Dan Liljenquist survives plane crash.

According to KSL (see story here), Dan Liljenquist, the Republican candidate for State Senate District 23 survived a plane crash that killed 11 people in Guatemala. I'm glad that he survived this horrific ordeal. I wish him a speedy recovery from his injuries. I'll keep him and his family in my prayers. I'm sure it is traumatic for his wife and children to go through something like this.

Knowing Me May be a Disadvantage

The two people that I know personally who were running for the State Senate District 23 position, Lamont Peterson and Kent Parry, were eliminated at the Republican nominating convention held Saturday. The two Republican candidates who will face off in the primary are Ron Mortensen and Dan Liljenquist. I've mentioned in a previous post why it will be hard for me to support Dan Liljenquist. I'm fairly sure I don't want Ron Mortensen as my representative in the State Senate. Maybe it's time for me to investigate where Richard Watson, the Democrat, stands on the issues that are important to me. I hope we would all do that, find a candidate that matches your position on the issues that are most important to you and then vote for that candidate. Unfortunately, in Davis County, it appears that most people find a candidate that matches their political party and then vote for them regardless of where they stand on the issues.

Are they crazy?

This is the year when Woods Cross will elect three council members. So what on earth would make somebody want to run for City Council? As a city council member, here are some things you must be willing to endure.

1. Phone calls late at night from some citizen who is upset because... fill in the blank here with any/all of the following:
• Their garbage can didn't get emptied on time.
• They are opposed to the new swimming pool being built, or being open on Sundays.
• The air in their neighborhood stinks.
• The trains / airplanes are too loud.
• The school is cancelling the after-school program.
• The city increased their fees again.
  


2. Having people upset at you because you voted a certain way on an issue.
3. People you thought were friends say things that aren't true about you to other people.
4. Anonymous e-mails calling you very nasty names.
5. Anonymous phone calls from people calling you nasty names.

Notice I didn't mention phone calls from citizens telling you they think you are doing a great job? So why would anyone subject themselves to this torture? I think it comes down to a few reasons.
First, I think most people who do it don't realize the amount of hate that can exist in a small community, and how that hate can be turned against them.
Second, I think some people who run for a city council position firmly believe that they can do some good in their small community.
Third, I think there are more people than we like to believe who do it because they like the ego trip. In my opinion, these are the people who are the least qualified to run a city.
So how do you know what a candidate's motivation is? Talk to the candidate. Call them on the phone. Preferably not late at night.