that growth is now.

If you’re of a mind to vote for Joel, the following table (taken from the Utah County clerk) shows early voting times and locations in Utah County for the upcoming June primary:

Utah County Primary Election 2010
Early Voting Schedule and Locations
June 8-11 and June 14-18

Location Times
Utah Community Credit Union
1364 North Commerce Drive
Saratoga Springs 1 pm - 5 pm

American Fork Library*
64 South 100 East
American Fork
3 pm - 7 pm
*Friday, June 11, 2010 and Friday, June 18, 2010
1 pm - 5 pm

Orem City - City Building Rotunda
55 North State Street
Orem 1 pm - 5 pm

Utah County Courthouse - Rotunda
51 South University Avenue
Provo 8 am - 5 pm

Spanish Fork National Guard Armory*
2801 North Main Street
Spanish Fork 3 pm - 7 pm
* Friday, June 18, 2010
3 pm - 5 pm

Endorsement from the Attorney General?

2010-06-17T04:47:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday night I had a chance to speak with Attorney General Mark Shurtleff in private for several minutes. We had a chance to discuss white collar crime in Utah County, and he agreed with me that we're failing in Utah County and have got to do better. (Note that we've seen an increase for investment fraud claims from $14 million in 2006 to $104 million in 2009 in Utah County.)

Mark asked me several additional questions, and then ended the conversation by saying he would not endorse either me or my opponent.

Then at our debate on Wednesday night I disagreed with my opponent when he claimed he was endorsed by Shurtleff.

Well, it turns out that Shurtleff had apparently changed his mind since he spoke to me on Saturday, and decided to endorse my opponent, without telling me.

So, my apologies for any confusion. Shurtleff had not informed me that he had changed his mind, and I was relying on my last conversation with him.

Why did our opponent misquote Senator Bramble?

2010-06-16T16:08:00.000-07:00

In an email my opponent sent to voters on June 11, 2010, it began with the following statement:

"In the SL Tribune, (April 2010) Senator Curt Bramble is quoted saying, “Utah County is one of the best fiscally managed counties in the state.”"

But Senator Bramble is remaining neutral in our race, so I thought it strange that our opponent would be using a quote from him. I called Senator Bramble, and he told me two things: (1) he did not give permission to our opponent to use the quote above, and (2) he is fairly confident that he was being misquoted.

So I found the actual quote from Senator Bramble in the Salt Lake Tribune dated April 24, 2010, and it reads as follows:

""Under Steve White as a Utah County Commissioner, Utah County is one of the best fiscally managed counties in the state," Bramble said."
(see: http://www.sltrib.com/ci_14952356?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com)

In other words, Senator Bramble believes Utah County is "one of the best fiscally managed counties in the state" under Steve White. I called Senator Bramble back and shared the actual quote with him, and he made very clear to me that he believes Steve White deserves the credit for Utah County being one of the best fiscally managed counties in the State, and not our opponent. Senator Bramble expressed disappointment that Gary would misquote him to such an extent.

What is almost as strange is that our opponent used another quote from Senator Howard Stephenson in the same email, which reads as follows:

“Utah County is the best managed county in the best managed state in the nation,” Senator Howard Stephenson, President, Utah Taxpayers Association. (Red Meat Radio, 2010)

But Howard Stephenson is endorsing our campaign, and not our opponent, in this election. Senator Stephenson even authorized our campaign to use the following quote from him:

"We need people in office who understand the importance of lowering the tax burden on our families and our businesses. Joel understands that we need to live within our means and not keep holding our hands out for more money from Utah's families. I have seen Joel fight for smaller government and lower taxes everywhere he has served. We whole heartedly endorse Joel Wright for County Commission and encourage you to vote for him."

-Howard Stephenson
President, Utah Taxpayers Association & State Senator, District #11

Bottom Line: I find it odd that our opponent chose to begin his email to the voters on June 11th using quotes from two State Senators who are not supporting his campaign, and then misquote one of them. I'll let the blogosphere decide why he would choose to do so.

Does Utah County have a serious budget shortfall?

2010-06-16T06:40:00.000-07:00

Does Utah County have a serious budget shortfall? At the May 11, 2010 Utah County Commission meeting it was announced that sales tax revenue in Utah County had declined another 6.4% in 2010, and Utah County was facing a serious budget deficit.

A proposal was made to required employees to pay co-payments on health insurance (like over 90% of the employees in the private sector are already doing) and decrease the 401(k) match from 6% to 2%. Unfortunately, our opponent immediately dismissed this proposal, and any other proposal to balance Utah County's budget.

I believe Utah County needs to start living within their means, and balance the budget as soon as revenues decrease so they can avoid deficit spending.

The Daily Herald agrees, and wrote this strongly worded editorial supporting a balanced budget:

IN OUR VIEW
Utah County cuts

Posted: Tuesday, May 18, 2010

At some point Utah County will likely need to cut employee benefits to balance the budget.
Commissioner Steve White has been looking for a way to slash millions, and is right to do so. Which is less unpalatable, he asked: firing $5 million worth of employees or trimming their benefits?
Commissioner Gary Anderson pooh-poohed: "The last thing we want to do is harm the benefits of the great employees of this county," he said.
Eventually, however, White will be proved right. An interesting parallel lies across the pond, in Europe, where governments in Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Great Britain have either cut the pay of government workers or announced plans to do so.
In other words, in a era when the prime minister of Great Britain will cut his own pay by 5 percent, it's easy to imagine that a Utah County employee may soon have to chip in more for health insurance.
That's Europe, you say. But states, counties and cities across the U.S. are gushing red ink. The whole world is awakening from its government spending fantasy, and Utah County is not exempt. It can only try to limit the pain as much as possible.
Local government employees will be fortunate if the worst they must endure is stingier benefits.
* * *
Also on this subject: Sheriff Jim Tracy criticized White's comments -- not so much for their content but for the fact the commissioner made them in public.
"It ought to be between the department heads and not in the public," Tracy said.
Baloney. Understanding the county budget is an urgent concern for taxpayers, and it should be debated fully in the open. The whole idea of elected leaders making vital decisions behind closed doors needs to go.
Is Tracy for government secrecy?

Article available at:

http://heraldextra.com/news/opinion/article_219222f4-d3b6-51d4-954c-98e7d3417ecd.html

See the coverage of Utah County's budget deficit from the Daily Herald and the Salt Lake Tribune in the comments below.

2010-06-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

Fundraising Success and Call for More Transparency

2010-06-15T18:31:00.000-07:00

PRESS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Joel Wright
Cell: 801-368-5385
Email: Joel @ElectWright.com

JOEL WRIGHT ANNOUNCES CAMPAIGN FUNDRAISING SUCCESS & CALLS FOR MORE TRANSPARENCY IN FINANCIAL REPORTING

The Joel Wright for County Commission campaign is pleased to announce the results of our fundraising through Friday June 11, 2010. Our campaign was able to raise $47,652, almost all from Utah County residents. We are pleased to announce we also have almost $5,000 cash still on hand for the final week of the campaign, and expect to raise another $5,000 -10,000 in the final week. The official report is available on the Utah County web site here:

http://www.utahcountyonline.org/dept/clerkaud/Data/Minutes/CANDFINDISCCOMMISSA/2010/CountyCommissionSeatA-WrightJoel-061510.pdf

Joel Wright said “We are pleased with the outpouring of support from so many Utah County residents. We are also mindful that unfortunately this is the first time Utah County voters will be able to see campaign finance reports in our race.”

Our campaign believes that financial reports should be required of all County candidates prior to both the County Party Convention, and the Primary election. Joel Wright said: “Delegates to the Utah County Republican convention decided 7 of the 9 races in April 2010 without a Primary, and many of those races have no General Election opponent either. Yet voters will not see their financial reports until now. This is not transparent government. If elected I will ensure we change our laws to promote transparency in campaigns by requiring financial reporting at least as stringent as the state requires of legislative candidates, including financial reporting before every county convention.”

Utah County voters and residents should have the opportunity to know where campaign funds come from and be allowed to factor those donations and expenditures into their voting decisions. Utah County elections should be more transparent.

We encourage all candidates for county office in Utah County to support this important change.
###

Convention Center in Provo - does it make sense?

2010-06-14T05:35:00.000-07:00

Below is a thoughtful editorial on the Convention Center in Provo. Utah County recently borrowed $40 million to build it. Now that we have it, I will try to do everything I can to make it successful. But over 95% of the Convention Centers in the USA lose money, and all the signs indicate the Provo Convention Center could cost the taxpayers of Utah County millions of dollars going forward.

Twenty years ago the County Commissioners allowed the taxpayers of Utah County to vote on supporting the McKay Events Center at UVU with their tax dollars. I wish our current Utah County Commissioners had done the same, and allowed the voters to decide if the Provo Convention Center makes sense.

http://heraldextra.com/news/opinion/article_2073d488-45d9-584f-aeb3-8afc395c6a9d.html?mode=story

In Our View

Convention center: May it succeed

Posted: Sunday, June 13, 2010 12:30 am

The Utah County Convention Center will be a reality soon. The groundbreaking is Tuesday. But how should Utah County residents expect the center to perform financially after it's completed?

In a guest opinion on this page a week ago, Joel Racker, president and CEO of the Utah County Convention and Visitors Bureau, laid out an optimistic case. In a nutshell:

• Some groups have rejected Utah Valley because there's no facility big enough for them. The Utah County Convention Center will solve that, attracting more conventions, trade shows and other events.

• More events mean more customers to hotels, restaurants and other businesses in Provo and the rest of the county, which means more taxes collected.

• With interest rates and construction costs at rock bottom, this is an opportune time to build.

The new convention center has every bit as good a chance of meeting expectations as other similar venues. But success is no slam dunk, and not merely a function of square-footage.

Inadequacy of facilities is only one of many reasons that conventions reject Utah County, according to a market analysis/feasibility study done by CSL International last year. If Utah County is generally unappealing as a destination, then building a new center may not help much.

Convention centers all over the nation are running deficits these days. Many require subsidies from government. But if convention centers in travel meccas such as New York, Chicago, Orlando and New Orleans are struggling, what does that mean for quiet little Provo?

According to Heywood Sanders, a University of Texas at San Antonio professor and longtime critic of public convention centers, achieving financial success is a tall order for any convention center. But don't most U.S. centers at least break even? Sanders had two short answers: "No" and "You've got to be kidding."

"The vast, overwhelming majority of convention centers -- 95 or 96 percent -- operate at a loss," Sanders said. Some take in revenue that's half or less of expenses.

Advance projections of how many events a particular center can attract can be wildly optimistic, Sanders said. With about 325 convention centers of significant size in the U.S., "this business is astonishingly, murderously competitive."

As a result of the ferocious competition, facilities are often forced to slash prices. For example, Washington, D.C.'s convention center now offers 44 percent discounts. If a facility in the nation's capital -- a prime tourist draw -- must offer cut-rate deals, it must be wondered what lies ahead for Utah County.

There is an alternative to fighting for major events, Sanders said: Book more local events such as weddings, group meetings and graduations. In other words, use the facility as a big banquet hall.

That could work. But of course that approach won't draw in the heavy load of outside visitors needed to pay the freight of the center's construction. That was a key selling point to Utah County taxpayers. Bonds will be retired by hotel, car rental and restaurant taxes -- in other words by out-of-towners.

That's an appealing pitch, but local people are on the hook, too. If you take your family out to eat, the local restaurant doesn't care whether you're from Orem or Oklahoma, Spanish Fork or Singapore: You'll pay the surtax.

Likewise, if a Utah County resident rents a car for a trip, or a motel for visiting relatives, he'll pay the higher car and room taxes.

Sanders added that analysis must also consider what economists call "opportunity costs." No matter how the money is raised, it could go for potentially more valuable uses.

"Just because visitors are paying, that doesn't justify doing dumb things," he said. He added, tongue in cheek, "It might be better to bury a million bucks somewhere and invite people to come to Utah County to dig it up!"

Of course, Sanders has not studied the Utah County project in detail. He's speaking broadly. Nevertheless, many of his comments seem applicable.

Two factors could make it hard for the new convention center in Provo to pan out financially:

First is that little intangible element the convention trade calls "destination appeal." These are the characteristics of a place which, on their own merits, draw visitors. Lists of top convention cities usually are topped by Chicago, Washington, Las Vegas, Orlando and other hot spots -- places where you can do things other than attend a conference.

So where would Provo/Utah County land on such a list? The 2009 feasibility study noted: "There are some important weaknesses of the local market -- and the downtown, in particular -- that will influence Provo's ability to attract events, including the limited number of restaurants, bars, entertainment options and attractions (often desired by planners and event attendees.)"

There's also the economy. Nobody is out of the woods yet. The Utah County Convention Center could face some tough sledding in the years ahead.

What will be government's attitude after the convention center is up and running? Sanders noted that local officials are often reluctant to admit when their expensive facilities fail to reach income expectations. The financial results sometimes remain hidden from the public. "Often you cannot even find out how it's doing as far as bringing in conventions," Sanders said.

It will be essential going forward that our local governments provide absolute transparency to the public. Once the center opens, Utah County should post regular statements on its website showing revenues and expenses, as well as reasonable figures on collateral income received by local businesses from convention visitors. Residents need to know exactly what's going on with this big investment, warts (should there be any) and all.

Hopefully, things will go well. Elected officials say that they paid great attention to details over several years of planning, and that they approved the center only after careful and diligent analysis. That's encouraging. And Racker, whose organization is charged with the task of marketing and sales, is enthusiastic. He thinks it's all going to work.

We hope so. With sound management and some good luck, the taxpayers of Utah County will never be required to subsidize the new convention center.

Fiscal Facts on Utah County

2010-06-14T05:01:00.000-07:00

Below I cover fiscal facts you can verify, and then make three promises to you that you will be able to verify if I run for re-election in four years.

FISCAL FACTS

1. Utah County’s expenditures have grown twice as fast as our population the last five years. Utah County’s expenditures have grown 68% in the last 5 years, from $51.04 million (in 2003) to $85.78 million (in 2008).[1] During that same time, Utah County’s population only grew 29.6%, from 409,000 to 530,000.[2]

2. Commissioner Anderson has supported these increases in the budget. Shortly after Commissioner Anderson was sworn in for his third term, he approved amending the budget to increase it by 7% in 2007,[3] and then was the deciding vote (by 2 to 1) to approve a substantial 14% increase to the 2008 budget.[4] This rapid increase in spending led the Utah County Auditor to warn in 2008 that such expenditures would deplete the surplus (or general fund) and created a budget situation that “will not be sustainable in subsequent years without either new revenue sources or increased revenue from existing sources.”[5]

3. Commissioner Anderson voted to increase his salary by 10% in 2008. Commissioner Anderson was the deciding vote (by 2 to 1) to increase the salary of the Utah County Commissioners from $94,700 to $108,000 in June 2008.[6] In November 2009 I suggested this salary increase be rolled back to ease the burden on tax payers, and was rebuked by Commissioner Anderson.[7] Note that the salary of the County Commissioner has been increased from $82,000/year to $108,000/year in the last four years.

4. Commissioner Anderson voted for the largest combined sales tax increase in Utah County’s history that was not approved by the voters. In August 2007, Commissioner Anderson voted to increase the voter approved 0.25 percent sales tax for transportation (2006) by 20% up to .30 percent in 2007.[8] Further Commissioner Anderson voted in September of 2008 to further increase it by almost 100% more to .55 percent. [9] We certainly need transportation projects, but I believe any sales tax increase should be put before the voters so they can determine if it is justified.

5. Property Taxes Increased in 2008 and 2009: Utah County’s property taxes had stayed relatively modest and stable until 2008, when Utah County received a windfall due to the Utah State Tax Commission allowing a one time change in the assessing and collecting rate without going through the truth-in-taxation process, which resulted in the Utah County’s property tax revenue going from $25,430,082 to $30,299,437 from 2007 to 2008, or a 19% increase, in a single year.[10] It would have been responsible to either return this windfall to the taxpayers, or at least save it, but instead it was immediately spent on the growing budget. Because the surplus had been used up, Utah County then had to raise property tax rates by 8.5% in 2009[11] when our property values declined so Utah County could collect the same amount of revenue, even though it means they were now taking a larger percentage of your home’s value, or a bigger piece of the pie.

6. $40 million in new debt for the Convention Center in Provo: We can have honest disagreements on the Convention Center, including whether it is the proper role of government, why Utah County is paying $40 million for the Convention Center while Provo is only paying approximately $7 million, and whether the private sector would have built a convention center for our County in Pleasant Grove. But we cannot debate that the taxpayers of Utah County are paying for the Convention Center, because they clearly are on the hook for the Convention Center. According to the Preliminary Offering Statement used to sell the Convention Center debt to investors, the annual debt service on the Convention Center will be paid as follows: 7% from the tax on hotel rooms, 11% from the tax on car rentals, and 82% by the one percent tax on restaurant food in Utah County.[12] While the tax on hotel rooms and car rentals are typically paid by visitors from out side our County (while also being paid by local businesses bringing in clients and employees), the tax on restaurant food in Utah County is paid overwhelmingly by the residents of Utah County, the Utah Restaurant Association and most informed observers believe at least 80% of the restaurant tax is paid for by the residents of Utah County.[13] Bottom Line: While tourists and business will generate up to 40% of the revenue to cover the debt service on the Convention Center, the tax payers of Utah County will pay most of the cost of the Convention Center. Furthermore, without the Convention Center’s debt service, the restaurant tax could be decreased substantially, easing the tax burden on our residents. The Daily Herald recently analyzed the claims that taxpayers will not pay for the Convention Center, and concluded that "local people are on the hook" [14] for the Convention Center.

