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Show OREM MA YOR NO. 9 V. EMIL HANSEN V : L.lnnniilli iMinMinrr jAh. $Dome people may say, that the thousands of dollars in contributions, received in recent years by Salt Lake City Mayor Dee Dee Corradini, have given political contributions a bad name. But the truth is, those contributions from her well-to-do "friends" were not political contributions, per se. She was already serving as Mayor of Salt Lake City when she solicited money from those people to help pay off a rather large financial obligation she had incurred in her private business affairs. The fact is, bona fide political contributions are the life-blood of municipal politics. Few candidates ever get elected without the infusion of contributed funds into their campaigns. With the exception of some rather well situated people, few ordinary citizens in Orein are in a position to finance a successful election campaign for either Orem Mayor or City Council positions. Therefore, it is not only desirable, but essential, that voters, concerned about good government, evaluate the candidates for office and make financial contributions to their campaigns. In some elections, such as the 1999 election, the four persons elected would have the votes necessary to control virtually every decision which the Orem City Council makes, during the ensuing two years. Those decisions will powerfully impact the dimensions of Orem City budgets, as well as the particular purposes to which budgeted funds are allocated. Millions of dollars are at stake. Therefore, it is incumbent on concerned citizens, that they make it their business to become acquainted with the candidates, and to actively support those whose views and commitments are in harmony with their own. To paraphrase a well-known wise saying, "All that is necessary for the wrong people to be elected in Orem is for good citizens to do nothing about helping the most qualified people to get elected." The Orem Mayor plays a particularly vital role in setting the tone and developing the agenda for this community. The Mayor is a pivotal figure in representing the City's interests, not only in the community. 1958 1959 itself, but also in vital relations with other elected officials in the State of Utah, including members of the Utah State Legislature. Although the Mayor routinely performs the specified duties in meetings of the Orem City Council, there are many other occasions, when the Mayor is placed in situations where his (her) performance and conduct reflects, either positively or negatively, on the community he (she) represents. Every Orem election provides an ideal opportunity for both young people and adults to involve themselves in the campaigns of the candidates they can support. Civic involvement offers no greater challenge to citizens, than do the municipal elections in which candidates are chosen to legislate the affairs of the community. Congratulations are in order to those concerned people who offer themselves as candidates in municipal elections. Hopefully, none of them Page 46 |