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Show November 2, 1994 - The Pyramid - Page Three Initiative A viewed as poorly constructed, misguided and confusing by Utah municipalities J)ear Editor: of whom . will receive a majority of the votes given for the office. Only the candidate presence of a write-icould possibly change this. However, the runoff defect of Initiative A becomes most obvious when it is applied to the remaining 220 municipalities. In the election process it is almost impossible for. one candidate to receive "a majority of the votes given for the office" when there could be as many as seven candidates competing for two or three council seats. Because no candidate received a majority of the votes, does this mean the city or town will have to take the top four candidates and hold a runoff candidates-o- ne The Utah League of Cities Legislative Policy Committee voted recently to oppose Initiative A at the general election on Nov. 8. Initiative A, if approved, will I Towns land n amend Utahs current term limitation law and provide for runoff flections if any elective office in Jhe state (including municipalities) when no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast for that office. ' Although the current term limitation law in Utah, and the lerm limitation language proposed jn Initiative A, do not affect municipal elected officials, committee members believe the current law provides an effective election? tool to deal with terms of office. According to Initiative A, that Municipal leaders, however, is what it might mean. Unfortuare very concerned by the runoff nately, the runoff election wont provision of this initiative. If solve the problem, since once approved by the voters, this new again, it is unlikely one candidate Jaw will not only be costly for will receive a majority of the Jhe cities and towns forced to votes given for the office. Initiaijiold additional elections, but in tive A fails to consider the possi.the case of most municipalities, it bility of a drawn-ou- t runoff Tsimply wont work. It appears process that could potentially those who wrote Initiative A did frustrate both voters and elected not have a clear understanding of officials. Jhe municipal election process. If the runoff provision of Municipal elections in Utah Initiative A would have been law are held in one' of two ways: 1) at the time of the 1993 municipal pight of the larger cities divide election, over 180 municipalities Jheir municipalities into council including Centerfield, Ephraim, jdistricts (some also have one or Fairview, Fountain Green, GunnJwo seats) and after a ison, Manti, Mayfield,';Moroni, primary election, two candidates Mt. Pleasant and Wales, would Compete to represent that area; . have been forced to have runoff and 2) the remaining 220 cities elections. Most of these municielecand towns hold palities are small towns with very tions where voters are asked to limited funds. wote for two or three candidates Four of these municipalities would have also been towns Jfom a field of 7 contenders. The runoff provision of Initiawhere the only candidates for tive A will not affect the election mayor and city council were process in the eight larger cities write-i- n candidates. Initiative A since each race is between two would have forced even these . "city-wid- e" "at-larg- e" . 4-- into a involuntary candidates runoff. This type of bureaucratic democracy will only serve to further discourage citizens from seeking public office, willingly or unwillingly. According to ULCT President, Wayne M. Saltzgiver, "Utahns considering municipal office already have enough reasons to discourage them from running. Initiative A gives them one more reason to stay away." Likewise, Utahs cities and towns cannot afford the additional costs Initiative A will force upon them if it becomes law. "From a municipal perspective, Initiative A is poorly constructed, misguided and confusing. Utahns deserve better," commerted Saltzgiver. Utah League of Cities and Towns Our flag, long may it wave veteran of the Korean I Conflict, have always held the Flag of the United States of America (The Stars and Stripes) in great respect. Last Monday afternoon, my mother called to my attention that the flag we display daily was Being a is needed also Dear Editor: I would like to know if the people of Sanpete County know that the County Jail houses child molesters and rapists in the new part of the jail house that was supposed to be a womens facility. At least five girls were sentenced to serve 30 to 60 days of county time for victimless crimes, and they are to serve their terms on weekends in Sevier County and in Nephi. Isnt it time to send "those" guys back to the prison, so women of this county can serve their time here, nearer their children? Linda Chambers Spring City A TRUE LEGISLATOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT feel Rural Utah must stop accepting second rate wages for first rate quality of life." Promotion of Rural Utah as an attractive site for manufacturing! Aggressive support for Expansion and retention of existing small business. , . Identification and development of Utah tourism infrastructure. Utah needs a leader like JOE BLAIN with the EXPERIENCE to understand the need for diversification of our rural I gone. Upon close examination, I discovered that some person, or persons, had shinnied up the flagpole (16 feet at least), and burned the nylon rope in two, thus allowing the rope and flag to come out of the upper pulley. They didnt undo the rope from devices used to secure the flag in place. Ihomas Cameron Sego, son of Jeff and Janiel Sego, of Mt. Pleasant, celebrated his first birthday on Oct. 4, 1994. Grandparents are: Tom Sego, and Ted and Nancy Burnside, of Mt. Pleasant; and Sue Jeffries, of Springville. No Initiative A Utah created history this year as the first, and so far the only, state to pass a term limit statute. The Term Limit Legal Institute in Washington, D.C., has commended the statute as a responsible step forward. If Utah has a term limit law, why a term limit initiative (Initiative A)? The answer is simple Initiative A is far more than term limits. Only of Initiative A is term limits; three-fourtof the initiative creates a costly, unconstitutional run-of- f election system. elections Utah tried run-ofrom 1937 to 1947 and dropped the idea as a costly and a less fair one-four- th hs ff system. Three states have tried systems similar to Initiative As runoff election idea by a 67 percent vote of