Military Leave for an Elected Official of a Political Subdivision

Just to follow-up on the National-Guard-City-Council-Vacancy issue...Here is the link to my Letter to the Editor in the Provo Daily Herald that ran earlier this week: Better Solutions.

It's basically a watered down version of my previous post - they only give you like 200 words so it's tough trying to sound intelligent - but as a conservative I always try to do more with less. ;)

Senator Valentine is running the bill, which you can track here: - SB66: Military Leave for an Elected Official of a Political Subdivision (Political Subdivision just means a 'city' which is technically a political subdivision of the state.

You can see the current language here: SB 66.

Please consider sending a note of support to your State Representative* or State Senator*.

*Disclaimer: the links to your local representatives district maps are provided by the state legislature, which may or may not be dependent on county governments, city boundaries, and the price of rice in China. They may or may not be accurate.

Resigned to This

The Provo Daily Herald just published an odd editorial: Honor in resignation trying to link (former but soon to be rightfully restored) Rep Craig Frank's recent resignation to the situation of current Provo City-Wide Councilwoman Laura Cabanilla who is currently serving in Kuwait as a Colonel in the Reserves.

I fail to see the connection. It seems as if the Herald for some reason wants the Councilwoman to resign and is desperately trying to tie the two cases together. Anyone with an ounce of common sense can see the difference. One a bizarre map making error, the other fulfilling one's military duty.

I for one support Councilwoman Cabanilla. Is anyone else offended that The Herald so easily dismisses her willingness to serve our country in a time of war? If The Herald were so convinced of her need to resign where were they six months ago when the City gave her a proper send off?

I'm surprised The Herald's best idea is one of simple resignation. Federal law requires that a servicemember if called to serve cannot be fired and is entiled to their job when they return. Would the Board then have those in the private sector resign from their places of employment before fulfilling their military duty as well? Perhaps The Herald Editorial Board would benefit from brushing up on their HR basics: The USSERA - The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA 38 U.S.C. 4301-4335)

USERRA provides that returning service-members are reemployed in the job that they would have attained had they not been absent for military service...with the same seniority, status and pay, as well as other rights and benefits determined by seniority...USERRA also provides that while an individual is performing military service, he or she is deemed to be on a furlough or leave of absence and is entitled to the non-seniority rights accorded other individuals on non-military leaves of absence.

Provo residents still enjoy representation from their District Councilmember, the other City-Wide member and the Mayor. Additionally, the advance of technology allows those called to military service to still fulfill their duties as members of the Council. The Councilwoman has participated in meetings over the phone, and has on two separate occasions corresponded with my wife via email while overseas.

But really, is resignation the limit of The Herald's imagination? The Councilwoman was elected to a four-year term. The length of her call is expected to be one year. Could the Editorial Board not come up with a reasonable alternative? Senator Valentine is exploring options, including one that would allow the Member to appoint someone in their place for the duration of their leave. I understand the concerns such a proposal raises, but why not use it to further the dialogue? Other reasonable ideas would include, allowing the Council to appoint a temporary replacement or my preferred method would be allowing the Mayor to make the appointment.

In each alterantive the power is centered in one area or the other, either the Councilmember involved, the Council, or the Mayor. I understand the concerns. Perhaps there is some combination of all three, but it seems like this isn't rocket science. Let's define an appropriate process and follow it.

Resignation is unnecessary. Provo deserves better.

Healthcare...get your Healthcare...get your Healthcare...Reform

Great op-ed by former Utah Gov and Bush Cabinet Member Mike Leavitt (yes I realize I just mentioned him in my last post and no I'd don't have a crush).

See the full article here: Healthcare reform: Less spending, less government control

I'll summarize his key points quickly:

1) Define contributions not benefits
2) Engage consumers
3) Give states more flexibility
4) More towards sustainable expectations

He offers the three primary reasons why healthcare, an issue Republicans generally do not win, was in 2010 a winning issue for them: "The truth is that people don't like Obamacare for three reasons: It represents too much debt, too much deficit and too much government."

Amen.

2012

So this comes as no big surprise that Senator Hatch is going to run for another term.

I think he's going to have a tough battle ahead of him. Rumored to run is Rep. Jason Chaffetz and recently mentioned is former Governor Huntsman. I thought it was interesting that two days ago Jason's campaign manager Deidre Henderson followed me on Twitter then literally two hours later so did Senator Hatch.

I suspect Huntsman won't run. I suspect Chaffetz will.

That means 2012 is going to be nuts for elections. The Governor's office is up for election (already), Attorney General (Sen Valentine has been mentioned as interested), Hatch's seat, and all what will by then be four Congressional seats, not to mention the Legislative seats.

I'm looking forward to it. Odds are with so many races going on at the same time there will naturally be an increased demand for people with political and/or campaign experience. The good ones will be nabbed up early so folks need to start organizing now - or else you may be caught in a moral dilemma of trying to decide between high school interns and hiring illegals from Mexico - just sayin. ;)

But back to the Senate race. Who would you like to see run? I think it'd be interesting to see someone like Mike Leavitt run, or even his brother David Leavitt (neither are really being mentioned as interested). I'm a huge fan of Provo Mayor John Curtis (but he's not that politically ambitious). West Valley City Mayor Mike Winder is someone with a political future, but I see him happy with being Mayor (for now). Honestly, at this point I'm not that excited about any of the current Legislators rumored to be interested, but that could change as things get closer to kick off. Not rumored to run but I'd be interested in watching his campaign would be someone like Curt Bramble. Same with John Dougall.