Finally, I make three promises to you that you will be able to verify if I run for re-election:

1. I will vote against any budget that includes an increase in the property tax rate in the next four years. Our citizens and businesses have to live within their means. It is time for Utah County to do the same.

2. I will vote against any budget that includes the 2008 salary increase from $94,700 to $104,000 for the County Commissioners, and vote against any salary increase for Commissioners in the next 4 years. Everyone is doing more with less. It is time for our Commissioners to lead by example.

3. I will not run for more than two terms as a Utah County Commissioner. Our founding fathers understood the problems with any individual accumulating too much power, and becoming a career politician. I believe no one should serve in any Executive Branch position for more than two terms, and that includes our County Commissioners. In contrast, my opponent is asking you for a fourth term in office.

Thank you very much for engaging with me in an informed discussion of these issues. Please don't hesitate to call or email me to discuss further. My mobile is 801-368-5358 and my email is "Joel@ElectWright.com".

Warm Regards,

Joel Wright

SOURCES

[1] Numbers from 2004 to 2008 available at http://www.sao.state.ut.us/lgr/county/2008/08xbutco.pdf , 2009 numbers from http://www.sltrib.com/utahcounty/ci_13862040 (Note that final official expenditures for 2009 are not yet available.)

[2] See http://www.census.gov/

[3] 2007 Lower budget was approved in 2006, but subsequently amended after Commissioner Anderson came into office in 2007, see: http://www.sao.state.ut.us/lgr/county/2008/08xbutco.pdf

[4] See the Minutes from the December 18, 2007 Utah County Commission Meeting, Item #26: http://www.co.utah.ut.us/Dept/COMMISH/Data/Minutes/CM/2007/121807-CommissionMinutes.pdf

[5] See page 9 of the 2008 Financial Statements from the Independent Auditor here: http://www.sao.state.ut.us/lgr/county/2008/08xfutco.pdf

[6] See the Minutes from the June 17, 2008 Commission Meeting, Item #1: http://www.co.utah.ut.us/Dept/Commish/data/minutes/CM/2008/061708-CommissionMinutes.pdf ; see also the Deseret News article dated June 18, 2008: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700235619/Utah-County-commissioners-hike-pay.html

[7] See the blog of Daily Herald reporter Joe Pyrah here: http://sausagegrinding.blogspot.com/2009/11/game-on.html

[8] See Item #22 on the August 28, 2007 Commission Minutes at: http://www.co.utah.ut.us/Dept/Commish/data/minutes/CM/2007/082807-CommissionMinutes.pdf

[9] See item #17 on the September 23, 2008 Commission Minutes at: http://www.co.utah.ut.us/Dept/Commish/data/minutes/CM/2008/092308-Commission-Minutes.pdf

[10] See page 46 of the 2008 Financial Statements here: http://www.sao.state.ut.us/lgr/county/2008/08xfutco.pdf

[11] Such information not yet available in official Financial Statements, but available on every property tax notice in Utah County. The Utah County Tax Levy was .000809 in 2008, and increased to .000878 in 2009, which is an 8.5% increase.

[12] Copy of the Preliminary Financial Statement (page 3) obtained from Utah County in February 2010 through a GRAMA request. Email Joel Wright at Joel@ElectWright.com if you would like a copy of it.

[13] The Utah Restaurant Association told me that at least 80% of the restaurant tax is paid for by the residents of Utah County, and likely over 90%. I have also had conversations with Commissioners Anderson and White, as well as Rep. Frank who tried to repeal this tax earlier this year, and they all have said to me that approximately 80% of the restaurant tax is paid for by Utah County residents.

[14] See: http://heraldextra.com/news/opinion/article_2073d488-45d9-584f-aeb3-8afc395c6a9d.html

Editorial in the Daily Herald on Property Tax Increase

2010-06-10T13:19:00.000-07:00

http://heraldextra.com/news/opinion/editorial/article_77bb338c-f144-5955-bc27-7da5900a4cbe.html

In Our View

Utah County tax semantics

Posted: Thursday, June 10, 2010 12:05 am

A tax hike is a tax hike is a tax hike. Or is it?

County Commissioner Gary Anderson and challenger Joel Wright have been scrapping over whether Utah County taxes have or haven't gone up. You'd think the answer would be obvious, but in the weird, wonderful world of property taxes it all depends on what you mean.

Wright says homeowners are paying a higher rate -- 8.5 percent.

Anderson replies that county homeowners overall are not actually paying a higher amount.

The value of most homes across Utah Valley has been dropping. When that happens, Utah law allows the county to raise the rate so that it takes in the same amount of revenue. So, legally, there's no tax hike.

It's true that most people aren't writing a bigger check to the county for their taxes, because the decline in home value offsets the rate hike. The bottom line is the bottom line, or so that argument could go. If you aren't paying more, you aren't paying more, and that's that.

It's a valid argument, but will it resonate with voters?

Well, that depends. For example, imagine that you go to a department store, and plan to buy $100 worth of clothing. Let's say the sales tax is 6 percent, so you expect to pay $6 in sales taxes. At the register, however, the clerk says there's a big sale, so the clothes only cost $50. Great! you think; and I'll only owe $3 in sales tax. That's a win-win.

But suppose the clerk still charges you $6 in sales tax. You'd be furious because that would bump the rate to 12 percent. It wouldn't help your mood if the clerk said, "Why are you complaining? You're still paying the same amount overall for your purchase, including the tax. And the government really needs the money."

Or imagine that your income dipped but the federal government increased the tax rate so that you paid the same amount as you did at your old salary. You'd howl. It would be little consolation that your check to the IRS was for the same amount as the year before.

Utah County taxpayers might feel the same way. At least on paper, they've lost wealth if the value of their houses declined. So it may grate to pay a higher tax rate.

Of course, what's even more irksome is that the last decade has exposed property tax assessments as fiction. Many houses in Utah Valley saw their theoretical value soar after about 2001, only to plunge when the recession struck. The only known, concrete value of a house is whatever a buyer pays for it; the rest is guesswork. Having to pay taxes on those guesses looks less and less fair every year.

The more important issue is whether the county spends those taxes wisely. With the rate-amount issue clearer, it might be time for Anderson and Wright to further explain why they're the ones to keep county spending in line in the future.

When incomes fall or when real estate values decline, government spending should follow in the same direction. It's time to spend less -- a lot less. Where did the idea come from that government should largely be immune from the economic pain that is felt by the people in a downturn?

Op-Ed in the Daily Herald on Balancing UT County's Budget

2010-06-09T11:59:00.001-07:00

http://heraldextra.com/news/opinion/utah-valley/article_9e824d44-9ad5-5910-bd5d-20ec67c14097.html?mode=story

Local Opinion

Challenger blasts Anderson record

Joel Wright | Posted: Wednesday, June 2, 2010 12:04 am

Utah County's government is now in its fourth year of spending more than it receives. This approach is not sustainable, and has dangerously depleted the financial reserves of Utah County. Because Utah County is required by law to balance their budget every year, Utah County will have to raise property taxes, or engage in mass layoffs, once the reserves are gone.

How did this happen? I believe it happened due largely to the single vote of Commissioner Gary Anderson on two key occasions since he was elected to a third term in 2006.

The first occasion was in December 2007, when Anderson was the deciding vote to increase the County budget by 14 percent in a single year on a 2 to 1 vote. The increase led the Utah County Auditor to warn that such a budget was not sustainable, and would require a substantial increase in tax revenue. And since then, tax revenues have only declined.

The next occasion was in June 2008, when Anderson was the deciding vote to increase salaries for county employees on another 2 to 1 vote, including his own salary from $94,000 to $108,000 (even though his salary had been increased from $82,00 to $94,000 the year before). Just before this vote, Anderson stated that Utah County "may have to increase taxes at some point."

Anderson's statements about the need for a future tax increase have been consistent. In October 2007, Anderson said he "foresees a [tax] increase in perhaps three years given current trends" and then said in November 2008 he "doesn't see a way to avoid a tax increase." But there is a way, by simply refusing to raise taxes, and not spending more than you receive. Fortunately, the voters will get to choose in the Republican Primary Election on June 22 between Anderson's approach of raising taxes and spending, or my approach of living within our means.

Our county commissioners should be hoping for the best, and planning for the worst. Instead, they are planning for the best, and hoping they don't have to raise taxes, or cut spending, until after the election. At the commission meeting on May 11, it was announced that sales tax revenue would likely decline another 6.4 percent in 2010, and Utah County was running a deficit of approximately $5 million in 2010. A proposal was made to balance the budget by requiring co-payments on employee health insurance (like they do in the private sector), and cut the match on 401(k) contributions from 6 percent to 2 percent. Unfortunately this proposal was dismissed, and no other proposals were made to balance the budget. Instead of following the example of Utah's state government, it appears Anderson believes Utah County should follow the example of our federal government, and ignore the day of reckoning as long as possible, or at least until the election is over.

I experienced a similar situation when I joined the City Council of Cedar Hills in 2006. Cedar Hills had the highest property taxes in Utah County due to a failing city-owned golf course and a lack of commercial development (or sales tax base). During my time on the City Council we took on these problems. Our City Council approved a commercial development anchored by Wal-Mart that is now universally admired. Wal-Mart gave Cedar Hills a strong sales tax base, allowing Cedar Hills to decrease property taxes during the current recession. When I realized there were not enough votes to shut down our money-losing golf course, I worked with my fellow council members to turn it around. We hired new management, dramatically improving revenue from the golf course. We then created a plan to sell portions of the golf course for homes to eliminate the debt on the golf course.

A similar fresh approach is needed in Utah County. Our county commissioners must start spending less than they receive. We need leadership willing to make the hard decisions today, so we are not "forced" at some point to raise taxes. Most of all, we need county commissioners who will put the interests of the taxpayers first, and not base their budget decisions on the election cycle or campaign support.

• Joel Wright is a candidate for Utah County commissioner.

Insightful Blog on the American Fork debate on June 1, 2010

2010-06-07T16:56:00.000-07:00

http://www.localcommentary.com/davidblog/2010/20100601.htm

Relevant portion below:

Introduction

American Fork's historic City Hall was the scene tonight of a debate among school board, county commission, US House of Representatives, and US Senate candidates who will be on the ballot for the June 22 primary. Hosted by the American Fork Youth City Council and competently moderated by American Fork City Councilor Shirl LeBaron, the event drew a standing-room-only crowd of more than 130, nearly all of whom stayed for the whole two hours.

The first hour, which I will discuss here, was devoted to candidates in all the races which have primaries, except the US Senate race. The second hour was entirely devoted to Republican Senate candidates Mike Lee and Tim Bridgewater and will be the subject of a separate blog post, which I will begin writing as soon as I have finished and posted this one.

In both hours, questions were written and submitted by the audience, then selected, combined, edited, etc., by the moderator. In the first hour, two minutes were allotted for each opening and closing statement, and one minute for each response by each candidate.

Disclaimers

First disclaimer: As usual here, I will not attempt to provide a detailed blow-by-blow account of the evening, let alone a transcript. I will summarize a lot, quote a little, analyze when the mood strikes, and simply ignore what I don't think was relevant or interesting. I'm not even trying to be chronological or comprehensive.

Second disclaimer: I walked in the door already having personal favorites in all races but one, the primary race for the US House seat from Utah's Second District, between Jim Matheson and Claudia Wright. (I won't be voting in that race at all.) In the county commission and senate races, I have actually cast votes for a candidate at either the county or state Republican convention. In the case of the school board race, one candidate's sign is on my lawn.

Despite my leanings -- some strong, some not -- I flatter myself that I have enough experience in campaign politics to allow some objectivity in evaluating candidates' performance at the event. And in case you're curious, I note that none of my preferences changed as a result of the evening's event, though the possibility existed.

Final disclaimer: What you get is here is what I think. I don't know and will not attempt to evaluate whether it will please you or any given candidate or not. If you disagree, or if I get something wrong, feel free to comment.

To communicate with candidates or view their Web sites, look them up in the Utah County candidates list.

.....

County Commission Seat A: Anderson vs. Wright (Republicans)

I didn't hear anything new in the county commission race. Overall, I'd give challenger Joel Wright an A- for the evening, and incumbent Gary Anderson a B+. In the interest of full disclosure, I note that I voted for Joel Wright at convention. (Four years ago, to be sure, I voted for Anderson.)

In his opening statement, Wright explained how the county commission seats work in Utah County; this was probably helpful to more than a few in attendance. There are three seats, two of which are up for election this year. All three are county-wide; they don't represent specific districts. Wright also said he wants to focus on regional issues, such as transportation and crime, which require attention on more than a city-by-city level. He also said nice things about limited government -- as did everyone else who spoke, I think, except possibly Ted Barratt, Jim Matheson's surrogate.

Anderson emphasized his support among the law enforcement community and his work in getting the county to address long-overdue transportation issues. He noted that he hasn't raised taxes, and he won't.

Here I must insert a disclaimer: Utah's truth-in-taxation law is perverse, as I've said before. It not only requires rate decreases (or unchanged rates) to be treated as tax increases in many cases; it allows candidates to claim that taxes weren't raised, even though rates went up. Anderson's approach to this is to proclaim his own purity of record and intent. Wright's is to use numbers to show that taxes increased even if there wasn't technically a tax increase. It's unnecessary complex and obscure, but it's the state legislature's fault, not these candidates'.

Wright insisted that there have been large increases in the county budget; Anderson says there have been no increases. Wright promises to roll back the latest pay increase for county commissioners; Anderson evaded this theme and talked about pay increases for county employees at large.

Wright said that a $40 million convention center should have been put to the voters, if it was going to be done at all.

Anderson boasted that Utah County has the lowest taxes and the smallest staff (per capita) among all Utah counties, then partly undermined his own argument by explaining that this is because Utah County doesn't have to provide municipal services, as many counties do. (The population of unincorporated portions of Utah County is very small.)

Wright promises not to serve more than two terms. Anderson says that if you ignore two terms he served in the last century, before returning to his law practice for a while, he's running for his second term right now.

Wright says the county government should just get out of the way of economic growth; Anderson sees a larger role for the county to play in economic development. (Presumably, this includes the convention center.)

Anderson emphasized his skill in bringing people together. He noted that mayors support him. In this vein, however, he went one step too far: He spoke of Utah Senator Howard Stephenson (the Utah Taxpayers Association's founder) reporting that Utah County is the best-governed county in the best-governed state in the Union. The inference was obvious, that this is partly to the incumbent's credit. Quite apart from the fact that I don't think these evaluations originated with Senator Stephenson, this opened the door wide for Wright to note that Stephenson has endorsed him, not Anderson.

I am rarely fazed by endorsements, but I am outright suspicious of claimed endorsements in Anderson's case. Prior to the county convention, he bombarded county delegates with e-mails naming a lot of people who endorsed him. Repeatedly, he had to send out a retraction later the same day, because he used a name without permission or claimed an endorsement from an organization that either hadn't endorsed him or could not do so.

If I were Joel Wright's campaign manager, I would have wanted to hear a little more substance from him. I thought he spoke more than necessary of principles and generalities, when it might have helped to display his command of details. Admittedly, the format -- lots of candidates, short responses -- doesn't easily lend itself to detail, but even so, there could have been more.

If I were Gary Anderson's campaign manager, I'd be telling him two things. First, if you want to call your opponent a liar, you ought to have something that sounds like a fact or two at your disposal, rather than simply making the thinly-veiled assertion. Second, his campaign comes across as a compilation of tried-and-true Utah County conservative slogans and some related button-pushing. Sometimes that's enough, perhaps. But in a year when people are actually listening, and his opponent's approach is markedly less shallow, and there's more than the usual anti-incumbent scent in the air, slogans and button-pushing probably aren't enough.

For what it's worth, Wright got more applause than Anderson tonight, though I got the impression that the voters there are not finished evaluating him. And though my support of Wright is a bit soft at this point, for reasons I'm not going to describe here, Wright did nothing to push me away tonight, and Anderson did nothing whatsoever to pull me away.

END

Daily Herald calls on Utah County to balance their budget

2010-06-07T05:35:00.000-07:00

Great editorial from the Daily Herald below calling on Utah County to balance their budget now, and stop borrowing against the future by spending all of the reserves.

If elected, I would not hesitate to make the cuts necessary to balance the budget every year. That is what a Commissioner is hired to do, and you can hold me accountable for Utah County's budget.

http://heraldextra.com/news/opinion/article_219222f4-d3b6-51d4-954c-98e7d3417ecd.html

IN OUR VIEW
Utah County cuts

Posted: Tuesday, May 18, 2010 12:00 am

At some point Utah County will likely need to cut employee benefits to balance the budget.
Commissioner Steve White has been looking for a way to slash millions, and is right to do so. Which is less unpalatable, he asked: firing $5 million worth of employees or trimming their benefits?
Commissioner Gary Anderson pooh-poohed: "The last thing we want to do is harm the benefits of the great employees of this county," he said.
Eventually, however, White will be proved right. An interesting parallel lies across the pond, in Europe, where governments in Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Great Britain have either cut the pay of government workers or announced plans to do so.
In other words, in a era when the prime minister of Great Britain will cut his own pay by 5 percent, it's easy to imagine that a Utah County employee may soon have to chip in more for health insurance.
That's Europe, you say. But states, counties and cities across the U.S. are gushing red ink. The whole world is awakening from its government spending fantasy, and Utah County is not exempt. It can only try to limit the pain as much as possible.
Local government employees will be fortunate if the worst they must endure is stingier benefits.
* * *
Also on this subject: Sheriff Jim Tracy criticized White's comments -- not so much for their content but for the fact the commissioner made them in public.
"It ought to be between the department heads and not in the public," Tracy said.
Baloney. Understanding the county budget is an urgent concern for taxpayers, and it should be debated fully in the open. The whole idea of elected leaders making vital decisions behind closed doors needs to go.
Is Tracy for government secrecy?

