Yes, it is that time of the year again. The magical time when politicos start to emerge from the cocoon like state that is election burnout and start to embrace the disease that is politics. This year the focus for Dem’s will be electing officials to run the state and county parties. Indeed, tomorrow the Salt Lake County Democrats will elect leadership to guide the second largest Democratic organization in the state for the next two years.

It is for this reason that I offer the following unsolicited endorsements. Who knows, perhaps these endorsements will give you a reason to vote against people, but hey, just hear me out on this.

Chair – Justin Miller

As I have said before, I have been very impressed with Miller’s passion, knowledge, and grit. Miller is running for office because he truly cares about the party and the direction it should head in the future; and the institutional knowledge he will bring to the position on day one is worth its weight in gold (although I don’t quite know how one would weight “institutional knowledge”). I am also thoroughly impressed with Miller’s passion to work in the trenches of Sandy and Draper, working on the tough races that were far from gimmies.  I have always felt that Miller acts with poise and class, and I know that he would serve our party well.

First Vice Chair – Richard Jaramillo

Although Richard is running unopposed, he would have my endorsement anyway.  Richard does not shy away from debate and always works to ensure that all sides of the table are brought to the discussion. His wit and humor ensure that, even in fierce debate, you know that, at the end of the day, you were listened to and respected.

Second Vice Chair – Laura Arellano

Two years ago I ran against Laura for this very position and loss.  At the time I was disappointed, of course, but could not of thought of a better person to lose to. I first met Laura at Drinking Liberally where her organizing and communication skills are constantly on display. Since being elected she has focused on herding cats, mostly in the form of message development and dissemination. 

Secretary – Breanne Miller

For better or for worse, Breanne is the reason I became involved in politics. Years ago Breanne was the President of the University of Utah College Democrats and, as part of her responsibilities, she had a table and a sign up sheet. After chatting with her, I was on the contact list and the rest was history.  From that day, I have always admired her strong will and no nonsense style. This, combined with her unquestionable passion, commitment, and attention to detail makes for a fantastic secretary. Breanne has served the county for many years, and she has more than earned the right to continue to do so.

There ya have it folks.  I hope this helps you in your decision making process tomorrow.

And before you get too upset, I did not forget about Holly Martak in the Treasurer position – however she is running opposed and, unlike the candidates listed above, I must admit that I am not familiar enough with her work to “recommend” her on a personal level. That being said, it certainly appears that she has done a fine job as every single dollar is in order every time I see a financial statement.

Finally, if you need information on the convention, visit the Salt Lake County Democratic Parties Website.

When I first heard the news that current County Democratic Chair Weston Clark was not seeking another term, I was initially concerned. I have always been impressed with the drive and initiative the County Party has shown under Clark’s management, and to loose him as a leader could potentially spell disaster or, at the very least, stagnation for the Salt Lake County Democrats.

The Salt Lake County Democrats have made tremendous gains under Clark, but this would downplay the work of the entire Executive Committee. Indeed, though Clark may have been at the head of the ship, he had a strong crew to help move the party forward.

That is why I was pleased to hear that First Vice Chair of the Salt Lake County Democrats, Justin Miller, was willing and eager to step up and fill Clark’s seat as head of the County Party. Not only has he served in some capacity with the County Dems for five years, but has been Vice Chair for four of them.

Miller has helped shape and guide the party down a path of success. Among many smaller achievements, the Salt Lake County Democrats have been able to hire an Executive Director for the first time in over 20 years, launch the very successful “Think Precinct” project to encourage more local involvement in elections, and have reached out to several caucuses and individuals in their drive to create a more unified and powerful county party.

I was also personally impressed with Miller when he spoke with me about his run in the first place. He was more than happy to answer any questions I had and he was more than willing to listen to some of the concerns I raised about where I wanted to see the party go. More often than not we had a similar vision and I feel that Miller has as much passion for growth of the party as I do. Miller proved to me that he really does listen and care about what people think.

