Issue Position: My Pledge to You

Issue Position

I pledge to:

(1) Listen well, to value your concerns and interests above my own. For "representative" democracy to mean anything, your interests must come first.

(2) Insist that all legislation meets two standards: it must be (a) constitutional AND (b) make sense for the citizens of this district. Otherwise, I won't vote for it.

(3) Make education a priority: promoting local control, greater transparency, and ensuring that the money we spend makes it into the classroom.

(4) To fight to defend any effort to weaken Utah's caucus system, and to encourage greater public participation in that system.

(5) To term limit myself. To stand for no more than five regular-cycle elections in the Utah House. (In other words, I will serve for no more than 10 years in the House.)

(6) To represent your interests and no other. I want you to believe in me not because I have money or influence (which I don't), but on the strength of my character and ideas. I also commit to disclose openly and publicly exactly what I've spent, how I've spent it, and where the money came from.

(7) To be honest, transparent, and accountable. I promise to be open and inclusive in the way I evaluate legislation--seeking voter input at each and every opportunity, and looking to you, the citizens of House District 18, first and foremost, rather than to colleagues, lobbyists or special interests. I would like to have volunteer citizen groups within the district help me delve into tough issues. Please hold me accountable for the decisions I make, understanding that I will make mistakes and that we may have honest and principled differences of opinion. Having said that, I believe that people of good will and integrity can always find common ground.

(8) To sponsor at least one "clean up, repeal, or simplify" bill each session. Legislators spend far too much time trying to pass new legislation. We need to work hard to eliminate unnecessary, obsolete, or counter-productive legislation and simplify our code and regulations. Sometimes "getting stuff done" means getting the government to do less.

(9) To not take myself too seriously. I have a Dutch nose, a receding hair line, and a weakness for chocolate … and I'm okay with that.

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