Did UT County raise taxes? Article from Daily Herald

2010-06-04T09:30:00.000-07:00

http://heraldextra.com/news/local/article_36b6249c-a5c4-5595-8a33-6ea25d7d1f06.html?mode=story#utpol

County Commission candidates spar over tax rate

Joe Pyrah - Daily Herald | Posted: Thursday, June 3, 2010 12:25 am

For months, GOP County Commission candidates have sparred over whether the county's portion of property taxes has been raised over the past three years.

Challenger Joel Wright says that the tax rate has increased 8.5 percent -- a tax increase. Incumbent Gary Anderson says a rate increase doesn't equal a tax increase if you don't pay any more.

With the collapse of the housing market, the values of homes across the county have been in flux, usually dropping. To keep county revenues flat, the tax rate must increase, even if the amount you pay doesn't.

"Either he's incredibly ignorant about the process, or he knows better and he's just using it for political purposes. And he knows better," Anderson said.

County Clerk/Auditor Bryan Thompson said that an official tax increase requires that someone pay more in taxes than the year before based on a combination of home valuation and tax rate. The county must then have a truth-in-taxation hearing as required by state law.

Utah County has not been required to hold one for the general budget in years.

"They can raise the rates to keep the revenues flat," said Charlie Roberts with the state Tax Commission. "The system is designed that way."

It's the state that sets the revenue-neutral tax rate for the county. Wright disagrees with the entire system, standing his ground that a rate increase equals a tax increase. If a home value drops, so should the amount residents pay, he says.

"It's just a difference in interpretation," Wright said. "I just don't respect very much the state mandate."

Even if he concedes a rate increase isn't a tax increase, Wright says the commission -- and Anderson -- should have cut deeper than they have given the general economic situation. The county has eliminated dozens of positions and taken early retirements over the past several years. But they haven't shown nearly the "modesty" of the state, schools and others, Wright says.

Anderson says the county already has one of the lowest tax rates in the state, comparable or lower salaries than other counties and fewer employees.

"We don't raise taxes in Utah County. We don't do that," he said.

That may be the case for general fund property taxes, but commissioners have raised a number of other taxes over the past three years.

The voters approved a quarter-cent sales tax increase for transportation. Commissioners increased that another quarter-cent by themselves for transportation because they were allowed by the state. They also increased the restaurant sales tax in the county to help cover the cost of a $40 million convention center that will be built in Provo.

They also increased the property taxes for the 10,000 or so residents who live in the unincorporated part of Utah County. That's in part because of a dust up with the state over other tax revenues, as well as to cover services like fire and policing that those who live in cities pay for through municipal taxes.

Editorial in the Daily Herald on Balancing UT County's Budget

2010-06-04T09:19:00.000-07:00

Joel Wright's Speech at County Convention

2010-05-17T16:37:00.001-07:00

Several friends have asked me for a copy of the speech I gave to the County Delegates at the County Convention on April 24, 2010. Below is a complete copy:

Hello delegates!

My name is Joel Wright. I am a candidate for Utah County Commission Seat A, and I’m here to ask for your vote!

I grew up in Provo, and am proud to have been educated by our local schools. I attended BYU, where I earned degrees in Economics and Political Science, and married my sweetheart. I then moved to NYC to attend law school. After working in NYC and Washington DC, my wife and I missed Utah County, and jumped at the chance to return to Utah County to raise our children here.

When I served on my City Council, I realized we needed more leadership at the regional level on transportation. Utah County has 550,000 people now, and we’ll have one million residents in 20 years or less. We simply must do better on transportation, and several other issues, which is why I decided to run for the Utah County Commission.

Let me tell you what I will stand for as your County Commissioner:

First, I will always tell you the truth. I have not hesitated to tell you the truth on any issue during this campaign, and I will continue to do so as your County Commissioner. I will send you a monthly email where you can respond to me, and host a web page where anyone can come and discuss the issues facing Utah County. You will almost certainly disagree with me at least once in a while, and that is when I most need and want to hear from you.

Second, you will be able to hold me accountable for how every tax dollar is spent. I know that every dollar government takes from you means you have less time to be a Scout master, or a soccer coach, or a Mother.

Third, I will always do what is right, regardless of the political consequences. At different points in my public service I have come under tremendous pressure to go along with the crowd, or keep my mouth shut. I have always refused to do so. I believe there are many things more important than myself, and I will always do what is right.

Finally, I promise to give more than I get. I love Utah County. Our ancestors made tremendous sacrifices so we could enjoy the freedom we have today. I am willing to make those same sacrifices.

Thank you so much for your service as a County Delegate. I humbly ask for your vote, and look forward to working with you to improve Utah County. Thank you!

END

A County Delegate dares to attend a County Commission meeting

2010-05-04T21:56:00.000-07:00

Loved this blog post from Steven Reid on attending an actual County Commission meeting:

http://nacilbupera.blogspot.com/2010/04/utah-county-commissioner-mtng.html

TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2010
Utah County Commissioner Mtng Attendance
This morning we attended our first ever Utah County Commissioner's Meeting. Since becoming a county delegate we figured it was our duty to go check out our elected Commissioners in action and see if things were running properly and now that the convention is over, we had a bit more time to do so.

Utah County is made up of three County Commissioners who meet Tuesday mornings at 9am. We're rather astonished that the meeting is at 9am when we like many are scheduled to work. Provo has its city council meetings at 7pm when we are more able to attend. We might be able to fathom the 9am meeting time if the meeting were rebroadcast: but there is no rebroadcast of Utah County Commissioner Meetings! We discovered the only venue currently available to citizens of the County for meeting review are agenda meeting notes posted online up to two weeks later after the meeting has taken place. In other words, the review-ability for our elected Commissioners is grossly deficient: THIS MUST BE FIXED!

At today's meeting, Commissioner Anderson was excused for health reasons and Commissioners White and Ellertson reviewed a rather non-controversial agenda approving all the items 2-0. Items of interest included Health Dept Director Miner talking about a aerial mosquito abatement program, a discussion on the Jordan River Commission to have the 18 jurisdictions split a $100K bill making the river a showcase for the state, and Richard Nance presenting the results of the clean-out-the-cabinet prescription drug reclamation of nearly 900 pounds of medication (see detailed Deseret News article).

The meeting also prompted us to chronicle the attendance of our elected officials at these meetings. Below is a spreadsheet using data extracted from the official minutes of the County Commissioner meetings for 2010 (for any corrections plz comment below or see our profile for email address):

From this data we gather the following interesting conclusions:

Our County Commissioners all have superb attendance at these meetings. This is really crucial as there are only 3 to conduct business
Joel Wright and Leon Frazier were the only two Commissioner candidates to have attended ANY Commissioner meeting in 2010. We were flabbergasted that Doug Witney had yet to attend any meeting yet was able to knock out the incumbent Steve White at Saturday's convention. We wonder if this glaring absence continues how in November either Republican Witney or Democrat Barratt are going to have any clue on what the issues are or of a smooth transition. We didn't see either at today's meeting nor was Mr. Wright present. We feel it unreasonable to expect perfect attendance during a campaign for a candidate running for County Commissioner, while we do expect some attendance.
Our elected County Officials appear to be attending as they are able. We feel that all of our elected officials should be making periodic appearances whenever available at our County Commissioner meetings. We also feel there will be times when then have pressing conflicts and should not be viewed as having to attend every meeting. Furthermore, some positions may merit more frequent attendance than others. We feel all the current elected county officials are doing due diligence.
We plan on keeping track of and periodically disclose attendance at the County Commissioner Meeting as a way of doing our patriotic part to keep check on our government.

Summary of the Convention, on to the Primary!

2010-04-27T08:36:00.000-07:00

I was very happy with the results of the Convention, and our campaign's execution at the Convention. I believe we surprised many delegates with our ability to effectively get our message out at the Convention. I was especially happy with our speech to the delegates - the nominations went great, none of my children started crying (though one did fall asleep), and the delegates really responded to our message.

Now we have a primary. It is a completely different race than the one we had at Convention. I heard one person tell me that the Convention is sort of like a boxing match, while the Primary is sort of like a football game. I think that is a good analogy. We are actively working on our strategy for the Primary election on June 22, 2010 when every single registered Republican in Utah County (over 200,000 voters) can vote for County Commission Seat A, even though if the Primary elections in June 2006 or June 2008 are any indication, we'll likely only get 20,000 to 30,000 voters to come out. And if we don't have a Senate Primary Race, we might get even fewer. In other words, it will once again likely be a race where a few highly discerning voters will determine the outcome.

Below are the articles on the Convention from the Daily Herald, Des News and SL Trib. I include the highlights immediately below:

DAILY HERALD (at http://bit.ly/cOItev ):

"The other incumbent, Gary Anderson, will have his hands full come June when he has a primary with challenger Joel Wright in what was a very close convention vote."

Great picture of my daughter during my speech to the delegates: http://bit.ly/bFpJLr
Picture of me giving my speech to the delegates: http://bit.ly/cuzYOZ

DESERET NEWS (at: http://bit.ly/cr9Yh7 )

"There will be a primary election for the other Utah County Commission seat, as incumbent Gary Anderson and Joel Wright split the vote, 52 percent to 48 percent.
Wright said he was satisfied to take the election to a Republican primary race.
"I'm really happy. It's very hard to take out an incumbent," he said."

SALT LAKE TRIBUNE (at: http://bit.ly/cM9ns8 )

"An anti-incumbent backlash swept one Utah County Commissioner out of office and forced another into a primary battle for the Republican nomination."

....

Anderson and Wright's race went to a second ballot, as neither of them got 60 percent on the first round. During the second round, with candidate Jim Vein eliminated, Anderson received 51.6 percent to Wright's 48.4 percent.
"It's very hard to take out a powerful incumbent, who has the support of powerful types," Wright said. But he said his message of fiscal responsibility and taking on Anderson's support for the Utah County Convention Center helped with delegates.
Anderson noted the convention's anti-incumbent tone, but said he was grateful he was still in the race. He said primary voters are more representative of the party's mainstream than delegates.
"I felt good coming out of there," Anderson said. "The voters know me."

END

Watch the debate between Joel Wright & Gary Anderson

2010-04-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

Part #1 of 2 below.

Just go to this link:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=electwright&aq=f

And you can see a list of all the videos below.

Noah Webster Debate
Two weeks ago in Orem I had the opportunity to debate my opponent
on several important issues facing Utah County. Many of the
questions brought out clear differences between us on important
subjects. These questions ranged from jobs to the Utah Lake Bridge
to the County spending $40 Million on a Convention Center in Provo.
I believe the responses show clear differences to our priorities and
values.

Below you will find a summary of the responses and a link to watch
the full video for yourself on You Tube. Half of the debate will be in
this email and you will get the other half tomorrow.

Opening Statements
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGZhBT8Ok-A

Summary of Joel Wright's statements:
--We need to get more people involved
--This is a Debate on issues
--We have fundamental disagreements on certain issues
--Are we doing well enough right now? Or can we do better?
--My Experience
+Helped get a sales tax base into Cedar Hills while
on the City Council by removing obstacles to
economic development
--Proper role of Government is to remove obstacles to
Economic Development
--What got me interested in County was the roads that need County
Leadership and it’s not there

Summary of Gary Anderson's statements:
--Lives in Springville
--Ran for County Commission first in 1983
+I was elected to 2 terms then
--4 years ago approached to run for Commission
--Now we have a lot of road projects like I-15 going

Please set forward the top 5 long term problems facing
Utah County now, and discuss your proposed solution
for the biggest problem?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_I2BXJmok4I

Summary of Joel Wright's answer:
--Live within your means
--I think Utah County can do a lot better with living within our means
--Must pay attention to new crimes
+Investment fraud gone from 30 million-104 million a year from
2006 to 2009
>It’s undermining our economy and getting worse
+Prescription Drug Abuse
>We need to be engaged
+Child Sex Abuse
>We need to give the Sheriff the resources to
combat this serious crime
--Transportation
+Government’s role is transportation
+We are at mercy of State & Federal Government
for roads
+I will push the State to give us the control and let
us keep our money here in Utah County

Summary of Gary Anderson's answer:
--Number 1 issue is Economy
--Bring good jobs
--Next is Economic Development
--Crime is a problem but we disagree with what is the biggest
problems
--Senior Citizen issues are problems
--Transportation
+Done a lot for this

Recently Utah County borrowed 40 million dollars to
build a convention center in Provo do you think this was
a wise use of taxpayer dollars?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEke_ERefes

Summary of Joel Wright's answer:
--There are some serious concerns
--Decision is made and we have to make it successful though
--Must analyze decision making process
--Why did Utah County put in 40M but Provo around 7M?
--Started out purely Provo project and they get most benefits, why
County now?
--Pleasant Grove has plans for a convention center that could have
been built with private funds
--If they fixed stink at Sewer plant we could potentially get a
convention center built by private sector in Pleasant Grove
--Restaurant sales tax is paying for the Convention center and
residents of Utah County pay 80% of the restaurant tax, tourists
only pay 20%
--We are paying for the Convention center
--Opponent looks at Govt sector first, while I will remove obstacles
to private growth

Summary of Gary Anderson's answer:
--Happened a long time ago I can’t take credit for it
--People came to Utah County saying we need a Convention center
--Nobody else would build it
--By law only County can build Convention Center
--Claims only TRT room taxes pay for the Convention Center and
then rental car fees if we need it from Rental Car & Restaurant
Taxes
--We said we have this much money what are you going to give us
to designers
--The Convention Center in Pleasant Grove “isn’t happening”

Where do you see your role in Economic Development as
a County Commissioner?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBLNN2wu_5I

Summary of Gary Anderson's answer:
--“I think Utah County and State and govt in general has a few core
jobs and one of them is to make sure your people are working,
make sure we have good jobs in this county”
--Govt needs to compete with other states and provide incentives to
lure people in
--We said to Microsoft if you come in we will give you a tax break
--Brought in 7 companies,
--Claims nothing was happening 4 years ago, we are now in EDCU
under his watch

Summary of Joel Wright's answer:
--This is a critical difference between us
--Government's job is to remove obstacles to Economic Development,
keep taxes low (instead they’ve been going up), fight crime and
build infrastructure
--Tax breaks and incentives - doesn’t work long term
--Unemployment rate has grown in last 4 years, Govt isn’t responsible
for jobs, but if they are, they have done a dismal job
--We should stay in EDCU Utah
--None of the companies identified on opponent's flyer would say
opponent had anything to do with them coming
--EDCU has been in place for us since before my opponen came into
office and we should stay with them
--My job will be to remove the obstacles and let you create the jobs
and the innovation not government

On the topic of Econ Dev what can the county do about
the sewer treatment smell in the PG area?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YD_epUc1WAU

Summary of Gary Anderson's answer:
--Joel said that Commission is responsible but its independent but we
could get rid of the district and take it back over
--I’ve never smelled it but I believe them
--Problem is composting
--My stand is this, we have a new system coming in, in June or July,
until then compost should be moved off site, when done move it
back and try again, if that doesn’t work we take drastic measures
Summary of Joel Wright's answer:
--I agree the problem has to be solved
--There was a window to solve this earlier but we didn’t get it done
earlier, County failed at leadership
--Utah County is changing we were rural but we are rapidly becoming
urban
--Competing Property Rights is becoming a big issue
--Govt should define property rights and say who needs to take care
of what
--The independent district isn’t fair or proportionate to users or
effects, Cedar Hills with 10,000 people shouldn’t have same vote
as Pleasant Grove with triple that amount and the smell

The two of you have conflicted on whether the County has
raised taxes recently, will you please explain your position.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQdx4R-5DGk

Summary of Gary Anderson's answer:
-Shows chart
--Tax rate went up about 8% in 2008-2009 but its set by state, but we
still collect the same amount of taxes
--Talked about his and Joel’s tax payments for their homes
--Talks about Joel has nice house and he has a picture of it here
--Says he pays less now
--We needed to be made whole

Summary of Joel Wright's answer:
--We disagree
--Gary and I are privileged people in nice homes that have gone down
in value in last few years
--If you have home that is 200k or less you are paying more, property
taxes are a regressive tax
-- “We have shifted [property] tax from rich attorneys to hard
working school teachers and other working [people] of the
county”
--Ut Co has grown dramatically in last few years 68% more
expenditures since 2003, population growth only 29%
--Anderson amended the budget up by 7% in 2007, then another 14%
in 2008
--Anderson increased salary from 94k to 104 K in 2008 the same year
he raised property tax rate
+I will not vote for a budget with that commission salary
increase
--Anderson also voted to increase the sales tax by largest increase
ever not approved by vote
--Anderson wants government to be made whole, and doesn’t care
what’s happening with the people
--On property tax we can have honest debate, on sales tax there is no
debate he raised the tax
--Anderson thinks govt can solve problems, and get you a job with
taxpayer money
--It’s not commission’s job toget you a job, government's job is to
remove obstacles

What is the total county budget and how much of that
money is from Fed govt?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjbzdgYK4U4

Summary of Joel Wright's answer:

--Total budget is about 80M but I don’t know percentage of Fed
money in there, I admit I don’t know everything
--This is a frustrating issue when Fed govt takes money from us and
offers to give it back if we do it their way
--State govt often does the same, and so does the County to our cities
--We need to press down decisions and money to lowest level to local
officials
--I came through a small city that got hit with mandates too often
--We should get as much of this money back as we can

Summary of Gary Anderson's answer:
--We didn’t increase budget 50%
--We get 22% from Fed Govt
--I am happy to get these monies from Fed government it is good
--We don’t want one time stimulus money
--Those guys are way out of line
--Haven’t had to raise taxes everything we’ve done without raising
taxes

As you can see we have very different views on these issues. I look
forward to talking with you more about the issues that affect Utah
County.