But let us also not discount his experience. Miller may be younger than some, but what he lacks in age he more than makes up for in knowledge and wisdom. This, when mixed with his unquestionable loyalty and passion, along with his proven long term commitment to the party, make him a worthy successor. I have also been impressed with his ability to take on tough challenges, rather than to take the easy road to political notoriety; he is clearly not doing this to advance his name, but because he has a genuine love for the party.

We are still months away from the election of a new party chair, but I can think of no one better to move our party forward.

To learn more, click here for Justin’s Facebook Fan Page.

If there is one thing in a campaigner I love, it is a fighter, and Diane Turner definitely fits the bill.

When you loose an election by just over 900 votes (as Diane did in 2006 to her opponent this year), a candidate will generally do one of two things – pack up their bags and say “well I tried this election thing, and it didn’t work” or hunker down, learn from their experiences, and fight even harder the second time around to win.

This mentality, I feel, is exactly what we should look for in our public officials. The idea that it is not over until it is over…and even when it is over right now, it does not mean that you can’t come back for a second round.

And Turner is out for blood. Her opponent is a far right ideologue who is long on talking points and short on results.  His one attempt to make his voice heard by cutting $5 million from the counties Human Services budget was met with resounding disapproval.  Indeed this ill thought out, partisan proposal received exactly one vote from the council – his own. Dig a little deeper and this should come as no surprise; his Facebook page is littered with national GOP praise with little reference to what is going on in the county.

Turner, on the other hand, is fiscally responsible and a moderate who wants to focus on programs and projects that encourage growth while maintaining our budget, especially in her own district. She intends to fight to bring business to her district rather than having everything go north or south because of political pressure supported by the incumbent.

Finally a vote for Turner is a vote to support Peter Corroon and his widely popular governance of the county during his last two years. Don’t mistake this as a rubber stamp, but rather another ally to make Salt Lake County cleaner, safer, and more prosperous.

I encourage you to vote for Diane Turner this election!

Sim Gill is exactly what you should look for in a DA: Hard-nosed yet sympathetic, detail oriented yet able to see the larger picture, and passionate yet steady at the helm.

Gill also possesses the experience necessary to jump into the job. Gill is Salt Lake City’s Chief City Prosecutor and has more than 15 years of experience prosecuting criminals.

But Gill is not just interested in locking up the bad guys and throwing away the keys; Gill possess the foresight to see that criminals will not change their behavior if they don’t have the tools necessary to change. In that vein Gill has helped to create and implement programs such as Mental Health Court, Domestic Violence Court, the Family Justice Center, and misdemeanor Drug Court. I have also heard him speak about his desire to set up a more comprehensive youth court that focuses on restorative justice and stopping youth crime before it starts.

But I would not be remiss if I did not mention the concerns I have about the current DA’s ability to run the office.  Serious questions have been raised about how tallent is leaving the DA’s office due to a lack of leadership, inflating crime statistics to increase the DA’s budget, using stimulus money to hire recently fired employees from her husbands frim. These actions point to a DA’s office that is mismanaged or lacks a fundamental understanding of how to maintain the public trust…perhaps that’s why she authorized the use of taxpayer dollars to hire a PR director.

Please do not mistake this as an endorsement against the current DA, however, I am a solid supporter of Gill. I encourage you to vote for him this election.

There are two things I know for a fact when it comes to Sheriff Winder 1) if you value your hand, be careful shaking his and 2) (if you will pardon the pun) he is a straight shooter.

Jim Winder is not a politician, he is a law man, and a damn fine one at that too. His priority since day one has been to protect the people of Salt Lake County and has worked tirelessly to get criminals off the streets.

But Winder walks the line of hard nosed Sheriff and wise public servant. In one of the leanest years fiscally, Sheriff Winder was able to successfully reopen the Oxbow Jail and alleviating pressure on other jails and freeing up beds to ensure that criminals are not prematurely released due to overcrowding. Furthermore, his strong push to create the Unified Police Force shows that Winder possesses the wisdom to see that the law enforcement needs of the county have changed drastically since the days when Salt Lake County was a dusty stopping point along the Pony Express. The old system was created to catch cattle rustlers, the UPF is suited to catch internet predators.  His vision will ensure that Salt Lake County will have a premiere police force for years to come.