Who knows what it'll bring but with so many races I wouldn't be surprised if we saw Shawn Bradley again, with that, why not Steve Young, Thurl Bailey, Karl Malone (he could come back right), or maybe even that crazy chick from Utah on The Bachelor?

Update 1/24/11: A new addition I'd like to add to the list. Sen Dan Liljenquist. He comes across very sincere and more than qualified.

A House without a Home

I honestly do feel bad for Rep Craig Frank in Cedar Hills. He got shafted. But I am a litle surprised at how quickly people are willing to toss out the State Constitution.

This commentary in the Daily Herald nails it I think:

The pro-Frank crowd felt that the committee and legislature should follow what has been traditionally believed to be right for the last 10 years and ignore the plain language of Utah's constitution that would remove him from office.

I understand the frustration. I understand the confusion. But if you live outside the line you live outside the line.

What's curious is that the majority of Craig's supporters are ardent defenders of the US Constitution. It's just interesting how folks react when an issue hits as close to home as this one does.

Just to add even more intrigue to the issue...Senator Valentine is looking into the definition of what the line actually is.

UPDATE
Valentine and Dougall to run a Bill

The Daisy Awards

Great montage of the best and worst of the political ads from this season. Being in Utah we've missed some of the best...and the worst...but then doesn't that make them the best? I digress...

The Daisy Awards for Political Ads - Political Punch

...my personal favorite? The Carly Fiorina's "Demon Sheep" ad. Priceless

And here's the one that started it all...

Continuing on the Civility Theme

Interesting comments from former President Carter. Speaking of his campaigns back in the day the former President says; "It would have been devastating if any one of us had run a negative campaign against the other," Mr. Carter said, "whereas nowadays it's become a common practice and, unfortunately, it works for the American people."

And that's the sad state of public dialogue in America right now - it works.

Mr. Carter continued, "By the time you get to Washington, even if you are elected, your reputation has been severely damaged by the constant stream of negative TV commercials."

Just in case you've always wanted to get a Polaroid with a former prez, Carter will be signing copies of his new book on Oct. 28 at The King's English Bookshop near 1500 South and 1500 East in SLC.

Fore!

Here's my comment in last Sunday's Daily Herald regarding Provo's golf course.

They only give you 100 words on those things. Not much to make yourself sound very intelligent. I thought the Herald's Op-Ed "Is City Owned Golf a Sand Trap?" on the topic did a fine job outlining the issues.

So. Should cities be involved in golf? Call me unprincipled but I say - it depends. I have nothing against a community pooling its resources to fund beneficial projects. It's just in this case East Bay Golf Course is unable to operate at a profit because they cannot raise their rates - why? Because the marketplace already has enough golf courses. It's supply and demand.

Other similar issues like say a rec center in Provo I'm open to because Provo doesn't have one, and the market is such that a private investor won't get a decent ROI. So if the citizens of Provo decide we want to build one that oh say - just breaks even, then I say let's go for it.

I guess that's why I'm a Republican and not a pure Libertarian.

Herbert Takes the Bait

The Trib's report on the 2nd gubernatorial debate indicates the dialogue was 'nasty.'

Most of the animosity seems to center around the I-15 bid "pay for play" scandal or lack thereof or whatever it is. The Corroon campaign is brilliantly running with this issue. And the reason why it's working is because the Herbert campaign is taking the bait! My question is why? Because now the issue has serious legs, the press is eating it up, and it's giving Corroon so much more air time than without.

Herbert should have just laid out the facts, opened up the records, dismissed it as an ongoing campaign issue and focus on the economy (stupid). But every time Corroon brings it up you can tell he's getting under Herbert's skin. Herbert can't help himself but respond - as if it's a personal attack on his integrity. Note to Gary - IT'S NOT - unless YOU make it so which you are doing. SO STOP!

Corroon Challenge

I know this is so last Thursday but I have to comment on the Corroon to Herbert Challenge.

Corroon challenged Governor Herbert to return any donations over $10,000. It's kind of a funny gimmick really. That would mean Herbert would have to return about $750,000 and Corroon $250,000. So let's face it. It ain't going to happen.

Should campaigns be limited in what money they can raise? Eh. I'm not against requiring some limits. I'm not sure what the numbers should be. Raising money is soooooo difficult. Limiting donation amounts can sometimes force campaigns to reallocate resources from communicating with voters to simply dialing for dollars. A quick example - say you need to raise oh $10,000. Right now, a (state) campaign could get that from one donor. But if the limit were $2,500 then the campaign's got to raise that from four different people. It's a lot more work.

And let me add, I do have serious concerns about limiting one's ability to speak with their wallets - read free speech concerns. Complex issues. I encourage the dialogue.

But the best part in whole back forth between Corroon and Herbert is the zinger delivered by Herbert campaign manager Joe Demma. In his response to "The Challenge" Demma throws it back in Corroon's face and says "If the Mayor has reservations about any of those donations and the influence they have on his ability to govern Salt Lake County, his commitment to returning them should not be contingent upon the governor."

Awesome. I love that. Yes, Mayor; If this is such a concern why are YOU taking donations over $10,000 in the first place? Nice call out by Demma.