You are always welcome to call me on my
cell phone at 801-368-5385.

As always, I also ask for your vote April 24th at the
Utah County Convention!
Warm Regards,

Joel Wright

Joel Wright

p.s. Please always feel free to call me or email me questions or
concerns, I will always be engaged and look forward to earning
your vote!

Response to Linda Houskeeper, and a Challenge to Gary Anderson

2010-04-22T08:53:00.000-07:00

Since one of Gary Anderson’s campaign supporters, Linda Houskeeper, made a series of baseless attacks on our campaign last Tuesday, we have been hoping that Gary Anderson would publicly distance himself from the actions of one of his supporters. Since he has not yet done so, we feel obligated to defend ourselves from these baseless charges, and challenge Gary Anderson to refuse to participate in any more Meet the Candidate events sponsored by Linda Houskeeper unless all county candidates are invited to attend, which is what the overwhelming majority of the county delegates would prefer.

Campaign Tactics used by Linda Houskeeper and Sandi Hoffman, supporters of Gary Anderson

Facts:

1. Linda Houskeeper is currently a Republican candidate for Utah County Commissioner Seat B, and Sandi Hoffman is a county employee.

2. Both Ms. Houskeeper and Ms. Hoffman are supporters of Gary Anderson for Utah County Commissioner Seat A, and are doing everything they can to help Gary win a fourth term as County Commissioner against Joel Wright.

3. Ms. Houskeeper scheduled a number of Meet & Mingle events that were advertised to the county delegates as being held for all county candidates with all county delegates invited. The emails advertising these events did not disclose they were Linda Houskeeper campaign events, as required under Utah Code 20A-11-901. The sign at the door of each Meet & Mingle event stated “Utah County Republican Party – Meet and Mingle – Utah County Office Candidates” – and did not clarify they were Linda Houskeeper campaign events. This gave most, if not all, county delegates the false impression that the Utah County Republican Party was sponsoring these events, instead of being sponsored by the candidate Linda Houskeeper.

4. At the Meet & Mingle scheduled by Ms. Houskeeper on Tuesday, April 6th, Ms. Hoffman came over to Mr. Wright’s table and repeatedly interrupted a conversation Mr. Wright was having with a delegate who was complaining about the difficulties he encounters in filing personal property taxes. Ms. Hoffman told the delegate that she makes such filings all the time and they are easy to do.

5. Mr. Wright then asked Ms. Hoffman to stop interrupting their conversation because he wanted to hear from the delegate.

6. Ms. Hoffman then raised her voice and called Mr. Wright a “liar” because “everyone knew Mr. Wright had promised to cut the salaries of county employees if elected, and now he was saying something different.”

7. Mr. Wright told Ms. Hoffman that he would indeed likely propose a cut to the salaries of county employees if the economy got worse and the tax revenue continued to decline, and would make no promises either way.

8. Ms. Hoffman called Mr. Wright a liar again, and then Mr. Wright’s campaign manager intervened and asked her why she was doing this. They spoke for a short while, and Ms. Hoffman then left, and she was not crying at any point. Mr. Wright’s campaign believes Ms. Hoffman has no grounds for her claim that “I have never been so publicly humiliated in my whole life.”

9. Mr. Wright never used any personal attacks or disparaging comments in his conversation with Ms. Hoffman. In contrast, Ms. Hoffman called Joel Wright a liar.

10. After this incident, Ms. Houskeeper asked Joel Wright about it, and Joel Wright discussed the event extensively with her on several occasions along with at least one witness of the event. Ms. Houskeeper then decided to “uninvite” Joel Wright from attending all future Meet & Mingle events based on this incident.

11. Ms. Houskeeper has also “uninvited” Jeff Buhman, the only Republican candidate for County Attorney, from attending her Meet & Mingle events, because she also dislikes him for reasons we do not understand, but we believe to be without merit.

12. Ms. Houskeeper continued to promote her Meet & Mingle events as open to all County Candidates, despite the fact she had uninvited both Joel Wright and County Attorney Jeff Buhman.

13. Joel Wright’s campaign then did their homework, and learned there are a number of restrictions on public buildings holding campaign events. Our campaign shared this research with the public charter school in Salem, and they concluded that their tax exempt status could be revoked if they held a campaign event that favored one candidate over another (see applicable IRS guidance here: http://www.irs.gov/charities/charitable/article/0,,id=163395,00.html), and they also learned that their insurance through the State of Utah would not cover any campaign event because the taxpayers would then be subsidizing a political campaign. The school then informed Ms. Houskeeper of these facts.

14. Ms. Houskeeper’s response to these facts provides tremendous insight into her true motives. When Ms. Houskeeper was informed that the public charter school in Salem could not host the Meet & Mingle unless all candidates were invited, Ms. Houskeeper sent Joel an email dated 9:58 AM on Tuesday, April 20, revoking her previous “uninvite” and re-inviting Joel Wright to attend the Meet & Mingle that night. In other words, if Ms. Houskeeper truly believed that the incident she cited above was a legitimate reason for “uninviting” Joel Wright from attending any future Meet & Mingle events, she immediately discarded that reason once it was not in her best interests. In other words, she did not “uninvite” Joel Wright on principle – she only uninvited Joel Wright because she thought it was in her best interests, and then immediately re-invited Mr. Wright once it was in her best interests to do so.

15. The public charter school in Salem then informed Joel Wright that because he had been invited, that they would go ahead and allow Ms. Houskeeper to hold her Meet & Mingle that night at their school, so long as Ms. Houskeeper could provide event insurance as they were required to do so by the State of Utah’s Division of Risk Management. (Call Morris Haggerty at the State of Utah at 801-538-956 to confirm the requirement that a public charter school may not use their insurance on a campaign event.)

16. Ms. Houskeeper failed to provide event insurance to the public charter school in Salem by that afternoon as required, so the public charter school cancelled the event.

17. Ms. Houskeeper then indirectly “uninvited” Joel Wright again to all the remaining Meet & Mingles on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 20, when she sent out an email to all county delegates stating I was “officially uninvited” from all the remaining events. Once again she violated the law by failing to disclose these were Linda Houskeeper campaign events, as required under Utah Code 20A-11-901.

18. Ms. Houskeeper also accused Mr. Wright of using “legal tactics” to prevent her from hosting a Meet & Mingle the night of Tuesday, April 20 at the public charter school in Salem. Mr. Wright’s campaign respectfully disagrees, and believes that all elected officials take an oath to uphold and defend the law, so candidates should respect all applicable laws, even when such laws are not convenient or in your favor.

Our Challenge to Gary Anderson:

Please make a public statement today that you will not attend any campaign events for multiple county candidates going forward unless ALL county candidates are invited, including Joel Wright and Jeff Buhman. And then please refuse to attend any such events unless you have solid proof that all county candidates have been invited. Note that Joel Wright promises you that he will not attend any campaign event for multiple county candidates unless you are invited on equal terms as well.

Note that Joel Wright’s campaign is not asking Gary Anderson to determine the truth of the facts above. We are simply asking him to comply with the wishes of the overwhelming majority of the county delegates to allow all candidates to attend so they can decide for themselves who deserves their vote.

Clear Differences on Proposed Bridge Over Utah Lake

2010-04-15T08:35:00.000-07:00

Last week in Orem I had the opportunity to debate my opponent on
several important issues facing Utah County. One of the questions
was on the Utah Lake Bridge proposal. I believe the responses once
again show clear differences to our approaches and feelings about the
issues.

Below you will find a summary of the responses and a link to watch
the full video for yourself on You Tube. We will also be putting the
other questions and answers on You Tube from that debate over the
next couple days.

The Question was:
There is a proposal to build a bridge across Utah Lake by a
private group. Do you support this effort? If so, how can you
guarantee the taxpayers won’t foot the bill should the group fold?
Summary of Joel Wright's answer:

1. Governor Herbert and his administrative staff will decide this.
2. If the private sector can come and solve one of our transportation
problems, let's make it happen. I'm all for it.
3. The State of Utah should return to Utah County all the revenue
they get from leasing the easement over Utah Lake, and Utah County
should insure that 100% of those funds go to improving the Lake.
4. There should be a construction (or completion) bond on the
construction to make sure the bridge will be completed when it is
started.

Summary of Gary Anderson's answer:

1. I am not for the bridge proposed right now.
2. We need to do an Environmental Impact Study "EIS", and let that
study tell us if a bridge is feasible
3. There are three developers that will pay for the bridge wanted by
the Lake, which an EIS will tell us
4. The developer/owner of the bridge should not make a profit from
the bridge because they will make so much money from the land
across the lake once it becomes accessible. Direct quote: "We have
them develop it, we have them build it, and then the money
(and this is another problem I have with the present bridge) the
money, if that is a toll bridge and it has to be a $2 toll or
something, the money that is made in excess of the debt service on
that bridge goes back into the Lake."

YouTube Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEK0f7mJL_A

As you can see we have very different views on this issue. I look
forward to talking with you more about the issues that affect Utah
County including the Bridge.

If you would like to talk in person please see the complete schedule
of all such meetings here:
http://wright4countycommissioner.blogspot.com/2010/04/where-you-can-meet-me-in-person.html

Alternatively, you are always welcome to call me on my
cell phone at 801-368-5385.

As always, I also ask for your vote April 24th at the
Utah County Convention!
Warm Regards,

Joel Wright

p.s. Please always feel free to call me or email me questions or
concerns, I will always be engaged and look forward to earning
your vote!

Fiscal Facts on Utah County (4-9-10 email to county delegates)

2010-04-10T10:15:00.000-07:00

I sent the email below to all County Delegates on the morning of Friday, April 9, 2010. It goes through and details the Fiscal Facts on Utah County, and explains my position in response to the claims from Gary Anderson. I have included Gary Anderson's email below for you to review because I want to earn the vote of delegates who have reviewed the claims, and verified the facts.

Dear County Delegate,

Wednesday you received an email from Gary Anderson with a number of claims about our campaign for Utah County Commissioner. I would like to take a few moments of your time to respond. You are always welcome to call me on my cell phone directly at 801-368-5385. I’ll first cover the fiscal facts that you can verify, address the claims in Commissioner Anderson’s email, and then make three promises to you that you will be able to verify if I run for re-election in four years.

FISCAL FACTS

1. Utah County’s expenditures have grown twice as fast as our population the last five years. Utah County’s expenditures have grown 68% in the last 5 years, from $51.04 million (in 2003) to $85.78 million (in 2008).[1] During that same time, Utah County’s population only grew 29.6%, from 409,000 to 530,000.[2]

2. Commissioner Anderson has supported these increases in the budget. Shortly after Commissioner Anderson was sworn in for his third term (2 terms in the late 80s previously) in, he approved amending the budget to increase it by 7% in 2007,[3] and then was the deciding vote (by 2 to 1) to approve a substantial 14% increase to the 2008 budget.[4] This rapid increase in spending led the Utah County Auditor to warn in 2008 that such expenditures would deplete the surplus (or general fund) and created a budget situation that “will not be sustainable in subsequent years without either new revenue sources or increased revenue from existing sources.”[5]

3. Commissioner Anderson voted to increase his salary by 10% in 2008. Commissioner Anderson was the deciding vote (by 2 to 1) to increase the salary of the Utah County Commissioners from $94,700 to $104,000 in June 2008.[6] In November 2009 I suggested this salary increase be rolled back to ease the burden on tax payers, and was rebuked by Commissioner Anderson.[7]

4. Commissioner Anderson voted for the largest combined sales tax increase in Utah County’s history that was not approved by the voters. In August 2007, Commissioner Anderson voted to increase the voter approved 0.25 percent sales tax for transportation (2006) by 20% up to .30 percent in 2007.[8] Further Commissioner Anderson voted in September of 2008 to further increase it by almost 100% more to .55 percent. [9] We certainly need transportation projects, but I believe any sales tax increase should be put before the voters so they can determine if it is justified.

5. Property Taxes Increased in 2008 and 2009: Utah County’s property taxes had stayed relatively modest and stable until 2008, when Utah County received a windfall due to the Utah State Tax Commission allowing a one time change in the assessing and collecting rate without going through the truth-in-taxation process, which resulted in the Utah County’s property tax revenue going from $25,430,082 to $30,299,437 from 2007 to 2008, or a 19% increase, in a single year.[10] It would have been responsible to either return this windfall to the taxpayers, or at least save it, but instead it was immediately spent on the growing budget. Because the surplus had been used up, Utah County then had to raise property tax rates by 8.5% in 2009[11] when our property values declined so Utah County could collect the same amount of revenue, even though it means they were now taking a larger percentage of your home’s value, or a bigger piece of the pie.

6. $40 million in new debt for the Convention Center in Provo: We can have honest disagreements on the Convention Center, including whether it is the proper role of government, why Utah County is paying $40 million for the Convention Center while Provo is only paying approximately $7 million, and whether the private sector would have built a convention center for our County in Pleasant Grove. But we cannot debate that the taxpayers of Utah County are paying for the Convention Center, because they clearly are. According to the Preliminary Offering Statement used to sell the Convention Center debt to investors, the annual debt service on the Convention Center will be paid as follows: 7% from the tax on hotel rooms, 11% from the tax on car rentals, and 82% by the one percent tax on restaurant food in Utah County.[12] While the tax on hotel rooms and car rentals are typically paid by visitors from out side our County (while also being paid by local businesses bringing in clients and employees), the tax on restaurant food in Utah County is paid overwhelmingly by the residents of Utah County, and most informed observers believe approximately 80% of the restaurant tax is paid for by the residents of Utah County.[13] Bottom Line: While tourists and business will generate up to 40% of the revenue to cover the debt service on the Convention Center, the tax payers of Utah County will pay the most of the cost of the Convention Center. Furthermore, without the Convention Center’s debt service, the restaurant tax could have been decreased substantially, easing the tax burden on our residents.

CLAIMS FROM
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON
1. Claim: “Mr. Wright wants to expand the county commission to a council form of government or expand it to five commissioners.”

True? Partially. Our campaign wants to trust the voters to decide how best to govern Utah County. The current form of government (3 full time County Commissioners) has no checks and balances, has no regional representation, and is not based on the Constitution. If only two county commissioners would trust the voters, then the form of county government would be put on the ballot, and the voters could decide to consider a potential change. If the voters approved the change, then a study commission would be created to recommend a potential change to either a Mayor/County Council form (Salt Lake and Cache counties have done this), or a full time executive and part time county council (Grand, Morgan, Summit and Wasatch have done this) or five or seven full time county commissioners (no county has done this, but former Utah County Commissioner and current Governor Gary Herbert told me in February 2010 that he publicly supports increasing the full time Commissioners in Utah County from 3 to 5). Such recommendation would then be on the ballot, and the voters could accept or reject their recommendation. In other words, the voters would directly decide this issue, not the Utah County Commissioners. Finally, I believe the best choice would be a full time Mayor and five part time county council members, which would cost substantially LESS than the current form of three full time county commissioners. Right now, three full time county commissioners cost Utah County $312,000/year in salary, while a full time Mayor (at $104,000/year), and five part time county council members (at $20,000/year) would only cost Utah County $204,000/year.[14]

2. Claim: “Mr. Wright wants our county to take over jurisdiction from the State all of the roads in Utah County that do not cross county lines.”

True? Yes, but only on fair terms. I believe Utah County can more effectively govern its future if it controls the roads within Utah County that do not cross county lines. However, I would only accept the transfer of such roads to the extent the State allows us to keep the funding associated with such roads. As a former City Council member, I have seen the arrogance of our Federal Government, the State of Utah and even Utah County with a “one size fits all” approach on certain issues. As Dr. Skousen points out in the 5,000 Year Leap, one of the principles of the Founding Fathers was that “Problems were solved to the greatest possible extent on the level where they originated.”[15] In short, we should not be expecting citizens of another county to be funding Utah County's roads, nor should they expect us to fund their roads. To the greatest extent possible, where roads need repair, or where residents desire new roads, I believe we should be funding them ourselves rather than forcing others to help pay for them.

3. Claim: “Mr. Wright wants to give the County Attorney more funds to prosecute White-collar crime.”

True? Yes, absolutely. I believe investment fraud is at epidemic levels and is harming our economy far more than any form of “economic development” by the government can improve our economy. In 2009, the Utah County Attorney received claims of $104 million in investment fraud. When Commissioner Anderson assumed office in 2007, those claims were less than $20 million annually. Since 2000, the Utah County Attorney has received investment fraud claims totaling $432 million.[16] We need seasoned and experienced investigators and prosecutors to fight this relatively complicated form of crime that has done tremendous damage to our property values, and our community’s ability to remain solvent and self-sufficient. On October 24, 2009, County Attorney Buhman was quoted as follows: "The honest truth is we're barely scratching the surface [on investment fraud]. We could double or triple our department easily, and we would still be extremely busy."[17] However, I am unwilling to raise taxes to increase the resources devoted to investment fraud, but I will find savings from other areas to do so. The very first cut will be $10,000 to the salary of each of the County Commissioners, giving us another $30,000 to fight investment fraud immediately.

