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Show ur auiri& MiiBB(0)Irni 1 T'i is is the second installment of the Park Records coverage on the candidates for the two county commission seats up for election in November. Last week the Record pro filed the four Democratic candidates. This week's profiles cover the seven Republicans. The Democratic County Convention was held Wednesday evening. May 9. after this edition went to press. The Republican County Convention will be held Tuesday, Mav IS at the Sorth Summit Etementarv School in Coalville. Coverage Cover-age o) both conventions will be included in next week's paper. Delegates to the conventions will vote on the candidates for the two commission seats. If one candidate for a particular office gets 70 percent or more of the votes at the convention, it will eliminate the need for a party primary for that office. Otherwise, the top two individuals in the voting will advance to the primary to be held in August. The Republican County Convention is due to begin at 6:45 p.m. with addresses by four or five of the state gubernatorial candidates The official business is scheduled to begin at 7:45 p m. The convention will be broadcast live over KPCW, FM 91.9. I James B. Holt Jim Soter I ' ...... , r ' " , ' ( ' ! v . i , 1 ; - : will react to increased development. devel-opment. "They may say, 'Let's start drilling and developing,'" he noted. Soter retired this January from an interagency fire center with the U.S. Forest Service. He worked in the Salt Lake district, covering all of northwestern Utah (including the Wasatch and Uintah Forests. ) During his 31 years in the forest service, Soter received two governor's awards (1975 and 1983) for fire control programs. From 1954 to 1960 he worked on road and bridge programs for the national forest area in Summit Sum-mit County. He said he learned how to work through bureaucracies. "I know the ins and outs of government and how federal agencies operate," he said. He also James B. Holt of Kamas is one of the Republican candidates can-didates for the two-year seat on the Summit County Commission. Originally from a small town near Pittsburgh, Pitts-burgh, Pennsylvania, he has been living in Kamas for four years. Holt worked as a field operations supervisor for the U.S. Census Bureau in Pennsylvania. Penn-sylvania. At one point his work took him to California and he stopped to visit a friend in Park City on the way. The area impressed him so much that he decided to stay and raise his family here, he said. Holt is currently working as an independent iron worker. He travels extensively exten-sively around the area from Colorado and Wyoming to Salt Lake City. According to Holt, traveling gives him a chance to compare Summit County with other regions. "I think this area is really going to grow. You can already see the spillover from Park City. I think you need to watch that kind of growth to make sure that it doesn't get out of control, so it stays the way residents want it," Holt said. After filing for office, Holt began to canvass local delegates to see what their major concerns were. "The more delegates I talked to the more I realized that the issues differ from Henefer to Park City. But two issues kept popping up the roads and development," he said. A commissioner's job is to stay informed, Holt said. He added that his own section of the county, South Summit, needs stronger representation represen-tation than it has had in the past. "I'd like to see more county money coming this way. I also think that the county government needs to Development will grow more intense in the South Summit area, said Jim Soter, a Marion resident. And in the future, the county will have to respect and balance the interests of building, timber, recreation and farming, he added. Soter is a candidate for the two-year seat now occupied by retiring County Commissioner Commis-sioner Gerald Young. He said he is experienced in government govern-ment service after many years of forestry work on both state and federal levels. He said he wants a balance between the environment and business. "We have to protect what little wilderness we have, but not so much we drive the timber industry out. We have to keep it in this area." To complicate the picture, there may be greater oil exploration in South Summit, he said, and more demand for housing in the be streamlined. Right now there is a good amount of waste. Every dollar needs to be watched." "I think it is good that so many people are running. It will stir up interest and get people involved," he added. schools in the area and to study ways of obtaining more money for schools. (He supports greater pay for teachers. ) Money is available from oil companies, he said, but district schools have to be careful not to get locked into programs that have to be continued after the funding sources have left. Soter said he wants to keep the road maintenance program at the present high level. "I'd have to say I want to hold the line on taxes," he said. Of the present commis- j sion he said, "From what I know, they all do a very good job." Soter said he would form a strong campaign and carry it to every corner of the county. has a good rapport with state government, he said. Soter was born in Bennion, Utah, and later lived in Springville and Salt Lake. He has lived in Summit County for the last 12 years with his wife, a Kamas native. Soter says he wants to make long-range plans for Norman Hall area. As for the traditional fanning, "I don't think they're doing as good as they could, but they're better than in the past." Soter said he doesn't know how farmers Sharon L. Barlow f v r . I ."'