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Show ' ';v ' " ty:; - :' - ' " 'if "' i i ' ,. 'lot 1 XN . i -x i j - - 1- I j I l LL lJ Linda Crawford, 3d grade school teacher at Escalante Elementary, Elemen-tary, got a chance to visit with the democratic candidate for governor gov-ernor Bill Orton. Orton was in Panguitch last Saturday afternoon after-noon on the campaign trail and visited with locals about issues that affected them and his run for governor. Candidate Bill Orton Has Lots To Say In Panguitch PANGUITCH Their numbers num-bers were small but the citizens who came on Saturday afternoon to meet and greet candidate Bill Orton, the Democratic candidate for governor, may have been surprisingly well fed. Orton took a solid two hours and never stopped responding straight forwardly, to each and every question put to him. Not once did the candidate waiver, soft peddle, backslide or hesitate. Orton started his day in Moab, then on to Green River for campaigning cam-paigning and working the parade. By 4 p.m. he was in Panguitch and by 6 p.m. headed to Kanab for a town meeting. In tow were wife, (See ORTON on page 3-A) ORTON From Front Page Jackie, who pounded the pavement passing out flyers and inviting residents to join in discussion at the Social Hall, and young sons Willie, 5 and Wesley, 3, who quietly played with trucks and cars brought along for the lengthy day of campaigning. cam-paigning. Also on hand to assist in the campaign were Southern Utah University students Heather and Brian Awsumb, interns with the Center for Politics for Scott Howell who is running for the Senate. Term Limits Asked about his feelings on term limits, Orton said he was in favor or them. "I favor term limits for all full time state and federal offices. He said that Mike Leavitt, who promised to serve only two terms, is running for a third and won't rule out a fourth, and had not kept his word to his constituents. Orton said that recently when Leavitt was interviewed and pressed by Channel 4's Chris Vanocur about serving a fourth term, the Governor said he would not rule it out. Orton said that back in 1992 Leavitt was quoted as saying "I favor term limits. ..it is unfortunate that our .political system has reached the point where the No. 1 priority of too many politicians is to get reelected. Because of the perks and built-in advantages of incumbency, the only way to retire some of them is through term limits. I have no appetite for a career in government. My desire is to serve for not more than two terms and then to return to the private sector." Orton said, "With the taste of political power, appetites and desires often change." Gun ControlGun Safety Orton said, like most Utahns, he opposes gun control but supports gun safety. Orton is endorsed by the National Rifle Association and had a 100 percent voting record with the NRA while in Congress. He supports the ban on concealed weapons in churches and schools. He is opposed to the licensing and registration of firearms and did oppose the semi-automatic weapons ban. Transportation Asked why he had chosen to run against Leavitt for the office of Governor, Orton responded that he is "concerned that Utah is not prepared." He said the state can be run either "by governing or by crisis the way Leavitt does." Asked for an example of what he meant about Leavitt governing by crisis, Orton said the best example he has seen is 1-15. Orton said that 15 years ago Norman Bangerter held a press conference under the 33rd off-ramp of 1-15 stressing that our roads were the No. 1 priority in the state. "Then," Orton said, "we had the Syncrete debacle, where we tried a band-aid on our highways and within 30 days we were peeling the stuff up because it was deteriorating. "When Leavitt began as Governor Gover-nor in 1992, he stated he couldn't do freeways his first term because he would have to increase taxes. Then, when the state finally got the Olympics in 1996, Orton says, the Governor developed a 10-Year Plan but it was 15 years too late." He said, "Had Leavitt started in 1992, the Federal Cost Sharing ratio back then was 8020 and in some projects 9010. Now the federal government has changed that ratio to 2080 and it is costing Utah taxpayers billions more." He said that the people were promised that at least two lanes of traffic would be open, then they closed 1-80 and have used the side streets in Salt Lake City, which are now breaking up. Orton sees a two-fold problem with Leavitt's plan. Virtually the entire transportation budget is being spent on projects from Ogden to Provo too much focus on the Wasatch Front, he says. Orton said that 60 percent of the $3.5 billion being spent on roads was paid up front, in cash out of the general fund. The remaining 40 percent was bonded on a six-year term. That has since been rebonded for a period of 12 years. Orton says the trouble with that is that it diverts money from the schools to pay for roads. Education Interrupted and asked to talk about his views on