4. Claim: “I believe we should be involved in and support Economic Development in Utah County. Mr. Wright does not.”

You have to define “Economic Development.” I believe government does not know better than the private sector how to most effectively allocate resources, and should instead live within its means and do the jobs it is given, namely fight crime and build transportation infrastructure, as effectively as possible. In contrast, Commissioner Anderson has said on multiple occasions that “It is the government’s job to help you get jobs.” Nonetheless, I support the relatively minimal expense for the Economic Development Corporation of Utah to help companies that are already attracted to Utah find the best location for their operations in Utah. Commissioner Anderson claims that 1,027 jobs have come to Utah County in the last 2 years due to his work, even though he offers no evidence that his personal efforts made any difference.

Finally, I make three promises to you that you will be able to verify four years from now, and that Commissioner Anderson is unwilling to make:

1. I will vote against any budget that includes an increase in the property tax rate in the next four years. Our citizens and businesses have to live within their means. It is time for Utah County to do the same.

2. I will vote against any budget that includes the 2008 salary increase from $94,700 to $104,000 for the County Commissioners, and vote against any salary increase for Commissioners in the next 4 years. Everyone is doing more with less. It is time for our Commissioners to lead by example.

3. I will not run for more than two terms as a Utah County Commissioner. Our founding fathers understood the problems with any individual accumulating too much power, and becoming a career politician. I believe no one should serve in any Executive Branch position for more than two terms, and that includes our County Commissioners. In contrast, my opponent is asking you for a fourth term in office.

Thank you very much for engaging with me in an informed discussion of these issues.

I would warmly welcome an opportunity to discuss these issues with you at length. Please join me at any of the meetings below where we will discuss these issues in depth:

1. Saturday, April 10 from 6 PM to 8 PM at the home of Oak Norton in Highland at 10812 North 5800 West.

2. Tuesday, April 13 from 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM at the Cotton Tree Inn in Provo at 2230 North University Parkway. Light refreshments will be provided.

3. Wednesday, April 14 from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM at the home of Karen Herd in Cedar Hills at 10669 Fiddlesticks.

4. Saturday, April 17 from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM at the home of Kirk & Shannon Magleby at 553 East 100 North in American Fork.

I will also be attending all the mass meetings for county candidates in the next three weeks, which includes events in Santaquin, Lehi, Eagle Mountain, Provo and multiple times in Springville. Please see the complete schedule of all such meetings here:

http://wright4countycommissioner.blogspot.com/2010/04/where-you-can-meet-me-in-person.html

Alternatively, you are always welcome to call me on my cell phone at 801-368-5385.

As always, I also ask for your vote April 24th at the Utah County Convention!
Warm Regards,

Joel Wright

Joel Wright

p.s. If you want further clarification please give me a call. 801-368-5385

p.p.s. Let me know what you think on these issues! I always welcome feedback.

SOURCES

[1] Numbers from 2004 to 2008 available at http://www.sao.state.ut.us/lgr/county/2008/08xbutco.pdf , 2009 numbers from http://www.sltrib.com/utahcounty/ci_13862040 (Note that final official expenditures for 2009 are not yet available.)

[2] See http://www.census.gov/

[3] 2007 Lower budget was approved in 2006, but subsequently amended after Commissioner Anderson came into office in 2007, see: http://www.sao.state.ut.us/lgr/county/2008/08xbutco.pdf

[4] See the Minutes from the December 18, 2007 Utah County Commission Meeting, Item #26: http://www.co.utah.ut.us/Dept/COMMISH/Data/Minutes/CM/2007/121807-CommissionMinutes.pdf

[5] See page 9 of the 2008 Financial Statements from the Independent Auditor here: http://www.sao.state.ut.us/lgr/county/2008/08xfutco.pdf

[6] See the Minutes from the June 17, 2008 Commission Meeting, Item #1: http://www.co.utah.ut.us/Dept/Commish/data/minutes/CM/2008/061708-CommissionMinutes.pdf ; see also the Deseret News article dated June 18, 2008: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700235619/Utah-County-commissioners-hike-pay.html

[7] See the blog of Daily Herald reporter Joe Pyrah here: http://sausagegrinding.blogspot.com/2009/11/game-on.html

[8] See Item #22 on the August 28, 2007 Commission Minutes at: http://www.co.utah.ut.us/Dept/Commish/data/minutes/CM/2007/082807-CommissionMinutes.pdf

[9] See item #17 on the September 23, 2008 Commission Minutes at: http://www.co.utah.ut.us/Dept/Commish/data/minutes/CM/2008/092308-Commission-Minutes.pdf
[10] See page 46 of the 2008 Financial Statements here: http://www.sao.state.ut.us/lgr/county/2008/08xfutco.pdf

[11] Such information not yet available in official Financial Statements, but available on every property tax notice in Utah County. The Utah County Tax Levy was .000809 in 2008, and increased to .000878 in 2009, which is an 8.5% increase.

[12] Copy of the Preliminary Financial Statement (page 3) obtained from Utah County in February 2010 through a GRAMA request. Email Joel Wright at Joel@ElectWright.com if you would like a copy of it.

[13] The Utah Restaurant Association told me that at least 80% of the restaurant tax is paid for by the residents of Utah County, and likely over 90%. I have also had conversations with Commissioners Anderson and White, as well as Rep. Frank who tried to repeal this tax earlier this year, and they all have said to me that approximately 80% of the restaurant tax is paid for by Utah County residents.

[14] See our campaign blog for more details on this proposed change here: http://wright4countycommissioner.blogspot.com/2009/11/should-utah-county-change-its-form-of_18.html

[15] See page 16 of the “5,000 Year Leap” by W. Cleon Skousen.

[16] See: “Investment Fraud Rampant in Utah County” from the Daily Herald, February 28, 2010, available at: http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/article_7c2429f4-a9ed-5ce2-af14-a40ed6c7b8bc.html, or see “Investigators say $59 million scheme targeted Utah County” from Deseret News, October 24, 2009, available at: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705339222/Investigators-say-59-million-scheme-targeted-Utah-County.html?pg=4 ; the number of $432 million from 2000 to 2009 is from an email from the Utah County Bureau of Investigations in our possession that we are happy to share.

[17] See “Investigators say $59 million scheme targeted Utah County” from Deseret News, October 24, 2009, available at: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705339222/Investigators-say-59-million-scheme-targeted-Utah-County.html?pg=4

Retraction of Public Safety Endorsements of Gary Anderson

2010-04-10T06:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my opponent, Gary Anderson, sent out an email that implied he was officially endorsed by the following groups:

Sheriff Jim Tracy
Utah County Sheriff’s office
County Attorney’s office
Utah County White Collar Investigative Unit
Utah County Major Crimes Task Force
Utah County Special Victims Unit
County Attorney Jeff Buhman

However, none of the above groups have, or will, endorse Gary Anderson, so Gary sent out a second email clarifying that none of the above groups have endorsed him. In addition, Sheriff Tracy sent out an email further clarifying that he is not endorsing Gary Anderson.

Below I include three emails, the first is the original email that Gary Anderson sent out Friday morning, the second is the email Gary sent out retracting his initial claim that these groups had endorsed him, and the third email is from Sheriff Tracy clarifying that he is not endorsing Gary Anderson.

I will have no further comment on this matter, except to refer anyone with questions to Gary Anderson, Sheriff Tracy or County Attorney Buhman.

Salt Lake Tribune article on County Commissioner Debate

2010-04-08T09:23:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed this debate last night. We had nearly 400 people in attendance, and I felt the issues our campaign is pushing were driving the discussion. Delegates learn so much more when we go head to head, rather than speaking to us separately. I wish we had more debates on the schedule and fewer "Meet and Mingles" but there is only so much you can do as a single county candidate.

Article at: http://bit.ly/bYPYdJ

Complete copy below:

Candidate says council form more efficient
Utah County » Commissioner disagrees, says just look north to S.L. County.
By Donald W. Meyers
The Salt Lake Tribune

Salt Lake Tribune
Updated:04/07/2010 10:31:27 PM MDT

Orem » A county-council form of government would better suit Utah County's growth than a three-member commission, a commission candidate argued Wednesday.
Joel D. Wright, who is challenging Utah County Commissioner Gary J. Anderson for the Republican nomination, rejected arguments that the current form of government is a more effective way of governing a fast-growing county.
"If three full-time county commissioners are efficient, then it would be more efficient to have just one commissioner, and we could call him king," Wright told the 300 people crowded into Noah Webster Academy's cafeteria/gymnasium for a candidate debate.
But Anderson said one only need look north at Salt Lake County to see that a council-mayor form of county government would be too expensive and inefficient. Anderson noted that between 2000 and 2001 -- the period when Salt Lake County transitioned from a three-member county commission to its current form of government -- the cost of government went from $832,490 to $2.9 million, a 346 percent increase. Today, Anderson said the county council costs Salt Lake County residents $7.7 million.
"And they're raising taxes and charging you for the police to come out," Anderson said, referring to the Unified Police Department's service fee.
Wright blasted the comparison, noting that Salt Lake County was dominated by Democrats, as opposed to Utah County, a Republican bastion. A better comparison, he said, was to Cache County, where its elected county council and full-time executive only cost $308,903.
If Utah County were to create a five-member county council, pay the part-time elected officials $20,000 a year and pay a full-time mayor/executive $104,000, it would only cost Utah County $204,000, compared to the $312,000 a year the three commissioners now collect.
Wright also vowed that he would only serve two terms on the commission to avoid having the power of the office get to him. And, he said he would also reject any salary increase for commissioners and would fight to keep taxes low.
Wright also criticized the county's involvement in the Utah County Convention Center. He said it was wrong for the county to take taxpayer money -- he said the center's $40 million bond would be paid through restaurant taxes collected from county residents -- to build something that could have been built by private developers. He pointed to Missouri hotelier John Q. Hammons' planned conference center in Pleasant Grove, which is now stalled.
It is also located near the Timpanogos Special Service District's sewage treatment plant, the smells from which Wright said is making it difficult to attract businesses to the area.
"Instead of building a convention center, the county should have fixed the stink, and we would have had a convention center built by the private sector," Wright said.
Anderson said the county has lost conventions to Salt Lake City because it did not have adequate meeting halls, and the private sector was not interested in building in Provo. The county, he said, was the only government body that could legally do it, and he said it is being funded with hotel room taxes, paid mostly by tourists.
As for the sewage plant, Anderson said it is governed by a board of representatives from northern Utah County cities. But he said he's ready to order the district to ship out the waste it is composting until odor control devices are installed.
After the debate, Becky Strain, a GOP delegate from Provo, said it was interesting to hear the candidates discuss issues side-by-side, but said it didn't help make up her mind about who to support. She noted that the candidates were similar in some aspects.
"I'm more undecided now than I was before," Strain said.
dmeyers@sltrib.com

Good short summary of County Races from Salt Lake Tribune

2010-04-05T12:59:00.000-07:00

http://www.sltrib.com/closeup/ci_14750194

Utah County commissioners to face challenges from GOP, Dems
Politics » Many candidates throw their hats into the election ring.
By Donald W. Meyers
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 03/24/2010 05:17:22 PM MDT

Utah County commissioners Gary J. Anderson and Steve White face challenges from inside the Republican Party, as well as from Democrats.
Meanwhile, two Republicans aim to oust Utah County Sheriff Jim Tracy. And the county assessor and recorder are also facing GOP challenges, and two Republicans are vying for the surveyor's post, which was recently separated from the recorder's office.
But County Clerk-Auditor Bryan Thompson and Treasurer Robert C. Kirk are running unopposed.
Here's a roundup of major Utah County races:

Commission Seat A
Anderson, who served as a commissioner from 1983-1986, and won again in 2006, is being challenged from within his party by Joel D. Wright and James L. Vein. Anderson, an attorney who once worked in the Utah County Attorney's Office, is touting his efforts to promote cooperation between the county, regional agencies and cities, as well as promoting economic development.
Wright, an attorney with Kirton and McConkie, is a former Cedar Hills City Councilman and a former member of the Board of Regents. He is campaigning on a platform of fiscal restraint and combating white-collar crime and has suggested changing county government to a council form to give better representation for cities.
Attempts to contact Vein, an American Fork resident, were unsuccessful.
Democrat J. Lane Henderson is the former Salem mayor and city councilman. He also runs a printing in business in Spanish Fork.
He believes his experience as a city official can help the county better work with cities, as well as give southern Utah County residents a voice on the commission.
"I think [Anderson] has tried," Henderson said of the incumbent's efforts to reach out to cities. But, Henderson said there is a possibility that Anderson may not come out of the Republican convention.

Commission Seat B
Steve White was first elected to the commission in 2002 and re-elected in 2006. He previously served on the Utah County Planning Commission and is a former Utah County Republican Party Chairman. He said he wants another four years to ensure that the county maintains its fiscally conservative principles while keeping taxes low and providing essential services.
His challengers include Republicans Douglas Witney, Linda Housekeeper and Leon M. Frazier; Democrat Ted Barratt has also filed.
Witney, of Springville, is a retired Utah County Sheriff's captain who organized and headed the Utah County Attorney's Office's fraud division.
Witney said he would like to see major crime units within the county bolstered, and do more to retain the county's best employees. While officials talk of those employees' great work, there has been a "systematic dismantling" of benefits and salaries, he said.
Witney said he would also work to overhaul the budget process and would not accept any pay raises as a commissioner.
Housekeeper, of Orem, is hoping to become the first woman on the commission. She has served as a legislative district chairwoman in the Utah County Republican Party.
If elected, she would push the commission to do more to solve problems.
"I feel like Steve White is more beholden to a faction of the Republican Party than to the people who he is supposed to represent," Housekeeper said.
Frazier, owner of Frazier Park in Provo Canyon, said the county is harassing small business owners through high taxes and regulation. He vowed to bring the county back to a more libertarian and conservative philosophy by cutting bureaucracy and taxes. He said commissioners need to cut their own salaries by 10 percent.
Barratt is the former mayor of American Fork. He said he would work with county employees to make county government run more efficiently. He would also lobby the Legislature to improve education, which he said is vital to economic development.

Sheriff
Tracy is standing on his record of reducing expenses at the county jail through a combination of charging inmates for their time behind bars and operating an inmate vegetable garden on the jail grounds. He also touted his work with judges in reducing overcrowding in the jail and adding an additional 400 beds to the Spanish Fork detention center.
Tracy said deputies on his watch also have cracked down on crime in the canyons, breaking up rave parties that he said were making the areas unsafe for families.
He is being challenged by Robin D. Wall and Dan Burton.
Wall, a sergeant in the sheriff's office, said he would push for new programs to identify career criminals and educate parents about the dangers of drug addiction and gang activity. He also said he would build a coalition with the American Red Cross and other groups to work on emergency planning.
Attempts to contact Burton were not successful.

Where you can meet me in person

2010-04-05T09:20:00.001-07:00

As most of you know, the County Convention is on Saturday, April 24, 2010 at Mountain View High School in Orem. I am determined to personally meet or call every single one of the 1,451 Utah County Republican Delegates before the County Convention. To that end, I hope any delegate will feel free to call me at any time on my mobile at 801-368-5385, or email me at "Joel@ElectWright.com", or come to one of the meetings below that I am current planning to attend. Note the schedule below may change, but I will keep this page updated with the current plans:

1. Thursday, April 15 from 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM at the Old Utah County Courthouse in Provo, Tea Party Rally, Corner of University and Center (I have been invited to speak for 3 minutes at this event.) See a summary of the event here: http://bit.ly/dgGyEs

*2. Thursday, April 15 from 6:30 to 9:30 PM at Reagan Academy in Springville at 1143 West Center Street: Meet & Mingle with all County Candidates invited.

3. Friday, April 16 from 5:30 to 6:30 at the home of Joylin Lincoln in Saratoga Springs at 958 South Austin Court.

4. Friday, April 16 from 7 to 9 PM at Rockwell High School in Eagle Mountain located at 3435 East Stone Bridge Lane: Event hosted by Legislative District #56. Three minute speeches from all candidates, and then a chance to talk to candidates individually.

*5. Saturday, April 17 from 8:30 to 11:30 AM at Lincoln Academy in Pleasant Grove at 1582 West 3300 North: Meet & Mingle with all County Candidates invited.

6. Saturday, April 17 from 5 PM to 6:30 PM at 455 East 500 North in Lindon, hosted by Peter & Merrilee Schofield. Cottage Meeting where we can go in depth on the issues.

7. Saturday, April 17 from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM at 553 East 100 North in American Fork: Cottage Meeting at the home of Kirk & Shannon Magleby.

8. Monday, April 19 from 5:30 to 8:30 PM at 9102 Silver Lake Drive in Cedar Hills. Cottage Meeting at the home of Joel & Marisa Wright. Great chance to get to know Joel better at his home, and talk about the issues in depth.

9. Tuesday, April 20 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM at Kirkham Motor Sports located at 2575 West 1680 North in Provo. Cottage Meeting hosted by David Kirkham. Another great chance to discuss the issues in depth with others concerned about the loss of liberty due to government expansion.

10. Wednesday, April 21 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at the Wells Fargo Building in Provo at 100 North University Avenue. Hosted by Legislative District #64, but all County Delegates are welcome. More details will be coming, but I believe most, if not all, county candidates will be there.