Winder is also not afraid to make tough decisions. Much has been ballyhooed about the modest tax county residents have to pay for a quality police service, but what most people fail to mention is that Winder slashed $14 million from his own budget in an attmpt to trim the fat while still keeping public safety at the forefront.

Furthermore, Winder has solid reasons for wanting to stay in office and continue his efforts to improve Salt Lake County. His opponent, on the other hand, seems to be running due to a personal vendita against Winder – going so far as to drop is loyalties to his party to do so. His opponent offers no new ideas and only lists pleasantries such as “protecting the Constitution” as a reason to vote for him – as if Winder doesn’t?

Winder is a good man and a good Sheriff. I encourage you all to vote for Jim Winder for Salt Lake County Sheriff.

Amendment A is a solution to a problem that does not exist, and it has the added benefit of possibly harming our state.

Amendment A sounds nice enough – hell, it even sounds like it is un-democratic to vote against it.  Its language is simple:

 Shall the Utah Constitution be amended to specify that elections currently required to be by secret ballot include elections under state or federal law for public office, on an initiative or referendum, or to designate or authorize employee or individual representation?

I mean, who doesn’t want our elections to be private, is our right to feel our vote is our own, free of coercion.

But did you catch that last line? By adding ”(secret ballots include elections) to designate or authorize employee or individual representation,” legislators are subtlety attempting to harm unions and take on the federal government.

You see, this amendment was prompted by Congresses potential passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, an act that would make it easier for unions to form. As the Salt Lake Tribune explains:

Under existing law, if 30 percent of employees sign cards saying that they want an organizing election, a union can petition the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to conduct an election by secret ballot. If the union gets a majority of the votes, the NLRB certifies the union.Under the “Employee Free Choice Act,” the NLRB would certify the union if it could get more than 50 percent of the workforce to sign the cards. The election by secret ballot would be eliminated.

Business, naturally, fears that this would give union bosses the potential to coerce people into publicly supporting the formation of a union. In an attempt to circumvent this, the Utah State Legislature is trying to pass Amendment A to change our Constitution.

But here is the rub – the Utah Constitution already says that all elections are required to be secret. The only problem is that the union issue has never been challenged in state court and, therefore, never defined.

As an added bonus, if the Employee Free Choice Act were to pass, it doesn’t matter what our state constitution says due to the fact that federal law always trumps state law. Since our legislature loves taking on the federal government, it is only natural that we will spend God only knows how much defending a losing battle – I suspect a judge would just snicker, render his verdict, and move on.

If the Employee Free Choice Act does not pass (and it is looking like it won’t), we have created a solution to a problem that does not exist. Anti-big government people, where are you on this one?

I do love the grand platitudes Representative Wimmer and Senator Stephenson use to defend their proposed amendment. Hell, if you were to read it you would think that the Lord himself has tasked Wimmer and Stephenson to protect democracy herself.

Vote no on Amendment A. At best it is useless, and at worse it could cost Utah a good chunk of change.

I have the impression that many people in the Democratic community were shocked to discover that Senator Scott McCoy would be stepping down from his post effective last Friday in order to peruse personal and professional goals.  Though I understand the toll that being a legislator can take on an individual, I was, none the less, saddened to hear the news of his departure. To be sure the next senator from central Salt Lake and South Salt Lake will have big shoes to fill.

A handful of names have popped up since the announcement of McCoy’s retirement, and I do not envy the position the 100 plus delegates will face on December 19^th when they choose their new senator. Everyone who I have at least heard a murmur about is more than qualified for the task at hand.

But, as you can see by the title of this post, I have made my decision.

I received a call from Ben the night Senator McCoy announced his retirement and he asked if he could talk to me about his bid.  Not willing to turn down a free cup of coffee, I soon sat down with Ben to discuss what he wanted to do for Senate District 2. I must admit the site was rather odd as I, in my t-shirt and jeans, was interviewing a man in matching suit jacket and slacks…but I digress.