education, Orton responded that part of the reason he decided to run was becauyse of his sons Willie and Wesley. He said that after eight years with Leavitt, Utah ranks dead last in education funding and class size and we ought to rank first. "For a state that has such emphasis on family we should be placing more importance on education and not taking a bandaid approach," he said. Orton believes the "system is broken," that public education and higher education have been designed, run and managed for those at the top of the spectrum who mostly pay attention to their own interests rather than the interests of children. Going further with education, (See ORTON on page 4-A) ORTON From Page 3-A Orton said he believes that "learning happens through interaction of teachers and students." He plans to fix and fund education for Utah children in the next four years. He wants to look at the student-to-teacher ratio, lower classroom size and see that students have more time with teachers. 'We need longer days and more days per year," he said Orton emphasized that a child can't learn if they haven't first learned discipline. Children need discipline and structure, they need to know there is a set of rules. Orton also wants to see teachers paid a competitive wage. Other, similar professions will start a person at $33,000 base salary. He also stressed that schools need to teach art, music and language. He said Leavitt had shown very little past support for funding textbooks, salaries and reduced class size. There were small funding increases to education in 1996 and 2000, both in election years, Orton noted. EvironmentalistsWilderness Local resident Maxine Crosby spoke up and said she believes what is hurting Orton in Utah is the environmentalists on a national level in the Democratic Party. He said "Southern Utah Wilderness Wilder-ness Alliance (SUWA) hates me because I don't play the political game." Orton noted that he has "significant issues" with Al Gore and overall believes the federal government should be less involved in the states. He said environmentalists environment-alists often have taken unreasonable approaches, that part of being an environmentalist is being a wise steward. Orton says that people in southern Utah have the advantage of watching him serve for six years and know where he stands on environmental issues. Regarding wilderness, Orton reminded those present that it was he who held town meetings, asked people what needs to be done and came up with a multiple-use-concept draft wilderness proposal. He then came back for a second set of meetings with that proposal. Orton said voters should contrast that with Mike Leavitt who coined the term "en libre. He and his staff went back and worked with Bruce Babbitt on a political deal and didn't even bring bade a draft. Jim Hansen signed off on the West Desert Proposal which has wilderness on three sides of the Utah Test and Training. Range." Orton pointed out that none of those areas were even proposed in his draft. RoadsMonument With time running out, Orton was asked his thoughts on RS2477 roads and the monument. Orton told the attendees he was the one who started all this in meetings with the county back in 1996. Orton said, "The one difference you would have seen between Leavitt and me was that Orton 's name would have been at the top of the lawsuit, leading the way on fighting for our roads." Orton reminded his constituents that he wasn't privy to the monument's creation prior to President Clinton's designation. When he did learn he said he "went kicking and screaming to the Democrats and told them the negative consequences it would have." Orton said he "worked hard to get specific exclusions included in the designation of the monument," that it must have a multiple-use status, was the only national monument managed by the BLM, counties must have their roads and rights-of-way, water rights must be preserved, hunting, fishing and grazing must be preserved and oil and gas exploration and development and timber rights. Orton said he stressed at the time that local people would have to be involved in the process of planning the monument. He said he worked hard to get the concessions, as well as $250,000 each for Garfield and Kane counties to mitigate the impact of the monument. Orton said the very day he got the money approved, "Commissioner Louise Liston threw it away, calling it blood money." It was pointed out to Orton that there were strings attached to it money but Orton insisted that there never were any strings and he couldn't understand how the commissioners could cost the taxpayers so much money by turning down the funds. Orton stated he had voted his conscience as well as his constituents' and that local folks need "to decide which person you want to represent you ... one who comes out and listens to you and says what he means or my opponent who, according to the No. 1 complaint I receive, stands up and says what people want to hear and never carries through." |