*11. Thursday, April 22 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the Provo City foyer located at 650 West Center Street in Provo: Meet & Mingle with all County Candidates invited.

[All events marked with an asterisk or * are events scheduled by Linda Houskeeper, a candidate for Utah County Commissioner Seat B, and are being run in her discretion, so we cannot guarantee how they will be managed or organized.]

The six reasons I am running

2010-04-01T17:26:00.001-07:00

A county delegate recently asked me to give him the 5 main reasons I am running. It made me think long and hard about what I specifically value the most. But, I could only narrow the main reasons I am running down to six points, and I couldn't eliminate another one. So, here are the six reasons why I am running for Utah County Commissioner Seat A this year:

1. Fiscal Responsibility: Utah County's budget has grown 50% in the last 5 years, while our population has only grown by 25%. This has resulted in a need to raise the property tax rate by 20% in the last 2 years to sustain this increase in spending. And in 2008, my opponent voted to raised his salary by 10% in the middle of the year (to $104,000) and then had to raise property taxes by 11% at the end of the year. I find it amazing he would raise property tax rates instead of repealing his salary increase. If elected, I will vote against any budget that contains an increase in the property tax rate for the next 4 years, and I will vote to repeal the 2008 salary increase.

2. Economic Development: I believe government should remove the obstacles to economic development, instead of assuming the government actually is the economic development. One example. The County Commissioners recently borrowed $40 million to build a Convention Center in downtown Provo, which will be owned by Utah County. However, Utah County is responsible for a sewer plant in Pleasant Grove that makes a lot of stink. The American Fork Chamber of Commerce says this is the #1 problem for business in the Lindon/American Fork/Pleasant Grove area, and the Pleasant Grove City Council believes the stink is blocking over $300 million in economic development, including a convention center funded in part by the private sector. If elected, I would focus on doing what government should be doing (removing the stink) and less on putting us further in debt. When I was on my city council in Cedar Hills I was a strong advocate for removing the obstacles to the development of our commercial sector by Wal-Mart and a permanent solution to our city's money losing golf course.

3. Transportation: I believe we need to take responsibility for our own transportation problems, and be less subservient to the state and federal governments. Specifically, I believe we should push the State of Utah to turn over to Utah County all roads that do not cross county lines, as well as our portion of the gas tax, and let us fund our roads as we see best. We also need to work to expand the Commuter Rail to Santaquin if the initial phase is successful, and build more and better bicycle trails that connect throughout the County. Most importantly, we need to proactively make 20 or even 50 year transportation plans, that take into account Utah County's population will grow from the current 550,000 to over one million in 20 years or less.

4. Crime: Over 60% of Utah County's budget goes toward fighting crime through the Sheriff and County Attorney. I believe we need to give our law enforcement all the resources necessary to enforce the existing laws. If we are unwilling to do that, we should change the law to something we are willing to enforce. While crime is generally low in Utah County, there are three areas in which we need to improve, specifically: (a) Investment Fraud, (b) Prescription Drug Abuse, and (c) the Sexual Abuse of Children. Please see my campaign blog for more details, but note that investment fraud claims filed with the County Attorney have gone from under $30 million in 2007, to $104 million in 2009, making it an economic development issue as well as a criminal issue.

5. Constitutional Principles (form of government and term limits): I believe Utah County's current form of government of three full time Commissioners with "executive, legislative and judicial" powers is not based on the Constitution, does not provide for appropriate checks and balances, and does not provide for regional representation. If just two County Commissioners would trust the voters, then we would hold a first election asking the voters of Utah County if they wanted a new form of government. If the voters said yes, then a study commission would be created to examine the issue for a year and recommend a new form of government. They could recommend a Mayor/County Council (both Cache and Salt Lake Counties have done this) or go with an Executive and part time County Council (Wasatch, Summit and Morgan Counties have done this) or expand to five or seven full time county commissioners (no county has done this). I believe it is time to consider this change. Also, I believe the Founding Fathers understood the nature of man, and were wise to set a precedent of no more than two terms in any elected office. My opponent is asking for a fourth term as a County Commissioner. I would not serve more than two terms as a Utah County Commissioner (or 8 years) under any circumstances.

6. Engagement and Transparency: I would send a monthly email to everyone who would receive it highlighting the main decisions we were making and issues we were tackling. I would include all press articles on Utah County, and warmly ask for input and feedback. I would post on a web page where anyone could make comments, even anonymous comments. I would also post all the information I received on the web for the public to review to the greatest extent possible, so the public could read and review the information going into our decision making process. Finally, I would end the practice of scheduling general public comments at Utah County Commission meetings at the END of their meeting. I believe our County Commissioners should listen to public input at the very beginning of their meeting, before they make any decisions.

Thank you very much for considering the reasons I am running. I am very interested in your thoughts. Please give me your feedback below.

Is crime increasing or decreasing in Utah County?

2010-03-19T21:21:00.000-07:00

Is crime increasing or decreasing in Utah County?

As a candidate for Utah County Commissioner, I believe the most important duty of government is to protect its citizens from crime. Over 60% of the budget of Utah County goes towards law enforcement, funding either the Sheriff’s department or the County Attorney’s department. In other words, most of what a County Commissioner does is oversee the budget for law enforcement.

At the Utah County Republican Central Committee meeting on February 20, 2010, my opponent, three term incumbent Gary Anderson, asserted that crime has “decreased” in Utah County since he was last elected in 2006. I respectfully disagree, and am concerned that Commissioner Anderson is either unaware, or unconcerned, about the massive increase in investment fraud since he was last elected.

According to the Utah County Attorney’s office, victims of investment fraud in Utah County lost $45 million in 2006 and 2007 together, $64 million in 2008, and $104 million in 2009. In other words, since Gary Anderson was last elected, investment fraud has at least tripled, and nearly $200 million has been reported stolen.
What is ironic is that Utah County is currently engaged in dozens of activities to improve economic development that are really not the proper role of government, while apparently ignoring its proper role in law enforcement. If that $200 million had not been stolen, the positive economic impact of that $200 million would be much greater than any form of “economic development” Utah County is currently trying to do. If that $200 million had not been stolen, hundreds of small businesses could have been started, college educations paid for, and missions served. Furthermore, Utah County unfortunately now has a well earned reputation as the “fraud capital of the State” with apparently over half the fraud cases in Utah coming from Utah County.
If elected as your County Commissioner, I pledge to make fighting investment fraud one of my highest priorities, and expect you to hold me accountable if I seek re-election and we have not made substantial progress fighting investment fraud.

Specifically:

1. Education is the key to the solution. Government cannot, and should not, protect you from your own greed and stupidity. If something sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is. Any investment that promises potential returns exceeding 10% a year is risky, and anything over 15% is high risk and the investor should be capable of losing their entire investment. Furthermore, if you have to borrow the money to make an investment, you are almost certainly not in a situation where you can afford to lose all or most of your investment. It is also critical that everyone understand that a Ponzi scheme is an investment where the “returns” are paid not through the profitable activities of the company, but instead through the funds raised from new investors. If elected, I would start a public education campaign in Utah County explaining the points I just made above that would exceed the public education campaign on the H1N1 virus. I would create an investment fraud hot line where people could call in and get some basic advice on how to spot investment fraud, and also report investment fraud. I would have our county attorneys and sheriffs speak in public as much as possible to explain how investment fraud is happening in Utah County, and how it can be identified. I would like to see part of the punishment for engaging in investment fraud be a requirement of several hundred hours of community service dedicated to fighting investment fraud, where the individual would teach others how they used religion, family connections or other forms of affinity fraud or manipulation to convince otherwise intelligent individuals that they could guarantee returns exceeding 15% a year.

2. More resources are needed to fight back. County Attorney Jeff Buhman stated in October 2009 that he could “double or triple” his division devoted to fighting investment fraud, and they would all still be very busy. The simple answer would be to raise taxes, but I am unwilling to do that, so we would need to do the following: (a) redeploy existing resources to this problem from lower priority areas to this higher priority area, (b) we need to fine these criminals who are frequently living lavish lifestyles enough to fund the increase in resources we need to fight investment fraud, and (c) require individuals who are involved in investment fraud to give several hundred hours of community service educating the public on how these crimes are happening. It is the proper role of government to prosecute and convict criminals who have stolen money based on lies, and return as much of that money as possible to the victims. We need to wisely devote the resources necessary to fight this problem.

3. We cannot rely on the federal or state government. Like many of you, I am alarmed and concerned at the rapid rate of growth by our federal and state governments, and am anxious to “push back” against this alarming rate of government expansion. However, equally concerning is the mentality that we should rely on our federal or state governments to rescue us from all our problems. Commissioner Anderson believes that the federal and state governments are supposed to fix this problem for us. I respectfully disagree. The County Attorney prosecutes essentially all felonies in Utah County, including investment fraud, and the federal and state governments have been of little help the last three years while this problem has grown. I believe Utah County has the duty to fight this problem first, and not rely on any assistance from the federal or state governments. I have spoken with both federal officials at the Securities and Exchange Commission, and state officials at the Utah Securities Division, and they have both confirmed that Utah County has the duty to first investigate these crimes in most instances, and then come to them for assistance that may or may not be given.
Finally, we need your help. Please don’t hesitate to speak up when you see someone selling an investment that is “too good to be true” and please email me your ideas on how we can better fight investment fraud in Utah County.
Sincerely,
Joel Wright

Below are two excellent recent stories on Investment Fraud in Utah County:
1. “Investment Fraud Rampant in Utah County” from the Daily Herald, February 28, 2010, available at: http://bit.ly/c3jzUu
2. “Investigators say $59 million scheme targeted Utah County” from Deseret News, October 24, 2009, available at: http://bit.ly/aqmpIM

Total claims of investment fraud reported to Utah County Attorney by year since 2000:

Total from 2000 to 2009: $432,339,530.53

2009: $104,607,873
2008: $64,197,107
2007: $7,457,665.19
2006: $14,681,704.18
2005: $30,218,566.76
2004: $19,264,455.79
2003: $18,260,368.76
2002: $80,038,210.38
2001: $66,505,735.54
2000: $27,107,843.03

Why did I resign from the Board of Regents?

2010-03-19T21:15:00.000-07:00

Why did I resign from the Board of Regents in February 2009? Thanks for asking. I’m happy to respond.

In short, I resigned because I was afraid the opponents of Utah Valley University (“UVU”) on the Board of Regents would have stopped the search process for a new President if I did not resign, and UVU’s future would have been harmed because they would have been stuck with an interim President for several years or more. Also, Governor Huntsman was no longer willing to support me, even though he had initially encouraged me to “shake things up” on the Board of Regents.

However, after I resigned, Governor Huntsman sent me a very kind note of thanks for my service on the Board of Regents (copy of this note included in comments below), and the Board of Regents even sent me a kind letter thanking me for my service and the “fresh perspective” I brought to the challenges facing higher education (copy of this letter included in the comments below). The letter also confirmed that I did not do anything wrong while serving. Lt. Gov. Herbert also sent me a kind email, which I have included below.

That’s it. But if you’re still interested, please read the complete explanation below.

The Board of Regents in Utah consists of 15 voting members, all appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the State Senate to six year terms. I was appointed by Governor Huntsman to the Board of Regents in June 2008, and confirmed by the State Senate shortly thereafter.

The job of the Board of Regents is to serve as an advocate for Utah's ten universities and colleges before the Utah State Legislature, and oversee resource allocation and manage the appointment of Presidents at these universities and colleges as well. The budget for higher education in Utah is approximately $1.2 billion, which is approximately 10% of Utah’s entire budget.

In May 2008 the son of Senator Harry Reid, Josh Reid, resigned from the Board of Regents with three years of his six years remaining. The Governor at the time, Jon Huntsman Jr., had previously appointed me to the State Charter School Board, and I thought he would re-appoint me to the State Charter School Board for another term. However, the Governor decided he wanted me to serve on the Board of Regents. I would have preferred to stay on the Charter School Board but when the Governor asks you to serve, you don’t say no. The Governor subsequently told me that we needed some “new blood” on the Board of Regents and he expected me to “shake things up” as well.

After about a month on the Board of Regents, I quickly realized that most of the Regents view their job as preserving the status quo in higher education in every area, but especially with regards to the University of Utah and Utah State at the top of the pecking order. In order to avoid any conflict and preserve the pecking order, the budget they recommend to the State Legislature every year generally consists of the same percentage increase (or decrease) in funds for every university and college, even if that institution is growing much faster than their increase in funds, like UVU or Dixie College.

As anyone who knows me can appreciate, I am an independent thinker. I warmly welcome any information or advice, but I will reach my own conclusions. I quickly realized the “system” was unfair to both UVU and Dixie, because they were growing much faster than everyone else, and did not hesitate to point out the fact that UVU was receiving approximately 40% less funding per student than Southern Utah University, and 20% less funding per student than Weber State. So I proposed we change to a system where the funding follows the student. We could require some level of admissions standards at all of our universities and colleges, and also create a separate research budget for University of Utah and Utah State (which they deserve, since they are research institutions). My proposal was strongly rejected, and I was actually told in private that my fellow Regents viewed me as being too “pro-UVU” for making such a proposal.
Things continued to get worse because many of the Regents do not tolerate dissent. I voted against approving a master’s degree for SUU because I believed it was a “diploma mill” degree that lacked the high standards needed of a master’s degree. I lost 14-1. That was the only “nay” vote I saw in my entire 9 months on the Board of Regents. I was also controversial because I asked in private if we should stop accepting gifts from the Universities and Colleges that we oversee, or at least disclose all the gifts we were receiving.

In short, it was safe to say I was the least popular Regent on the Board of Regents after only 6 months because I was unwilling to accept the status quo, and would continually point out that Utah had the fewest taxpayers supporting the most students, so it was essential that we learned how to do more with less.

I was also assigned to the UVU Presidential Search Committee by the Regents. It was my favorite task on the Board of Regents, and I spent over 50 hours a month for more than 4 months trying to recruit candidates to apply, and then discuss the issues related to UVU with all of them in private. One of the strongest candidates was Dr. Ned Hill, who had been Dean of BYU’s Business School. His wife also ran for the State Legislature that year as a Democrat, and during her campaign she did not hesitate to question the ethics of the State Legislators in Utah County. When I called and spoke with Dr. Hill after the election was over, I pointed out to him that most of the job as President of UVU would be fighting to obtain equitable funding from the Legislature, and that it would be difficult without a close working relationship with State Legislators in Utah County that his wife had just recently strongly criticized. I suggested, and made clear it was only a suggestion, that if he could talk to some of the State Legislators in Utah County, share his vision for UVU with them, and learn how to work with them, that it would resolve one of the concerns I had with his candidacy. I made clear it was not a requirement for him to do so, and that I was speaking only for myself. Dr. Hill is very bright, and realized quickly he would need to have a working relationship with the State Legislators in Utah County if he were going to be a successful President of UVU. I offered to put him in touch with some of the Utah County Legislators, and he welcomed the opportunity to talk with them.

I heard nothing further until early January 2009, when I learned Dr. Hill had decided to withdraw from consideration for President of UVU. I was disappointed, but did not know why. I subsequently learned Dr. Hill had spoken with a Legislator, had realized being President of UVU was a highly political job, and he wasn’t interested in the politics given the many other amazing opportunities he could pursue. After I spoke with him, and even after he dropped out, several other Regents spoke directly with Dr. Hill, and made it clear to him that he was a very strong candidate regardless of his relationship with the Legislators. But Dr. Hill did not want to pursue his candidacy for President of UVU any further. Dr. Hill said that neither my call, nor his call with the Legislator was “threatening” and both of us were only trying to be helpful.

Then, in late January 2009, someone involved with the Board of Regents or the Search Committee (not myself or Dr. Hill) told Paul Rolly who writes a political gossip column for the Salt Lake Tribune that Dr. Hill had dropped out of the race after being required to “make nice” with Utah County Legislators. The story quickly developed a life of its own. As a member of the Search Committee I was not allowed to talk with the press at the time, but told everything I knew to the Board of Regents when they became concerned about the attention in the press.

The Board of Regents then concluded I should resign, or things were going to get out of control. I told them I was happy to resign if the Governor wanted me to do so, since it was clear I was not making any headway on the Board. Subsequently they went to Governor Huntsman and asked for my resignation. Governor Huntsman never allowed me to tell my side of the story, and simply told me to resign, with the promise that no one had any concerns about what I had done and nothing inappropriate would be said about me if I resigned. I was only too happy to resign at that point.

However, only two days after I resigned, the Board of Regents leaked details of my resignation to someone who then leaked it to Paul Rolly at the Salt Lake Tribune. The Board of Regents apologized to me profusely over this, but it didn’t matter, as I was then hammered in the press, with allegations I was required to resign because I had broken some law or rule, even though I had not broken any law or rule, and the Board of Regents later confirmed that in their letter to me. Strangely, the press never even called me to ask my side of the story. However, even if they had called, I couldn’t have said anything because the UVU presidential search process was ongoing.

So, that’s the story. If anyone with firsthand knowledge has a different version, I’d encourage them to call me to discuss.

This story is worth sharing because I believe it says a lot about me. I do not hesitate to fight for what I believe is right, and I’m not afraid to be controversial. I enter public service to serve the public, and not to feel important or receive undeserved praise. I’m honest, maybe even to a fault, and believe there are many things much more important than myself – and the future of UVU is definitely one of those things. Looking back at everything that happened, I wouldn't do anything differently. I continue to believe the future of UVU is far more important than a few harsh words about me in the press, or my ongoing service on the Board of Regents.

