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Show West No 'Playground' Hansen Tells GOP Rep.-Jim- Hansen R-Utah) told" Garfield County Republicans Saturday night in Panguitch that he felt easterners in the U.S. simply regard the west as their "playground" as he discussed recent events in Washington. Hansen delivered the keynote address to local Republicans gathered in convention in the new courtroom at the garfield County courthouse.- He discussed the Wilderness Bill currently under consideration in Congress, saying the recent Carbon Dioxide find in the Box Death Hollow area was currently a critical issue and he doesn't know "which way the bill will go." He said he couldn't understand why the development of resouces there could not be compatible with preserving the area qiw vironmentally. He spoke in depth about the MX missile controversy debated only the previous week in Cognress and said that "everytime the U.S. backs down, the Soviets deploy." Hansen compared President Ronald Reagan with Winston Churchill who "calls things like they are, gets tough, and faces problems." He said the climate is right for a Republican governor in Utah and praised the field of Republican gubernatorial candidates, four of whom were present for the convention. County chairman Wayne Holman welcomed guests and participants and vice chairman Elaine Baldwin introduced them. Present were gubernatorial candidates Norm Bangerter, Dan Marriott, Karl "Snow, Laura -Ferguson and Bob Wright, represented by Steven Asay. Also present were candidates for state senator, Ivan Matheson, incumbent; Ron Thompson and Gene Roundy as well as Jim Yardley, Panguitch, incumbent candidate for District 73 representative. Convention goers also heard from Wilbur McDougal, national committeeman and representative for the Reagan-Bush campaign; Luella Findlensen, representative for the Utah Federation of Republican Women and Renee Nolan, Panguitch, vice chairman for the First Congressional District. Local county candidates for office also spoke to the group. Incumbent county commission chairman George Middleton, candidate for the (Continued on Page 2) Republican Convention ( Continued from Page 1 ) four-year commission post and a five and one-half year commission, veteran was nominated by Tom McCormick. Middleton cited his successful efforts in completing the. courthouse remodeling and addition through revenue sharing funds and payment-in-lieu monies, his efforts to obtain the Hatch Town Dam, the Boulder-to-Bullfrog Road, and road work throughout the county as his major achievements. He said he felt he had been frugal in the use of county funds. Challenger Tom Haich, also a candidate for the four-year post, who was nominated by Maloy Dodds, pledged to work for efficiency in county government. He said he was a newcomer to politics and welcomed the challenge. He said he felt his business experience (he is a vice president of Security Title Company in Panguitch) and his cattle ranching keep him in touch with people as well as his work as rodeo announcer for Color Country Rodeo. Kent Wintch, who was nominated by his wife Betty for the two-year commission post, no'ed tliat he was reared in Tropic and had spent 30 years with the National Park Service from which he is retired. He was awarded the meritorious serv-cie award and the superior service award by the NPS. He said he has been involved with the county for the past four years inspecting facilities, overseeing projects, and currently in grant writing and industrial development. Incumbent Guy Thompson, a four-year veteran of the county commission and a candidate for the two-year commission post, said that he had tried to set policies during the past four years that affect everyone equally. lie said he had initiated organization of a planning and zoning commission for the county to help it develop in an orderly manner and that he supports construction of roads, development of water projects and the promotion of tourism for the county. He said he is also proud of his accomplishments in supporting improved ambulance service and the advances made in communications in the county over the past four years. Candidate Garth Noyes, also running for the two-year com , mission post, said, that helieved "the Garfield County cowboy should be placed on the endangered specie list.,HNoyes, who serves as' Justice of the Peacefor the Ticabod area,-said that he has "the time, the desire, the education and the experience to do a good job as commissioner." Hazel Houston, candidate for county clerk-auditor, was nominated by her husband, Matt Houston. She said that while she had never served in government, she was anxious to do so and pledged to do her best. She said she supports women in politics and is pleased to see a woman gubernatorial candidate. Wayne Holman, also a candidate for county clerk-auditor, was nominated by Myron Cottam. He said that some part of every facet of county government filters thorugh his office of the county clerk and noted that to his knowledge no internal audit had ever been con ducted. He said he felt one Is needed He said that his experience as Panguitch City justice of the peace1 had taught him to be fair with peon, and to try to treat them the way he would want to be treated himself. He said he felt the clerk's position is one of service to the commission. In the voting that followed, only Noyes was eliminated as a can didate for the Republican primary with each position narrowed to two candidates. Twenty-five out of 27 county delegates also elected delegates to the State Republican convention-Jim Yardley, John Seaman, Earl Roe, Maloy Dodds, Jack Soper Elaine Baldwin, Wayne Holman' Jim Clarke and Dell LeFevre. ' Also participating at the convention were Boy Scouts from Troop 661 who presented the colors. Entertainment was by Jim Cooper who sang a selection of patriotic songs accompanied by his wife, Kathleen on the piano. ' |