State of the Mayoral race by Dave Alvord The campaign is in full gear. So where does the race sit from my view? I have to say that each of the candidates seem to have a good personal life. We are each men and women of faith and service, so there are no “villians” in this race. Who seems to have an edge? What angle is each of us taking? What are the philosophies and platforms? I would like to describe, from my view, each of the candidates, their strenghts and weaknesses, as well as my own to help everybody get a clear view of the race. Aleta Taylor: Former Council member, she recently lost her seat to Steve Barnes. She is patriotic, conservative, and warm-hearted. Weaknesses: She was a member of the council that oversaw a doubling of the city staff. From 2001-2011 we saw 253 employees increase to 453. Has very little signage and is not articulating a very bold platform. Hard to remember. Scott Osborne: Mayor appointed by the city council. A good man. He has really “rocked the boat” and has come under some fire by many city employees and their families. I actually admire him for questioning the status quo. Weaknesses: his term saw more acrimony in the city offices than most people can ever remember. He has allied with Chuck Newton, who is a member of the city council which will only alienate his relationship with the other council members. Running a vague campaign. Possible conflict of interest because many of his clients are developers. There are reports that he has taken campaign contributions upwards of 10,000 from developer clients of his. We could see South Jordan get more high-density with a full Mayor Osborne term. Steve Barnes: He’s one of the most conservative members of the council, and a dear friend of mine. I’d like to see him remain on the City Council. We don’t know who will fill his seat should he win Mayor. The Mayor doesn’t get a vote. The irony is that if Steve is elected Mayor, we could actually see the city become less conservative, as we lose a conservative vote on the city council. Many votes go 3-2 in the wrong direction. One seat can make a huge difference. Weaknesses: His full-time employment isn’t as flexible as say, a dentist (ahem). He also doesn’t favor tax cuts, but would rather see the tax rate remain the same. Steve is also running too vague a campaign. Also, Steve picked Mayor Osborne, and is now running against him. Was picking Mayor Osborne a bad decision? For Steve to run against Osborne, indicates that he feels it was a bad decision. Steve has to admit that he picked a poor mayor. This sequence of events looks poorly for both Osborne and Barnes. Kathie Johnson: She is probably the most experienced of the candidates running. If we were to give it to the most experienced, Kathie would win. Kathie lost her seat to Chuck Newton. Weaknesses: She is old establishment. What is her platform? I haven’t figured that out. That’s not good for a campaign when even her opponents don’t know where she stands. She also presided over the government expansion and high rate of hiring. Mark Woolley: Long-time South Jordan resident. Father, and good man. He’s served in some capacaties for the city. He has been involved in real estate for most of his career. He’s good at networking and making friends. A formidable candidate. He has made inroads with the city employees. He is promising to “trust them” and to give the “all the resources they need”. This is a clever campaign strategy for the primary. City employees and their families are religious voters. Weaknesses: the most vague of any candidate, using phrases like “Administer core principles of managed growth.” Sounds good, but what does it mean? Also, for a general election candidate, his position of aligning with the city staff can be used against him to say “What about the PEOPLE of south jordan, aren’t our elected officials supposed to represent the residents not the staff?” His other weaknesses involve his past deals as a real estate developer. He’s made some enemies in the city. Also, there could be a conflict of interest should he serve as mayor. Dave Alvord: I am totally independent and running out of pure principle. (Ha ha, this is totally biased, but true too). I have no connections to any “good-old-boys” club and have no conflicts of interest. I am a business owner who has learned to hate waste. I want to see our city run more efficiently. I have the most bold campaign: “lower SJ taxes”. I have lots of friends in the city. Lots of patients. Weaknesses: No previous city experience. But this can also be a strength in that I will view things with “fresh eyes” and that I won’t come in with old assumptions. My other weakness is that I am a youthful 38. But youth can bring energy and new ideas. I sometimes come under attack by those who are conncected to city employees. They feel threatened by my platform of lowering taxes. I have not called for layoffs, but if we see a recession, would excercise that option. Rather, I favor a hiring freeze or slowing. But with some anti-employee sentiment, I have some weakness in a primary election. This should be strenght in the general election because people want a mayor who represents the PEOPLE not the staff, who serve at the pleasure of the people. Many more people will vote in the general election. So who is going to win? That decision is in the hands of the people. I think Mark Woolley has a good shot at it because he has tapped into the “anti-Osborne” sentiment in the city and has the favor of the cops and employees. I think that Mayor Osborne is strong because he is the incumbent and is taking credit for all of SJ’s successes over the past decade. I am strong because I have so many friends, and am running a principled campaign. I believe the top tier are: ALVORD, OSBORNE, WOLLEY Lower tier are: BARNES, TAYLOR, and JOHNSON. Barnes has impressive signage. But he’s not viewed as a front-runner by most of my sources. That’s okay because he can retain his seat on the council, and frankly, will probably do the most good there. Taylor and Johnson just aren’t getting their message out effectively. That’s the race as I see it. The keys for my success will be getting younger voters to show up and to continue to get my message out. I have to convince people that principles are more important than experience. I am a quick study and can quickly learn the “game” of the city, the procedures, and the codes. But it’s better to have a “Mr. Smith” go to City Hall and truly represent the people. I am totally independent and can truly represent the people because I am one of them. I work and live, and play in our city. I see the big picture. I also see government, in general, on all levels, getting too big and starting to harm the private sector. I think I have the right ideas for the city. Thanks for reading. This essay is totally biased, but true IMO. Don’t forget to vote AUG 13, or sooner by mail! Thanks for all your support! Dave
Posted on: Wed, 10 Jul 2013 16:07:42 +0000
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