Purpose Statement


Ad mo ne o - Latin, verb. To admonish, advise, urge.

Here you'll find a review of what's happening in Utah government - state, counties, school boards, & cities, with a focus on education - as well as what Utah's U.S. Congressmen and Senators are doing. You'll get my take on it, find links to other sources of information, and find suggestions and contact info so you can DO something. Being involved in local government is key to maintaining freedom. Find something you can do and, no matter how small, DO IT! As British philosopher Edmund Burke said, "No man made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little."

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Utah GOP Delegates Overwhelmingly Support Partisan Elections for School Boards



At the Utah Republican Party State Convention today, delegates overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling for partisan races for school board races. Current procedure is non-partisan races for local school board seats, and a bizarre process of "vetting" by an appointed committee and the Governor for the State Board of Education.

The resolution, submitted by education activist Oak Norton, was vigorously opposed by organizations representing the education establishment, who have the only well-organized network in the state capable of vetting candidates and motivating people to vote for chosen ones under a non-partisan system. This leaves them with an unusual amount of power in school board elections. It's an unhealthy amount of power, if you believe in active voter participation.

It's well known that school board races are among the least followed by the general public, which isn't surprising given that under a non-partisan structure, they have no efficient way to figure out who they are and where they really stand. Establishing partisan elections would provide two additional well-organized state networks to vet candidates and motivate voters - the Democrat and Republican parties. 

Partisan elections for school board races will increase voter participation, and greatly increase the connection of elected board members to their constituency. Let's hope the members of the legislature heed the call of delegates, whose support for today's resolution was so strong, it only required a voice vote.