Thanks for taking the time to hear my side of the story. Don't hesitate to call or email me if you would like to discuss further.

P.S. Here is the email I received from then Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert after I resigned from the Board of Regents:

"Gary R. Herbert February 27, 2009 at 1:31pm
Sometime things don't go the way we plan them--and the old adage "no good turn goes unpunished" comes to mind. I appreciate all of your service over the years. Don't let this last experience get your down. You are a good man with a great family. And I am glad to call you a friend! GH"

Do voters or "gentlemen" decide who gets to be your Utah County Commissioner?

2010-03-06T16:06:00.000-08:00

In the last couple weeks, several supporters of my opponent, Gary Anderson, have told me that I am "violating" the "Gentlemen's Agreement" because we are supposed to have one County Commissioner from South of Provo, one from Provo, and one from North of Provo. And, if I won, we'd have two County Commissioners north of Provo (Ellertson lives in Lindon and I live in Cedar Hills), and one in Provo (White). In other words, "gentlemen" are apparently supposed to decide who should run for County Commissioner, and not the voters.

As you can imagine, I completely reject this idea. This Gentlemen's Agreement is wrong for multiple reasons:

1. The voters or delegates should select each County Commissioner, not the entrenched elite who benefit from the status quo. I believe in transparency, and I believe in the wisdom of the voters.

2. Each County Commissioner is elected by ALL of Utah County, and expected to represent ALL of Utah County. If Commissioner Anderson believes he only represents the 20% of the population in Utah County that lives south of Provo, then he should make that clear, instead of claiming to represent all of Utah County.

3. The population assumptions in the Gentlemen's Agreement are completely wrong. When Gary Anderson was first elected as a County Commissioner in 1982, approximately one third of Utah County may have lived south of Provo, one third in Provo, and one third north of Provo. But that is simply not the case now. Approximately 20% of Utah County lives south of Provo, a little over 20% in Provo, a little under 20% in Orem, a little under 20% in Northwest Utah County (Lehi, Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain) and a little over 20% in Northeast Utah County (Lindon, Pleasant Grove, Cedar Hills, American Fork, Highland and Alpine). In other words, if we divided Utah County by thirds, then South County and most of Provo would only get one Utah County Commissioner, not the two they have now!

4. The Gentlemen's Agreement has not been followed in the past. There have been multiple instances in the last 30 years where you did not have one County Commissioner south of Provo, one in Provo and one north of Provo. It appears that supporters of Commissioner Anderson are only bringing it up now because it favors him.

5. Does Commissioner Anderson share this same view? I don't know, but I'll try to ask him, and let you know his response. If so, then the $200,000 "award" that Utah County gave to the Springville Art Museum last year, and the ongoing support of the Utah County Fair in Spanish Fork, seem more like political patronage, and less like the best use of taxpayer funds.

If elected, I would represent all of Utah County equally, because all of Utah County votes for me. I was raised in Provo, but live in Cedar Hills, and have supporters all over Utah County.

However, I do think there is considerable merit to the view that Utah County now has 550,000 residents, and that 3 county commissioners cannot adequately represent all of them, no matter where they live. Our three county commissioners have "executive, legislative and judicial powers" which is a primitive form of government without checks and balances that is not based on the US Constitution. If only two County Commissioners would trust the voters, then the voters of Utah County would get the chance to consider a new form of County Government that would potentially cost less and include geographic representation. See my blog post here for the details on how this process would potentially work: http://wright4countycommissioner.blogspot.com/2009/11/should-utah-county-change-its-form-of_18.html

If anyone knows if Commissioner Anderson supports this Gentlemen's Agreement, please post.

What is a tax increase?

2010-02-10T10:11:00.000-08:00

The property tax rate in Utah County in 2008 was .000809, and was increased in 2009 to .000878. In other words, the property tax rate was increased by 8.53% in 2009. I think that is a tax increase. However, my opponent claims it was not a tax increase, because our home values fell by about 8%, so they had to raise the property tax rate by 8.5% to collect the same dollar amount in property taxes in 2009 as they did in 2008.

I would compare this to a farmer deciding to feed his plow horse 8.5% less. But, when the plow horse doesn't have as much strength to pull the plow, the farmer just makes him work an hour longer every day to get just as much work out of him.

Like many of you, I made less money in 2009 than in 2008 due to the recession, and was frankly just grateful for my job in 2009. At my house, we had to cut down on a number of expenses in 2009 due to our lower income. But Utah County didn't have to cut nearly as much as we did, or you most likely did, because they could simply raise the property tax rate to keep their property tax income exactly the same.

In fairness to my opponent, he would tell you that the State of Utah sets Utah County's property tax rates every year by calculating the property tax rate necessary to collect the same dollar amount, while potentially adding a little more for population growth. So, he would tell you that he just approved the amount that the State of Utah sent him. But my opponent had the ability to deny the property tax rate increase recommended by Utah. In other words, he had the ability to prevent it if he had opposed it, and convinced one more Commissioner to oppose it as well.

However, what do you think? Do you think it was appropriate for Utah County to raise the property tax rate 8.5% to collect the same amount of property taxes in 2009 as they did in 2008?

Fraud in Utah County

2010-01-27T15:50:00.000-08:00

According to this article in the Deseret News from October 2009: http://bit.ly/aqmpIM , victims of fraud in Utah County lost $45 million in 2006 and 2007 together, $64 million in 2008, and at least $76 million in 2009. We need to take down the criminals engaged in this fraud. Now.

But, with that said, we also need individuals to realize that if something sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is. Anything promising a likely return over 10% a year is risky. And anything promising a likely return over 15% a year makes it almost certain that there is a substantial chance you will lose your entire investment. GOVERNMENT CANNOT, AND SHOULD NOT, PROTECT YOU FROM YOUR OWN GREED AND STUPIDITY. Unless, or until, folks realize that, there are a lot of folks who will continue to invest money they cannot afford to lose.

However, if elected, I commit to do the following:

1. Give our Sheriff and County Attorney all the resources they need to prosecute individuals engaged in these investment fraud schemes to the fullest extent of the law, and recover as much as possible for the victims. Even if that means cutting my own salary as a Commissioner. These fraud schemes are harming thousands of individuals, and damaging the business reputation of our county. County Attorney Jeff Buhman states in the article that:

"The honest truth is we're barely scratching the surface [of the fraud in Utah County]," Buhman said. "We could double or triple our department easily, and we would still be extremely busy."

Maybe we need to make cuts else where, but if elected, I will get County Attorney Buhman the resources to go after these criminals, and recover as much as possible for the victims.

2. Start an aggressive education campaign on investment fraud. I will pay our employees in our County Attorney and Sheriff's departments to go out into the community and educate our citizens on how investment fraud works, and the kind of fraud they have seen in Utah County. I will ask the local churches to allow one of our employees to come to one of their Sunday meetings and take 30 minutes to give their presentation. I will also set up county web site that explains these things in detail, and a hot line where people can call to report investment schemes that are fraudulent so they can be shut down BEFORE they can steal millions.

But, what do you think? This is an important topic, and I'm very interested in your thoughts.

Thanks,
Joel

Article in today's Salt Lake Tribune

2010-01-14T14:39:00.001-08:00

http://www.sltrib.com/closeup/ci_14182457

Race is on for commission seat in Utah County
By Donald W. Meyers
The Salt Lake Tribune

Salt Lake Tribune
Updated:01/14/2010 08:42:39 AM MST

Former Cedar Hills City Councilman Joel D. Wright will seek the Utah County Commission seat now occupied by Gary J. Anderson.
Wright recently announced his intention to seek Commission Seat A in this year's election. He stressed that he is not running against Anderson at this point.
"I don't know if [Anderson] is going to run again," Wright said.
Anderson and commission chair Steve White, who occupies Seat B, are both up for re-election this year.
Wright said Anderson hasn't done enough to keep the county budget in check on his watch. Specifically, he pointed to the commission awarding raises in 2008, just before the county was rocked by the recession. His calls for the commission to cut wages went unheeded.
He said it was especially insulting in light of the fact that many people in the county have seen their wages cut because of the economy.
Anderson, who confirmed he is running to keep his seat, said the county has already made cutbacks. The current budget does not include cost-of-living increases and there is a hiring freeze in place.
As for the raises, Anderson said a market study recommended the increases to bring county employees into parity with their counterparts around the state, and to keep staff who were leaving for better pay. He said the county also altered its benefits program to give employees more take-home pay.
"We had a lot of young families who couldn't afford formula or diapers for their babies," Anderson said.
He said the commission has struggled to stretch dollars and to obtain federal funding for projects around the county.
Anderson said Wright may not fully understand how county government works.
Anderson first served on the commission from 1983-89, and was elected again in 2006. He previously worked for the Utah County Attorney's civil and criminal divisions and also had a private law practice.
dmeyers@sltrib.com

Utah County borrows $40 million for a Convention Center in Provo

2010-01-13T14:38:00.000-08:00

Very interested in your thoughts on Utah County borrowing approximately $40 million to build a convention center in Provo. The Convention Center should largely pay for itself through rental rates, and should be a great place for conventions in Utah County that are now being held else where, thus substantially boosting business in Utah County. However, if revenues are insufficient to cover debt service on the convention center, then the bond is guaranteed by the tax on restaurants and hotels in Utah County, which should be sufficient.

Nevertheless, several concerns:

1. Tax increase? Government spending is frequently just a delayed tax increase. Because Utah County could be using the restaurant and hotel taxes to cover the debt service on the convention center, they will have less revenue to cover all other expenses, and thus may feel a need to allow property taxes to increase again. (They allowed the property tax rate to go up 8.5% in 2009.) On the other hand, the convention center could increase the revenue from restaurant and hotel tax in Utah County substantially, meaning even more tax revenue for Utah County.

2. Elimination of Restaurant tax? The debt on the convention center is guaranteed mostly by the restaurant tax paid in Utah County, and many of the restaurants will benefit substantially from the additional business the convention center will bring. HOWEVER, the Utah Restaurant Association is currently lobbying hard to get a bill passed this year in Utah that would eliminate the restaurant tax, but allow counties to increase their general sales tax to make up for it. In other words, we'd shift the cost of the convention center largely from the restaurants to the general tax payer. Note the restaurants in Utah County support the Convention Center, but also support eliminating the taxes that would potentially pay for the Convention Center! In other words, they want to "keep their cake and eat it too".

Deseret News article on the Convention Center:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705358118/Financing-in-place-for-Utah-County-convention-center.html

Financing in place for Utah County convention center

By Sara Lenz
Deseret News
Published: Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010 8:48 p.m. MST
PROVO — Saying it couldn't have been better timed, Utah County Commissioners on Tuesday finalized plans to build a convention center in downtown Provo.
With the economy struggling and the federal government offering incentives to spend, Utah County locked down an interest rate of 3.89 percent on its $40.15 million worth of bonds issued for the convention center as of Monday. Without those conditions, the rate would have been closer to 6 percent or 7 percent, County Commissioner Larry Ellertson said.
"It's the culmination of a lot of work and effort and thoughts and ideas by a lot of people," Ellertson said. "This kind of puts the nail in the ground, so to speak."
There is speculation that the Federal Reserve will raise the borrowing rate later this month, so commissioners say they believe they finalized the project at the right time — even down to the date.
"The timing couldn't have been more perfect," Commissioner Gary Anderson said during a planning meeting Tuesday.
The county issued three types of bonds — tax-exempt bonds, Build America Bonds and recovery zone bonds — to various entities, including private health insurance and retirement fund companies, said Bryan Thomson, Utah County clerk/auditor. The bonds will be paid back over 30 years, with the total principal plus interest for Utah County at $69.75 million.
Thomson said the county was given a AA-minus rating in financial strength, which he said is basically saying to investors that the bond is a safe investment and has a low risk of failure.
While 90 percent of all municipalities' financial ratings went down with the economy, Utah County's did not. Thompson said he believes that's partly due to county commissioners' fiscal conservatism. Utah County has two-time coverage on all of its debt, he said.
Ellertson said the convention center will be paid for with Tourism, Recreation, Cultural and Convention Tax revenue, which has remained stable during the economic downturn. General sales tax revenue, on the other hand, has gone down in most cities.
Ellertson said the only drawback with the timing is that a proposal about the tourism tax is currently being debated by state legislators. The proposal is to eliminate the 1 percent TRCC tax and replace it with a .01 percent tax on all businesses across the board.
County commissioners met with architects Tuesday afternoon to go over design plans and discuss a timetable for construction of the convention center. Ellertson said construction should commence by the beginning of summer and take no longer than two years to finish.
The convention center is proposed to be built on 200 West, between Center and 100 North, near the Provo Marriott. It is planned to be three stories tall and 120,000 square feet, with a 20,000-square-foot exhibit hall and an 18,000-square-foot ballroom.
County officials also have plans to expand the center to more than double its planned size if the need is there in the future.

END

Front page of the Daily Herald!

2010-01-10T14:16:00.000-08:00

Joe Pyrah of the Daily Herald invited me in last Wednesday for an interview. I had wanted him to do an article on me last November when I announced I was running for Utah County Commissioner, but he told me I wasn't "news worthy" until I announced which seat I was running for (A or B).

So I called him up a week ago and told him I was going to announce who I was running for on Saturday, January 9, 2010 on Red Meat Radio. He kindly invited me in for an interview during the week, and took over 90 minutes with me to cover a wide variety of topics. He also promised to keep my announcement of who I was running against confidential until after I appeared on the radio show on Saturday morning.

Any rational candidate will always have multiple moments of terror during their campaign that no one will even care that you are running for office. Well, the Daily Herald kindly posted the article with my announcement for County Commissioner on the front page of the paper today. I'm excited because it helps me reach and connect to a much bigger audience than my immediate friends on Facebook and Twitter.

Anyway, the article is below. What do you think?

http://bit.ly/8YJGtP

Former Cedar Hills councilman running for county commission

Joe Pyrah - Daily Herald | Posted: Sunday, January 10, 2010 12:05 am

Don't be confused by the baby face. Joel Wright has been around.

Wright announced this week that he'll be challenging fellow Republican and incumbent Gary Anderson for his county commission seat.

His core push is for an expanded commission -- from three full-time commissioners to five part-time and one county mayor.

"I think Utah County has grown enough and matured enough ... that we need to have that discussion," he said.

While Anderson and fellow commissioner Steve White -- who is also up for re-election -- argue that expanding the commission would cost more money, Wright says it would cost about the same as long as they were paid the same as state lawmakers and didn't each have their own assistant.

Additional commissioners would help spread out the leadership role needed as the population continues to boom and issues such as transportation, trails and law enforcement are brought up, he contends.

The latter includes Ponzi schemes and prescription drug abuse specifically. Wright says the county needs to assume a stronger and more public leadership role in taking on such issues.

"I believe in limited government, but I believe in government that stands up and fights effectively for the county," he said.

Wright, though just 37, is a former Cedar Hills councilman as well as a former member of the state board of regents. His position as a regent generated some controversy early last year when he was linked to a UVU presidential candidate's decision to drop out of the race. Wright said he spoke with Ned Hill during the process about Hill's relationship with county legislators -- his wife was running as a Democrat -- and suggested he talk to a few of them to iron out differences. A smooth relationship with the Legislature is critical to getting funding at the university level, Wright said.

After Hill spoke with a few GOP lawmakers, he dropped out of the running for UVU president because he claimed it was too political. Wright, who said Hill was a "superb candidate," resigned his position shortly after because of the pressure being put on him over the incident, as well as his claim that as a regent "you are not supposed to think for yourself or vote as an independent person."

"I was too controversial," he said.

He currently works as a real estate attorney at the law firm Kirton & McConkie.

While Wright says he's running for the position more so than running against Anderson, he claims the incumbent isn't as responsive as he could be to the public.

"Is he managing or his he leading? Is he serving or is it a job?" he said. Service or a job, the position pays about $104,000 annually.

Because it's an intra-party challenge, Wright and Anderson will first meet at the party's convention in April. Should neither gather 60 percent of the party's delegates, they will face off in a primary in June. The winner would then move on to the November general election.

Joel Wright's issues:

• Better development of the Provo airport. While it belongs to the city, the airport has a growing regional significance that demands more attention from the county as a whole.

• Pay raise rollbacks. The county instituted significant pay raises in 2008 after a study revealed they were lagging behind other counties. Wright says that if the rest of the county is going to go through a recession, county government can cut back, as well. The existing commission has trimmed the budget over the past two years.

• A self-described Facebook and Twitter addict, Wright said the county could do more to reach out to the county's extremely young population through social media. The county has dipped its toes into the Twitterverse recently with a few government-managed accounts.

Red Meat Radio

2010-01-10T13:54:00.000-08:00

I really enjoyed appearing on Red Meat Radio (AM 630) yesterday. The show is hosted by State Senator Howard Stephenson and State Representative Greg Hughes, and takes two hours every Saturday to discuss politics in Utah.

Even though I had already announced I was running for County Commissioner, they kindly invited me on their show to announce I which County Commission seat I was running for, A or B. I announced I was running for Seat A, which is currently occupied by Gary Anderson.

They asked me some tough questions, but the show is really just a fun mix of information and banter. They asked me to come back again, and I told them they could count on it.

You can listen to my 20 minutes of fame on their program by listening to the last third of the first hour here:

http://bit.ly/6ZVDbv

Should the Nutty Putty caves be closed forever?

2009-12-05T13:01:00.001-08:00

Both the Daily Herald and Deseret News have recently had very thoughtful articles on the decision by several government agencies, including the Utah County Commissioners, to permanently shut the Nutty Putty caves, as well as dynamite the portion where John James unfortunately died.

