Candidate Survey
Please read through the survey before starting.
What community support does your campaign most need?
Tell us about yourself: this could include biographical details, a list of hobbies, professional accomplishments, or anything you’d like to highlight.
A decision to run for office can often be a difficult one: why did you decide to run for city/county clerk, i.e. what are your guiding principles?
What professional or volunteer experience do you have in that makes you uniquely qualified for this position?
What community groups, nonprofit organizations, or professional organizations do you belong to or align with?
What local community members, professional associates, or elected officials have encouraged you to run for office or endorsed your campaign?
Describe your strategy for victory in your campaign; i.e., what is your messaging? How will it appeal to a majority of voters in your district? Are you working closely with any other campaigns?
What is one achievement of the current city/county council you admire or respect? If you are an incumbent, please sing your own praise!
Based on your experience and personal qualities, how will you—specifically YOU—be a positive and lasting influence on your city/county council?
What is one specific, achievable goal you would like to start working toward as soon as your term begins?
In our polarized political environment, it can be difficult to achieve the results you envision for your community. What are some strategies that might help you achieve your policy goals? Examples might include coalition-building with opposing-party caucuses, seeking support from established nonprofits, or cultivating public support from like-minded individuals and grassroots groups.
The power balance within Utah's political environment is skewed in favor of a Republican super-majority. What is your approach to creating understanding and compromise when it appears neither is possible?
Please list or describe the areas of public policy you intend to focus on while in office—please describe YOUR areas of interest.
Health care, infrastructure, and transportation are responsible for the majority of any government's expenses. In each sector, preventative care and maintenance not only keeps people and communities healthy it also saves money. What is your position on spending money on programs and projects *before* there is a visible problem in order to save catastrophic failures (and expenses) in the future? An example might be keeping a health department well-funded and supported so it can respond to an emergent community health event with speed and skill, thus preventing the deaths of thousands of people while simultaneously preventing the high expense of mobilizing emergency response efforts.
The Great Salt Lake is in jeopardy. Fossil fuel consumption is a direct cause of the changes we are seeing to communities and habitats across the state. How do you foresee balancing short-term economic pressures against the need to have difficult conversations and make difficult choices in order to preserve Utah for our children and grandchildren?
Utah is a development state. Utah is also a desert. Do you have a vision for how to balance the housing and employment needs of Utah's ever-growing population of young-families with our need, as a people, to maintain a habitable environment for all people—including our children's grandchildren?
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed strain on our systems of governance, public health response, and health care capacity. What do you feel is the role of government in the response to the ongoing pandemic? In future public health crises? What role is appropriate for municipal governments, local public health departments, and local school districts?
A significant debate is happening around the material content of libraries. There is an existing process for book challenges and removal; recently some policymakers have advocated for testing the limits of this policy by trying to remove a wider array of books based upon loud complaints by a small number of extremists. How do you feel about the existing policy? Do you feel it is appropriate for legislative bodies to allow a vocal minority to circumvent existing quality control procedures and drive lasting policy changes that will affect the entire population of a community?
How do you choose your information sources? What is your process for determining what information sources are reliable, up-to-date, and factual—even if the information does not feel comfortable? Is it important for you to share (in writing, in speeches, and on social media) information that is factual and beneficial to every citizen?
Council members represent everyone within their district, not just vocal minorities. Can you describe how 200 angry emails from 200 separate constituents may not represent a majority viewpoint even if only 15 emails from a supportive or neutral perspective were received in response to a controversy?
Elected officials are chosen to represent our communities by their citizens but neither they nor their constituents are experts in the many fields that inform and even run the day-to-day work of government. When faced with difficult decisions, will you rely most on feedback from peers and vocal constituent groups, or will you weigh the voices of people who may not be experts in the issue at hand with the input of professionals and experts?
Is there an unasked question you would love to answer? Please tell us about the issue you are passionate about that we have not touched upon.