the people. It is estimated each new state run-oelection will cost Utah ff taxpayers $380,000. I am not excited about having 3 tax increase for a system that has proven itself a bad policy. PARTNERSHIPS PEOPLE TO FIND SOLUTIONS war or became missing in action defending our flag. Every year, numerous veterans organizations hold conventions, rallies and parades on state and federal holidays in commemoration of those men and women, now deceased, who gave themselves to the defense of the U.S. and the American Flag. The local American Legion and VFW honor them with the 192 American Flags flying along Veterans Memorial Drive at Mt. Pleasant , Dear Editor: Womens jail nations emblem. Others suffered undue hardships as prisoners of Dear Editor: (JJ Rep. Met Johnson 74th District (Washington County) New Harmony ,, Meat! City Cemetery. Now, along its can emblem. I erected this flagpole with great pride and at considerable expense. It was dedicated by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9276 on June 14, 1990. On June 14, 1777, Congress passed an act stating... "that the Flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternating red and white, that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation. " Not only did they take my flat but, also, the one that the VFW displays at the Mt. Pleasant Recreation Center. Stealing both of these flags took some extra special time. Why couldnt this time and energy be used to pick up litter, help a homeless family or those less fortunate who need food? Elsewhere in this publication a reward is offered for the arrest and conviction of those responsi- This was the birthday of the Flag as we now know it, and each June 14 is celebrated as Flag Day. ble. Since 1777, many changes have taken place from the first flag to the presenvday flag. Many people jipve sacrificed years of service, tost their lives, suffered disabilities, and fought on foreign soils ft defense of our EDUCATION Aggressive support for Vocational and Apprenticeship programs. Promotion of the agenda of Higher Education, Junior Colleges, Trade and Technical Institutions. Utah needs a leader like JOE BLAIN who will prove his EFFECTIVENESS in wise investment in our children's OPEN GOVERNMENT Justin Kurtis Johansen, son of R. Kurtis and Ilene Johansen, of Mt. Pleasant, celebrates his first birthday on Thursday, Nov. 3, 1994. Grandparents are: Richard and Sue Johansen, of Mt. Pleasant; and Donna Fanner, of Manti. Barbara C. Johansen, of Mt. Pleasant, is the babys great-grandmoth- Again, I have gone to considerable expense to again fly proudly the symbol of our country. May it fly forever! damned mad and Signed disappointed. Earl J. Ursenbach Mt. Pleasant An interesting political year Dear Editor: We have witnessed an interesting political year. There have been several contributing factors. Voters have been confused. As chairman of the Sanpete County Republican Party, Id like to address some of these factors. First of all this is the first time that I know of that a Republican has filed candidacy in every county office. This alone has caused interest. Another factor, Yvonne Howell, retired as County Assessor before her term had finished. Steve Kjar (D) and Ilene Frisch-knec(R) had both already filed candidacy for the position. Steps were taken as dictated by state law to fill her vacancy. ht Til support an educational system where none are lost and none are restrained. Champion the use of technology to assist learning. Increased funding for hooks and teaching materials. comes some idiots who think cute to desecrate our Ameri- addle-braine- d Because Yvonne is a Democrat the Democratic party submitted three names to the commission for them to appoint from as a replacement. They selected from those three, Ellen Conover, an employee in the assessors office. This wasnt a comfortable situation for anyone involved. I personally thought the commissioners made a good choice in letting the voters decide between two candidates who had filed, without any interference from them. They were also quite humane. If Steve had been appointed and then lost the election, he would no longer have a job. But, as it is, Steve and Ilene are both deputies for the county and whichever one isnt elected will continue as a deputy. Both will have continued employment if they choose. And I must add Ellen has filled the vacancy very well. Another factor that has been confusing involved the sheriffs race. Stan Anderson and Wallace Buchanan both filed as Republican candidates. Stan was just short of 70 percent of the delegate vote required at the county convention, and so both were presented to all Republicans of the county in the primary election. Stan won the party support by winning that election, making him the Republican candidate. And thats how that happened. The system works if you just use it. Become educated and involved so it works for you. I feel bad when people say politics are dirty. Politics are a fact of life. The more that get involved the better it is for all of us. I work with a lot of the candidates at the courthouse and theyre all nice people. But I take the elected position I have and the oath I made to elect Republicans seriously. Im sorry if this offends some. I try not to take things personally and I hope they wont either. Ive tried to clarify a few things. I hope it helps in your decisions. I want to thank those who have made opportunities for the public to hear the candidates and those of you cared enough to listen. Remember to vote on Tuesday. LeAnne Beal Manti strongly oppose legislators making laws behind closed doors. 1 A work for efficient government and open meeting laws. Provide access to constituents and utilize fairness in consideration of all legislation. Will County Clerk Utah needs a leader like JOE BLAIN with a COMMITMENT to support the concept of government by the people LAND MANAGEMENT 1 advocate local land-us- planning having precedence e Grazing Rights Mining Rights Wildlife Resources " "- i-. ; V r Who ' over federal mandate." v ' HfflMBF is . . . . , Water Rights , Utah needs a leader like JOE BLAIN who is WILLING TO WORK for preservation of our rural heritage and way of life. Joe m A Professional Effective Administrator sf Trained in Management, Courts, Elections & Computer Qualified & Experienced (6 years in office) Committed to serving all The Citizens of Sanpete County VOTE 2 A Leader: House of Representatives Experienced, Committed, Effective and Willing to Work ; KRISTINE F. CHRISTIANSEN County Clerk |