Read the Daily Herald article here: http://bit.ly/52417K

And the Des News article here: http://bit.ly/4QPrOF

This is not an easy decision, but it is an important decision. And it is very indicative of what you think the proper role of government should be, and how much time and effort you're willing to put into getting the right outcome.

I oppose the decision apparently supported by the Utah County Commissioners to permanently seal Nutty Putty cave, as well as dynamite a portion of the cave that took millions of years to form. A single accident does not justify such actions. On the other hand, nor should the taxpayer be required to pay $40,000 or more every time someone gets stuck in those caves.

Instead, I propose serious consideration be given to putting a gate on every entrance, and then certifying 100 or more experienced spelunkers to serve as "guides" to the Nutty Putty cave. You would be required to be accompanied by one of these guides to visit the caves, and have to pay a fee (around $20) towards an insurance/maintenance fund on the cave that could pay for rescue efforts, and maintain the cave. Why not? (Apparently lack of will power, or imagination by our government officials.)

Bridge over Utah Lake - for or against?

2009-11-28T04:20:00.001-08:00

As many of you are aware, a private group named "Utah Crossing" has proposed a privately owned toll bridge across Utah Lake. Apparently the only approval they need at this point in order to start construction is approval from the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, and then negotiate a lease for an easement across Utah Lake from the State of Utah, since the State of Utah owns the actual land under Utah Lake.

You can submit your comments either for or against the bridge across Utah Lake from now until Nov. 30, 2009 at this web site:

http://www.ffsl.utah.gov/sovlands/utahlake/commentform.php

Also, the private group "Utah Crossing" apparently had a web site up making their side until recently, but it has apparently been taken down. You can still find it if you Google "Utah Crossing" and click on the cached link.

There is also a group opposed to the current bridge proposal across Utah Lake, and you can find their web site here:

http://www.fightthebridge.org/

Posted in the comments below are the comments I formally submitted to the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands explaining the concerns I would need to have satisfied before I could support a bridge over Utah Lake.

Kicking the Hornet's Nest

2009-11-25T08:35:00.000-08:00

Blog from Daily Herald report Joe Pyrah here:

http://sausagegrinding.blogspot.com/2009/11/game-on.html

Text of blog below:

I skipped doing a published story on Joel Wright's formal announcement as candidate for county commission because he didn't announce an opponent. (I did mention his intention back in September on the Grinder.)

It's not too easy to write a story when you can't stack someone up against an opponent. It's either Steve White or Gary Anderson, but those guys are so different that it's not like Wright can make a blanket statement that covers them both.

But today, Wright poked the hornets nest to see what would happen. At the weekly commission meeting, he got up during the public comment portion and said that while commissioners did a good job with the 2010 budget, they should have rescinded the 2008 salary increases to ease the burden on taxpayers.

"The market right now, I think, would not lead to many employees leaving," he said, then added he'd put the raises back in place once the economy improved.

Anderson went straight into campaign mode, claiming that the employees didn't get a raise in 2009 or 2010 which amounts to a 5 percent pay cut because of the increase in cost of living. (I reject that methodology as public employee BS, but whatever.)

He leans into the mic and says "I appreciate our employees doing more with less."

Of course, it's hard to convey the mood of a room and the passive-aggressive nature of Utah politicians, but it made for a fun 30 seconds.

MY COMMENT ON BLOG ABOVE:

I appreciate our County Commissioners balancing Utah County's budget for 2010, and I also appreciate they had to make painful cuts in order to do so. But those cuts were simply insufficient given the current state of the economy.

Our County Commissioners raised our property tax rate about 8.5% in 2009 in order to keep their property tax revenue steady. That's like feeding your horse less, but still expecting it to do just as much work.

If the County Commissioners had already cut everything they could, then it would be defensible, but they haven't.

All county employees, including the County Commissioners, got a big raise in 2008, just before the biggest recession of our life time set in. At a minimum, they should roll that salary increase back entirely before raising our property tax rates in this this tough economy.

Very few, if any, Utah County employees are going to quit right now if their salaries go back to 2007 levels. There just aren't that many other jobs out there. Note further that we are experiencing deflation now, so a salary decrease becomes more reasonable. Note also the Utah State Legislators cut their salary earlier this year when they were cutting everyone else's budget.

Bottom Line: Until the County Commissioners have cut everything they can, they should NOT raise our property tax rates. And I believe they can still reasonably cut all salaries, including their salaries, back to 2007 levels.

Deseret News article on Campaign Announcement

2009-11-19T11:48:00.000-08:00

Article available here: http://bit.ly/1vvlo4

Text of article below:

Former Cedar Hills councilman Wright to run for Utah County Commission

By Sara Lenz
Deseret News
Published: Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009 10:53 a.m. MST
Former Cedar Hills City Councilman Joel D. Wright has announced his candidacy for the Utah County Commission.
Wright, a 37-year-old lawyer, said he will run against Gary Anderson or Steve White in 2010 for a seat on the commission.
Wright, who grew up in Provo, returned to Utah County five years ago after living in New York and Washington, D.C. He said he made his decision to run for county commissioner about six months ago.
"I think Utah County deserves more effective solutions and focus on regional problems," Wright said. "There are regional issues that need to be pushed right now."
Some of those issues, he said, include removing obstacles to economic development, creating better transportation, improving accessibility of Utah Lake and fighting crime locally.
If elected, Wright said one of the biggest items on his agenda will be looking at changing the structure of Utah County government. Instead of having three full-time commissioners, he suggests that Utah County have one full-time mayor and five part-time county council members.
Wright said that would reduce the cost of government officials by one-third, and each council member could represent a region in the county.
The father of four has been involved with the Utah County Republican Party as a state and county delegate and has been on the Utah State Board of Regents and Utah State Charter School Board.
Wright received a bachelor's degree in economics and political science at BYU and a juris doctorate at New York University.

THIS IS THE COMMENT I POSTED ON THE ARTICLE ABOVE:

As the article stated, I believe we need regional solutions to regional problems. Right now, we send too much tax money to Washington DC or Salt Lake City, and then have to hope they send a little bit of our money back to us.

Utah County has 550,000 residents now, and will likely have over one million in 20 years or less. We are rapidly becoming an urban county, and we need to prepare for it. For example, there is no good reason why the State should own or manage the roads in Utah County that do not cross county lines. Instead, Utah County should keep their share of the gas tax, and manage these roads on their own. In addition, it is clear we can not count on the State or Federal governments to effectively stop Ponzi schemes in Utah County before they have mushroomed. We need to give our Utah County Attorney and Sheriff the resources and training they need to fight and prosecute these crimes. Finally, we need a Utah County government based on the principles of the US Constitution, with separate executive and legislative branches.

Salt Lake Tribune article on Campaign Announcement

2009-11-19T11:13:00.000-08:00

Article at: http://bit.ly/2k6SOk

Or complete text below:

Wright to run for county commissioner
Government » Candidate wants to adopt a county-council form of government.
By Donald W. Meyers
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 11/19/2009 09:26:28 AM MST

Provo » The 2010 election is still months away, but one Utah County Republican has thrown his hat in the ring for County Commission.
Joel D. Wright, a former Cedar Hills city councilman, announced his plans to run for one of the two seats currently occupied by Commissioners Gary Anderson and Steve White.
If he's elected, Wright said he would push for a change in county government. His idea: Adopt a county-council form of government.
"We need to have a county government that reflects a county of almost 550,000 people," Wright said. He said a county council would better address regional issues.
White, the incumbent, said dropping the three-member commission for a county council would be a bad idea.
"I'm not for change for the sake of change," White said. "I'm for change for improving service." While he would be amenable to enlarging the commission to five members, White said a county council would be costly for residents. He said Salt Lake County saw its budget increase $6 million when it switched from a commission to a council.
He said the commission doesn't govern all Utah County residents; only the 11,000 who live in the unincorporated areas.
Wright said the commission form served the county well about a century ago. But it lacks a system of checks and balances, as well as giving residents someone who represents their area on the body.
The commissioners serve as at-large members.
Another reason to go with a council-mayor form of county government: A better representative to make the county's case on the state and national level.
"A county mayor could get in the face of the Legislature and Congress," Wright said.
White said he has no problems representing the county before the Legislature or the state's congressional delegation.
"I have the cell phone numbers of our two [U.S.] senators and our [congressional] representative in my Blackberry," White said.
Wright said if he is elected he would promote economic development in the county, make Utah Lake more accessible and bolster the Utah County Attorney's Office's ability to prosecute white-collar crimes such as Ponzi schemes.
Wright is an attorney with Kirton and McConkie.

MY POSTED COMMENT ON THE ARTICLE ABOVE:

Glad to get the conversation going! Let's discuss a few of the points above:

1. New form of County Government? Both Commissioner White and I agree that the current form of county government, with just 3 commissioners, needs to be changed. Right now, the law requires that 2 county commissioners vote to put the issue on the ballot. If the voters approve it, then a study commission would be created which would propose a new form of county government. Maybe they would recommend Commissioner White's form (expand to 5 county commissioners) or maybe they would recommend my proposal (mayor and county council). But the voters would decide. Let's start that process.

2. "Salt Lake County saw its budget increase $6 million when it switched from a commission to a council." That's because they love to tax and spend in Salt Lake. Instead of having 3 commissioners paid $102,000 a year, we could switch to one part time mayor, and five part time county council members, and pay them all the same as we do our State Representatives - that would actually cut the costs in half.

3. "[White] said the commission doesn't govern all Utah County residents; only the 11,000 who live in unincorporated areas." Really? Then why is every property owner in Utah County paying property taxes to the County? Why does Utah County own so many roads in Utah County? Why did they approve borrowing $45 million to build a convention center in Provo yesterday? I guess it depends on how you define "govern".

4. Commissioner White is effective at representing Utah County before the Legislature and the state's delegation. But I would go further, and ask the federal and state governments to STOP taking so much of our money through taxes, and let us keep our own money to solve our own problems. For example, the State should not own or operate any roads that do not cross county lines. Instead, the county should own roads crossing city lines, and get our share of the state gas tax.

Should Utah County change its form of government?

2009-11-18T21:10:00.001-08:00

As many of you are aware, Utah County currently has the default form of county government in Utah, which is three full time County Commissioners. Is that the most effective form of government? Should we change it?

I think our Founding Fathers got it right with our US Constitution, which includes separate branches of government, checks and balances, as well as regional representation. In sharp contrast, the Utah County Commission has “executive, legislative and judicial” powers according to their own web site, with no regional representation in a county with over 500,000 residents.

Fortunately, none of us get to decide. Instead, if two Utah County Commissioners, or 10% of the voters on a petition, request a change in the form of government, then it would go to the ballot, and the voters in Utah County would vote on whether a study commission consisting of individuals chosen by the cities, county and state legislators should be formed to propose a new form of government for Utah County. The study commission would then review the issue, and could recommend one of the following changes:

1. Five or Seven full time County Commissioners (former Utah County Commissioner and Governor Gary Herbert publicly supports changing to five full time County Commissioners in Utah)
2. Full time Mayor or Executive and part time County Council (what Salt Lake County and Cache County have done)
3. Full time unelected Executive, with a part time elected County Council (what Wasatch, Summit, Morgan and Grand counties have done)

Then, that form of government would be on the ballot again, and if it was approved by the voters then within two years new elections would be held to implement the new form of county government. I will admit I lean towards the Mayor or Executive with a County Council form of government right now, but I think the voters should decide the issue.

I believe a change in the form of Utah County's government could do the following:

1. Increase public awareness and involvement (especially if County Council members were assigned to certain geographic areas)

2. Increase the legitimacy of the Utah County government to represent us on regional planning issues, and make them a better negotiator with federal, state and local governments

3. Lower the cost of government - a full time mayor and part time county council would cost less than three full time commissioners. Note also that the actual salary for the new form of government would be on the ballot as well, so the voters would know if they were approving a government that would cost more than the current form of three county commissioners.

4. Economies of scale - many things could potentially be done most effectively at the County level, including roads, public transportation, bicycle trails, Utah Lake, airport, etc.

If any of you have lived or visited in Orange County in California, or Fairfax County in Virignia, then you may have noticed that they have a number of thriving cities, but they also have a relatively effective county government handling many of the issues I identified above. But what do you think? Can you even recognize a Utah County Commissioner if they walked by you? Does that matter? Do we need Utah County to lead out on the issues now that we have over 20 competing cities in Utah County? Is Utah County ready for more than one million residents in 20 years or less? Very interested in your thoughts.

Some have claimed that any change in the form of government would cost the tax payers more, citing claims that Salt Lake County's budget increased after 1990 when they adopted a Mayor and County Council form of government. I believe the budget increased because Salt Lake County is much less conservative than Utah County, and they simply elect officials who are much more liberal in their approach to spending. In sharp contrast, three full time county commissioners cost Utah County $312,000/year in salary, while a full time Mayor at $104,000/year, and five part time county council members at a salary of $20,000/year would only cost Utah County $204,000/year, resulting in substantial savings and what I believe is a better form of government.

Why I am running for Utah County Commissioner

2009-11-16T21:57:00.000-08:00

Dear Utah County Voter,

I am pleased to announce my candidacy for Utah County Commissioner in 2010. I hope to earn your vote. Below is my initial campaign statement. I welcome your thoughts, comments, encouragement and especially criticism.

Warm Regards,
Joel Wright
801-368-5385

FOR RELEASE AFTER 5 AM ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2009

Contact: Joel Wright

Phone: 801-368-5385

Email: wright4countycommissioner@gmail.com

Campaign Statement from Joel Wright

My name is Joel Wright, and I am a Republican candidate for Utah County Commissioner in 2010. I am running because I love Utah County, and believe it has enormous untapped potential. In order for Utah County to thrive, we need to think about our county as a broader, unified entity. Very few of Utah County's half million residents live, work and play in a single city in Utah County. We need a county government that understands this, and is willing to effectively lead on the key regional issues. Below I share the key issues I will focus on, the principles that will guide me, and my experience. But, most importantly, I need to hear from you.

Please email me at wright4countycommissioner@gmail.com and let me know what issues matter to you, and visit my initial campaign web site (http://wright4countycommissioner.blogspot.com/ ) and review the issues posted there. I am also available on Facebook (search for Joel David Wright), or follow me on Twitter (as JoeldWright).

Key regional issues include:

1. Removing Obstacles to Economic Development. Economic development is not the responsibility of government. But an effective government can remove the obstacles to economic development. We need to create opportunities worthy of our young and talented work force, or we are going to lose them.

2. Transportation. We are growing faster than we are solving our problems. Utah County is at the mercy of both the federal and state governments on this issue. Our federal and state government should not be involved with roads that do not cross county lines. Instead, the federal and state governments should return the gas tax they take from us based on a simple formula, which would allow us to build our own roads and infrastructure.

3. Utah Lake. Utah Lake is the crown jewel in the middle of our county. We need to make it more accessible with trails and beaches, improve the ecosystem of the lake and build on the progress made to date.

4. Reform County Government. Utah County still has three full time county commissioners, which is a primitive form of government that was instituted by default over 100 years ago. This form of government is not modeled after the US Constitution, and the Utah County Commissioners have “executive, legislative and judicial” powers. In other words, no separation of powers, no checks and balances, and no regional representation. The voters could decide to change this form of government if the county commissioners were willing to trust them, and put this issue on the ballot.

5. Fighting Modern Crime: I think it is critical we give the Utah County Attorney and Sheriff the resources and training they need to fight modern crimes in Utah County. Specifically, we need law enforcement capable of stopping ponzi schemes and fighting prescription drug abuse. We cannot rely on state or federal authorities to solve either of these problems.

Key principles that will guide me are:

1. Government cannot solve all, or even most, of the world’s problems. Government should do well what it is supposed to do, and then stop.

2. Balance the budget, no tax increases. This is obvious, but worth repeating.

3. Local control of local issues. Utah County has nearly 550,000 residents. We simply don’t need, or want, the “assistance” of the federal or state government to solve most of our problems. Both Washington DC and Salt Lake City are taking too much money from us, and then either ignoring our problems, or trying to solve our problems their way.

4. Public Input, Public Information. I will actively seek public input on every major decision. All information I get will be made public unless I am prohibited by law from doing so. I will send out a monthly email explaining what I have done the previous month, and maintain an active web site where I will post and discuss issues with the voters in Utah County.

Experience:

1. Professional. Partner with the law firm Kirton & McConkie in their Orem office where I focus on real estate matters. Named by Utah Business Magazine to Utah’s Legal Elite.

2. Utah County Republican Party. Legislative District #57 Chair, State Delegate, County Delegate, Precinct Vice-Chair, Utah County Constitution and Bylaws Committee, Utah County Platform Committee Member and Alternate National Delegate.

3. Public Service. Utah State Board of Regents, Utah State Charter School Board and Cedar Hills City Council.

4. Education. Timpview High School, Brigham Young University (B.A. in Economics and Political Science) and New York University (J.D.).

5. Personal. Married to Marisa Wright, and we are the parents of four children. My wife and I were both raised in Utah County, and we wanted to raise our children here as well.

6. Other. Former Scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts. Eagle Scout. Coached baseball and soccer teams on many occasions. Member of the Utah Taxpayers Association. Adopted Canyon Road (SR 146) in Cedar Hills with my family, and pick up the trash there on a regular basis.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Warm Regards,

Joel Wright

801-368-5385

wright4countycommissioner@gmail.com