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Show NRE “WASATCH COUNTY COURIER. ca “gone ee Quiet Session Pleases Kohler) Lawsuit Filed to. - Expedite Fleciien”’ Only two bills out of 400 raise concerns for county TIM WESTBY Cet "Initiative sponsors look to 4th District for “soonest possible’ ” date EDITOR ounsel for the change of gov- Since has filed a lawsuit in Provo’s 4th seven new council members. The suit we filed Gordon Duval, who “We?’re asking for — has represented the pro-seven _. coalition throughout. Attempts to reach Duval were “We're asking for . | VIC ORVIS WATCH-PAC the judge to uphold the decision of the electorate,” said Vic Orvis, a WATCH. PAC member and vocal supporter of the new county system. In November, an_ initiative ‘to change Wasatch’s form of government from. a three member commission. to seven member county council eo sponsors’ County Attorney Pullan presented Derek the to the high court. | In the meantime, Orvis has openly questioned why Pullan has not represented the “majority vote” of the county in “expediting” the case. _ If the 4th District rules in favor of a 2001 election, initiative sponsors expect the case will go back to the of a brown bag lunch lecture presented by former Utah first lady Norma W. Matheson on Thursday, March 15, at 12 noon at the White Memorial Chapel, 150 East 300 North, Salt Lake City. Norma Matheson, wife of the late _ two-term Governor Scott M. Matheson, gained a reputation of being as much. her husband’s partner in the state Mrs. Matheson oe i oversaw the 1978 renovation of the governor’s mansion and expanded the traditional role of first lady to include giv- SBS anéh irae rites NES atone” LRA RR aR ‘ney AR 4 RE ah ing active support to interests she had eho stdt 5 Pease East High School. During her junior Selb D th aan tC ee visedt cata Bier 1.) oP year she became acquainted with her brother’s friend, Scott Matheson. They dated through high school and college and married in 1951 after she graduated in zoology from the University of i oa home. She recalls saying, “We will never, never run for political office.” As her involvement in community affairs such as the PTA. and the League of Women Voters increased, her earlier resentment decreased. Her own interest was kindled through son Scott Junior’s involvement in Congressman Wayne Owens’s office. After long discussions and encouragement from retiring Governor Calvin Rampton and his wife, Lucybeth, the Matheson family agreed Scott should run for governor in 1976. Following a successful campaign, which Norma remembers with fondness, her husband was elected as 1990. Two sons currently hold promi- — ing up she also lived in Philadelphia and San Francisco. After returning to Salt _ Lake City, she and her brother attended commit so hate-based many statewide mess much with how local do business. Charleston Town zens and currently serves on the State Board of Aging and Adult Services. lished a medical practice. While grow- that CHARLESTON the _children and works with schools and numerous educational organizations. Norma Louise Warenski was born in Salt Lake City and spent her childhood in Nephi, where her father had estab-. and would be forced to make up in higher property taxes. The bill’s supporters. Say it is needed to help lower to middle income Utahns that have had a house in > the family for generations keep from having to sell because they can no longer afford the taxes. Similar measures have been intro- duced in every session for the past several years only to be shot down. | While the Senate approved this year’s version after extensive revision by a 23 to 2 margin, it was stopped cold in © the House. Kohler expects the issue to come up again next year. The second measure | to worry Kohler and others would have made it — easier for farmers to sell their land to developers. Senate Bill D1 allowed shareholders in a water company to apply for water diversion or change in use directly with the state engineer and bypass the water company. Under cur- rent. law, shareholders must first get approval from the company. After an extensive rewrite, the bill was approved by a Senate committee but never made it onto the Senate floor. Kohler believes — the bill will likely come up again. “All in all I’m glad it’s over,” says Kohler. _ Email: tim@wasatchcountycourter.com Utah Supreme Court. before her husband took office. Since — leaving office, she has concentrated her efforts on the concerns of senior citi- She is also interested in the needs of spending, _ give second homeowners a break on_ Bag Series to Feature _ “Dramatic Events in the Life of a Governor and His Family” is the topic spend - For County Corhmissioner Mike Kohler, that was a good thing. “All in all it was some pretty small things that mattered to us, ” says Kohler, who acts as the county’s point person on legislative issues. He says he works the Legislature more for “damage control” than to support any particular bills. | | There were two bills out of the more than 400 introduced this session that caused Kohler and other county officials some angst. Senate Bill 63 would Commissioners argument MEMBER - education governments ~ Norma Matheson house as in marriage. didn’t relief asking for the “earliest possible” election date. electorate. ? to issues to grapple over, legislators petition for extraordinary the decision of the — + ay unsuc- cessful. ly denied the A million i in extra revenues, stop crimes. With winter whose justices curt- the judge to uphold member $650 criminals Utah Supreme Court this _- how :whether to give stiffer sentences to under dispute. While advocates of the initiative called for a February special election, the County Commission argued the voting would have to wait until the next zener in November, 2002. 3 The case went to the possible date to elect the counties arguing boost the date to elect the new council has come District Court seeking the earliest recently by attorney the election, however, over Spent 45 nuclear waste coming into the state, tatives. initiative ‘sponsors lawmakers days 12th governor of Matheson, who Utah. served from 1985, died of cancer on Scott 1977 to October Ms nent positions. Scott M. Matheson, Jr., is dean of the University of Utah College of Law and James Matheson Serves: in “the.< Representatives. U.S.c Hotise : of Norma is included among the elite in Utah politics and is. recognized by her first name alone. The lecture series is sponsored jointly by the Utah State Archives and Records Service and the Utah. State Historical Society. Every month a guest lecturer will present an interesting lecture devoted to the theme “How Politics Shaped Utah’s History: Voices of the Twentieth Century.” Each one-hour presentation begins at 12 noon in the White Memorial Utah. The couple has four children. Norma, who came from a “very strong Chapel south of the Utah State Capitol, 150 East 300 North, Salt Lake Republican family,” initially resented her husband’s involvement in politics which frequently took him away from open to the public. bring your lunch. City, Utah. All lectures are free and Remember to EETINGS CALENDAR ernment Utah with an appointed manager was approved with 57 percent of the popular vote. The new system will employ five neighborhood council members and two atlarge represen- DEREK JENSEN MANAGING uring the 2001 Legislature, property taxes. In counties flush with _ second: homes like Wasatch, siich.a proposal could mean a substantial hit to. county coffers that primary residents : ~ . 654-7177 as |