I first got to know Ben on the Ralph Becker for Mayor campaign back in 2007.  Since then I have had the chance to chat him up at various events, but never really about any particular issue that concerned me. This was my chance to drill the current Senior Advisor for Intergovernmental Affairs for the Becker administration, and I was impressed with Ben’s breath and depth of knowledge on current issues facing the state and the residents of the district.

Ben is, first and foremost, a policy wonk through and through, and his absolute love of creating good, sound, policy is his most important attribute when I look at any political candidate to support. His ideas on how to fix the budget through an increase in sales tax (as opposed to food tax), pro-rating liquor licenses along with allowing the DABC to predict how many licenses will be lost through business closures and redistributing said licenses early, and state employee benefits all appeal to me as a citizen of the state.  From a party standpoint, I was impressed with Ben’s desire to step into the role that that fiercely blue seat allows him to take; Ben assures me that he will be no shrinking violet once he is up on the hill – rather he will be the squeaky wheel “even when the train is plowing ahead.”

Finally, I would like to point out his coalition building and effectiveness on day one.  Ben was a behind the scenes player in issues such as Salt Lake City’s partnership registry and just passed non-discrimination ordinances. When certain state senators threatened to kill the partnership registry from the state level, it was Ben that was able to talk and build relationships that would maintain the cities interest.  He knows who to talk to in order to get things done, and he knows how to navigate tumultuous waters with skill and tact.

In short, I wholeheartedly support Ben in his bid for Senate District 2. To those of you who have the difficult decision to make in less than three weeks, I sincerely hope you give him your support as well.

Carlton Christensen, the Gentle Giant, has been a mainstay in west side politics for the past 11 years as District 1’s representative. Carlton’s work with many civic organizations, combined with his life long love of the district, not only shows his passion to serve, but also his effectiveness. I wholeheartedly support Carlton in his bid for a fourth term as my couniclperson.

Carlton knows what the district needs, and fights for it. He has helped to secure funding for a west side light rail line and a new North Temple viaduct, helped to expand the Jordan River Parkway to the county line and improved neighborhood parks, supported the “green waste” city collection program and the construction of a new west-side fire station and police precinct. All this while being fiscally responsible with the citizens money.

But his eyes are also towards the future. As a proponent for responsible growth, and sustainable economic development, it is hard to say no to Carlton. I must admit that I also agree with his desire to construct a new Public Safety Building…all while keeping the cities books balanced. As a long time member of Salt Lake Peer Court, I also am impressed with Carlton’s desire to help youth earlier in life by preventing gang activity and encouraging them to grow and succeed.

But Carlton’s other supporters also speak volumes. Not only is Carlton endorsed by Mayor Ralph Becker and the districts main State Representative, Jen Seelig, Carlton has also been endorsed by the districts State Senator, Luz Robles, whom Carlton ran against and lost to in 2008. It should be noted that Carlton ran as a Republican in that race, while Becker, Seelig, and Robles are all Democrats. That alone should show that Carlton knows what democracy should be – the right to disagree without being disagreeable. Indeed, I was impressed and respected how honest and professional Carlton was in that race, despite the fact that I did not vote for him at the time.

I do feel that is worth mentioning that Carlton’s opponent does not appear to hold this same value in mind. After coming in a distant second in last Tuesday’s primary, Carlton’s opponent argued that LDS candidates fair far better in elections because they have “built-in get out the vote mechanism(s).” Not only is this statement offensive, but it is out and out false for the district – only a quarter of residents are active Mormons. I am not Mormon and I am a fierce Democrat, and I can tell you that she received 25% of the vote because her issues simply did not match with the needs of the district. Her only discernible issue of note was that she wanted to eliminate prostitution on North Temple, a worthy goal to be sure, but she certainly gave me no reason why she would be the better candidate to do this, or any other task for that matter, when compared to Carlton.

Carlton Christensen is a hard working member of our community, and his tireless service should be noted and lauded. I, for one, and happy to back Carlton and hope that, if you have the opportunity, you will cast your vote for him on November 3^rd.