Once I have dealt with the uncertainty that I am currently facing I will work to help the party in any way that I can. Thank you to everyone who has been supportive of my campaign so far. I wish that I could continue the race to help lead the party forward but I will take every opportunity that I can to help in less visible ways.

Of course I will be putting my money down to pay for the things that I need, but I would very much appreciate any donations that anyone would be willing to give to help pay for a mailing and materials for a booth. I would also appreciate any volunteers who would be willing to call delegates in their precinct or even their legislative district. I can provide phone numbers as necessary for anyone who volunteers to help me make phone calls.

That is the kind of party I am hoping to help build, one that shows the voters that when push comes to shove we will adhere to our principles rather than our incumbents should the two come in conflict.

In order to be fully effective as a party chair, I needed the support of the state and federal delegation of elected officials. That support was running to Dave (Hansen).

Let me be clear. The delegates elect the party chair. I think I would have fared very well in that regard. But after the election, I would have had to raise tremendous amounts to money to keep the party functioning. In order to do that, the party chair needs the support of its elected officials.

I recognize that this is the established order of party politics all over the country but it got me thinking that this is an example on a local level of the culture that perpetuates the reality that incumbents are almost always returned to office even when they should be replaced. Of course our recent history in Utah includes Jason Chaffetz replacing an incumbent congressman, but the reality nationwide is that at least 90% of incumbents seeking re-election retain their seats even when Congress has single-digit approval ratings. That is an undeniable sign of a system that is not healthy.

I have nothing against Todd or his decision. It’s just that this reminded me of the very reason that kept me avoiding a party affiliation for years in apprehension that I could get caught up in such a status quo.

My question is, what can we do to ensure that the power in parties remains in the hands of the party members rather than becoming concentrated in the hands of elected officials (especially with regards to influencing the election of party officers)?

One of the pieces of information that people need to understand is where they have the opportunity to have political power. When I was in school we were taught that political power for the people was exercised at the polls. While that is true, my experience has been that real political power does not come in the general elections. More political power is had by participating in primary elections and still more is available to those who participate in the elections where the parties are organized. That is what is taking place on April 18th. While I would encourage everyone to participate in order to vote for me  I am even more desirous to have a strong turnout there so that the people of Davis County can exercise the greatest of political powers that is available to every voter.

I think that a major reason for the difference in attitudes is that those who are elected or otherwise involved in the process have greater understanding about how things get done in the political world than the average person on the street and they see opportunities for progress in places that other people may not be aware of. I also believe that the more people understand about what is happening within parties, legislatures, city councels etc. the more likely they are to feel empowered and become involved in the process. I also believe that the more people we have involved in the process the better the outcomes of the political process are likely to be.

Because of these beliefs one of the things that I would like to do as an elected party official, in addition to fulfilling the basic responsibilities specified for the Treasurer, is to help communicate what happens in party meetings etc. with the citizens of our county so that more people can come to realize how accessible the process is to them if they are interested in participating and helping to make sure that the party is serving the needs of the people they represent.

Unlike some of the other positions which met my qualifications, treasurer demands time and attention, but does not have high name recognition. Part of the appeal for me was that I would not need to try to muscle out an incumbent as if they were not doing a proper job (our incumbent treasurer is not seeking re-election).

I have talked with a variety of party officers about the various positions I considered and I feel confident that I understand the duties of treasurer in practical as well as theoretical terms and can fill those duties well and help make sure that the Davis County Republican Party is a useful organization for the citizens of Davis County.

I look forward to serving the county party and by extension the citizens of Davis County.