.. - '. . - - : ' ' - ' ' - f , : . - . ' ' h fit: ' ' JrrlfcW J ". ; f X I 1 - ' - S . v l A' Roads in Summit County should be brought up to par, said Norman Hall, a candidate candi-date for the four-year county commission seat. Hall, a Park City resident since 1968, said the improvements could be done under the present budget by bringing better management to the county. Hall, a former county road crewman, said Summit Sum-mit County's current maintenance main-tenance is just occupied with filling potholes. The entire system isn't treated, and new roads are added to the county every year, he said. "There are 90 miles in the west side of Summit County," he added. He said the roads should be systematically repaved, where needed, by a "lay-down" "lay-down" machine which can set down four to six inches of asphalt. The county roads can be brought up to par, he said, with a five-year program pro-gram of Vk to 4 months of work each year. Hall would start on the worst roads first. Two problem prob-lem spots, he said, were the frontage roads going from Kimball Junction the one going west to the Burton Lumber yard and the other heading east to Silver Creek Junction. Hall is running for the seat now held by Commissioner Ron Perry. Hall was born in Portland, Maine in 1936 and is a graduate of the University of Redlands in California. He served for four years as a recreation director in the LA. schools youth services. He has worked in Park City and Dugway construction, and worked on building at Alta and ParkWest. He served four years in maintenance mainten-ance at the Park City Ski Resort. For the past three years he worked for the county road department, the last two as a shed foreman. He was discharged in April, but said he is not running as a "sour grapes" candidate. "I think there are improvements that can be made in the county. And people think I've got some good ideas." Hall also said the county should plan for adequate access, water, power, sewer Sharon L Barlow said she finds it peculiar that real estate agents dominate local government, so she is running run-ning for County Commission to give the "everyday people' peo-ple' ' a voice. "I'm just an average homeowner, and it's time those views and interests are represented," Barlow, a seven-year Snyderville resident, resi-dent, said. She is running as a Republican for the four-year four-year commission seat. Barlow said she thinks the current slate of commissioners commission-ers doesn't devote enough time and attention to their public jobs. It can be next to impossible to get hold of many of the commissioners when you need them, she said. "When you're getting paid you owe it to your constituency to be available," avail-able," she added. Barlow says she can devote more time to the job. She also said she feels people are uninformed about county issues. She would like to see a newsletter sent to box-holders, letting them know what is going on while they still have a chance to do something about it. "People need to know what's going on (in commission meetings) beforehand, not after the fact." Barlow moved to Salt Lake from southern California 10 years ago, then to Snyderville Snyder-ville seven years ago. She said she is concerned about the area and wants to be able to present a different viewpoint view-point than that of the real estate interests. Barlow is married, with four children, and currently works at the Marriot in Salt Lake in a supervisory position. posi-tion. Prior to accepting that job recently, Barlow was the dining room manager at the Holiday Inn in Park City. Those jobs have given her and open space such as trails. Larger culverts, where needed, should be built to catch spring runoffs. Locally, he said, he wants to keep commercial development off Highways 248 and 224. Hall said he is concerned about safety for children waiting at county bus stop areas, while snow crews have to work near them. He suggested three-sided movable mov-able sheds for children, or volunteers to keep them off roads. He said that while other commissioners have private interests, "I plan on making (the commission) a full-time job." Hall said he will represent county residents on an equal basis. management and negotiating experience, she said. "I don't claim to be an expert on all of the issues such as planning, sewers, and such," she said, "but I am a good listener. Things need to be said, ideals upheld. I'm hoping people will recognize that." Stan Leavitt Tom Flinders If'' '-"X. 1 ' Kamas resident Stan Leavitt is running for the two-year County Commission Com-mission seat currently held by Gerald Young. He is a member of the Kamas City Council and a representative on the Mountainland Private Industry Council. Leavitt is also the president of Leavitt Lumber in Kamas. When Leavitt heard that Gerald Young was not going to seek reelection he decided that he would like to represent the South Summit section of the county. "I feel very good about the past commissions. However, I feel that there has been some concern from residents who say that they haven't known about some things until after the commissioners had already acted on them . " Leavitt said that, if he is elected, he will work to improve im-prove the communication between the residents and the commissioners. "I strongly support the rights of the individual citizens in the county and their right to have all of their tax dollars accounted for." According to Leavitt, taxation is the most important impor-tant issue facing the County Commission. "We need to hold the line or cut taxes. We have a broad tax base including in-cluding a number of oil wells in the county which give us the tax dollars we need." In addition to serving on the Kamas City Council, Leavitt is also a member of the state's Small Business Advisory Council. But he said that he is willing to make concessions to fill the position of County Commissioner. Com-missioner. "If I am elected I will resign from the City Council in order to avoid any possible conflicts of interest," in-terest," he said. "I think we need strong representation in our county, people who can stand up and For Tom Flinders, county government has been a family affair. His brother Melvin spent six years on the County Commission, four as chairman. His father Judd was justice of the peace for many years. And now it is Tom's turn, as the 37-year-old Snyderville resident is running for the two-year county commission seat as a Republican. Flinders, born and raised in the Snyderville area, said he is running because he loves the area and wants to have a part to play in the decisions which affect it. He said he knows every inch of the county, and every person. per-son. "There's not an old-timer old-timer who doesn't know me or my father," he said. "I have a savvy for the area and the people." Since he has been self-employed self-employed all of his life. Flinders wants to bring some of the business sense he has learned to the County Commission. Com-mission. "I want to help streamline county government govern-ment through good honest business practices, and being awful thrifty," he said. An example of an area where he sees an opportunity for thrift is road improvements improve-ments in the county. He would like to see decisions made more long term, rather than implementing patchwork patch-work repairs and improvements improve-ments which do not last. Also with an eye to the future, Flinders wants to set aside a reserve fund which could be used in case of bad winters or a bad economy. "That is simply a good conservative business practice." prac-tice." Further, he said, property taxes can be cut by better valuation of the land. Flinders said he wants to treat both sides of the county fairly. He said he knows both sides of the county, and say, 'No, we are not going to pass this right now. We need more input,'" said Leavitt. "I think that I have the time and the expertise to give the citizens of this county the best representation that is affordable to them. I think that they have a right to be informed about all issues and to have time to respond." would like to see the west side find out more about the east. Flinders is active in both real estate and agriculture. He owns a ranch in northern Utah, plus another small one in Nevada, and he runs cattle on his father's ranch in Snyderville. He is married and has three children. Barry Shoda office. Shoda argues that government govern-ment in Summit County has not matured as quickly as the population has grown. "I see commissions in the past that are not all that informed in the decisions that they make . . . You have to have all the information in front of you before you make a decision." He also contends that some previous commissions have not worked together to represent the interests of the whole county. "It really isn't three different communities ... it's all one county. Residents of Summit County want to elect someone who will live up to that pledge to work for the whole county." Shoda sees the need for better communication between be-tween county government and the press, and between government and the people. He says he would like to see commission meetings more accessible to the public. He suggests that the voters study the candidates carefully, the way they would if they were holding job interviews. "I think the reason that there is a large number of people running is that we expect more of the people who are our commissioners.". If the ability to take criticism is a prerequisite to running for office, Barry Shoda should be a leading candidate. Shoda, in his job as an animal control officer for Summit County has had his share of public scrutiny. Now he has decided to move to center stage as a candidate for the Republican nomination nomina-tion for the two-year county commission seat. Shoda, an Oakley resident, has lived in the area since 1969. He grew up and went to college in California, then worked as a production supervisor for a plant which made engine analysis equipment. equip-ment. Upon moving to Utah he got a job as a production controller for a foundry in Salt Lake City. He has been working in his present position for the past three years, as well as running a wholesale saddle and tack business in Oakley. Should he make it through the primary, he says he would take a leave of absence from his county job to run for |