The 21st district is the only legislative district comprised entirely of Tooele County. It includes the northeast corner of the county, including Tooele City, Pine Canyon, Erda, Stansbury Park and Lake Point.
The Transcript-Bulletin sent questionnaires to the candidates asking for their positions on various issues. Their responses are below.
Q: Briefly introduce yourself.
Egelund: I am happily married with three school-aged children. I was born and raised in Tooele County but spent several years as an adult in the Atlanta metro area. The time spent outside of Utah gave me a very unique perspective on many things, and specifically it showed me many of the pitfalls that come from mismanagement in government. My wife, a refugee from Viet Nam, and I both own businesses on Main Street in Tooele. We know what it takes to be successful in all aspects of life, and we see ourselves as healthy, productive members of the community living the American Dream. We have an attitude of determination, hard work, creativity and vision, and we know all we are entitled to is the opportunity to make the most of our lives — and by so doing we hope to inspire others to live their lives to the fullest also.
Gowans: I retired in 1987 after 35 years working for the Tooele County School District as a teacher, principal and administrator. I currently run a farm of 180 acres in Vernon with 100 head of cattle, and live in Tooele. I became involved in politics through my career in education, where as a school administrator I spent considerable time working with legislators on education policy and funding issues, before making a successful 1992 run for the state house of representatives.
Garrard: I grew up in Lake Point. I graduated in 1992 from Tooele High School. I attended Utah State University. I have served many years in my home community and church. I married Rhondalyn McLamarrah in 1999 and we now have two boys and two girls in our family, ranging in age from 5 years to 4 months. My children brought a new perspective to my view of government. I decided I must take an active role in order to preserve the freedoms I enjoyed for them.
Q: What are your top three priorities if elected?
Egelund: Economic development, growth and prosperity are essential to the health of our state and to Tooele County in particular. Many of the woes facing our citizens will be addressed by making this a top priority. We need to assure that our children are being educated to the absolute highest standards. This can be done by demanding excellence from our teachers, while providing them the technology, knowledge and savvy to ensure our children are among the most intelligent in the world. We should not rely on the federal government to set the standards of education for our children, nor should we allow the threat of budget monies being withheld to interfere with our curriculum and become the standard by which our teachers and students are both judged. A comprehensive plan to address improvements and additions to our physical infrastructure is vital to the success of our society. Utah and Tooele County will experience substantial growth in the next 25 years. I want to assure that we take the “pain” out of growing. A realistic vision of the future is essential to proper planning, and currently many of us are feeling the ill effects of reactive planning.
Gowans: The priorities in my opinion are all tied to water, growth and transportation. These issues will have to be solved in order to improve education and the economy of Tooele County.
Garrard: First, I propose we set the property tax at the time of purchase of your home. Furthermore, when your mortgage is paid off, I would like to see the property taxes be done away with. Second, limit federal involvement to the boundaries set by the U.S. Constitution. Then give this power back to the smallest local level capable of doing it. Here are the levels of government I am speaking about with their respective power levels: national, least amount of involvement; state, more involvement than national; county, more involvement than state; city/town/township, more involvement than county; family, more than city/town/township; individual, the most amount of involvement. And third, stop “hate crimes” and “thought crimes” legislation. We cannot read peoples thoughts or know the intent of their hearts. We are only able to judge the actions which they have taken, which allow the law to be administered fairly, while being based on concrete evidence.
Q: The legislature just made $354 million in cuts to the state budget and more cuts may be forthcoming. In your opinion, which parts of the budget can be cut and which cannot. Also, are there any areas in which you would increase spending?
Egelund: The shortfall was based on income projections that never came to fruition. Budgets based on future projections will always fall short 50 percent of the time. The legislature was right though in reconvening and curbing the spending before we went into a deficit situation. If these budget cuts revealed there was fat in the system to be trimmed, it was fat that could have been trimmed before a recession forced the issue. We need to assure that every tax dollar is being used frugally and prudently, while at the same time assuring we are providing the services that are essential to society. I’m certain that the blanket spending cut had detrimental effects on some agencies while having little to no impact on others. More time should have been taken to assure we weren’t cutting essential services. We will need to swallow the pill and spend more money on education to get the results we all should begin to expect. There are quicker and more effective methods to educate our children, but most of these ways are technology driven. Technology is expensive, and always will be. Our children are worth the investment though.
Gowans: The legislature’s cuts of $354 million made in the recent special session were a stopgap measure and did not affect any so-called rainy day funds, which amount to about $414 million. These were held to be able to assess what they look like at the start of the January 2009 session. The cuts affected health and human services and corrections the most. Education, except higher education, was held harmless. Many of the cuts will need to be restored but public education will probably be held as harmless as possible.
Garrard: To prevent further cuts in the budget, we must return to a sound constitutional currency. This will subdue inflation, which is currently diminishing our dollar’s purchasing power. One of the causes of the shortfall is the increasing operating costs of programs due to the devaluation of the money. This affects the tax revenue as well. My family’s budget is set, so as inflation occurs, I naturally stop spending on luxuries. This decreases the amount of revenue from those taxed luxuries. Upon solidifying our currency, we then can operate on sound economic principles. For instance, if it takes .03 percent of the budget to fulfill a program today, then it will take that same amount in the future. With percentages applied, even population growth brings in more money with the same percentage of taxation. As it will take some time to restore Constitutional currency, we need to re-address the budget along with the programs we are funding. Government’s authority is limited and the programs they fund should be in harmony with this. I will not increase spending.
Q: The state engineer has declared that water rights in Tooele Valley are over-appropriated. As a result, new appropriations in the valley have been discontinued and the price of water rights continues to rise. Residents have also had their water rights abruptly terminated by the state engineer. What can the state do to manage water more effectively, protect the rights of small water users, and balance the requirement of beneficial use with the need for municipalities to hold water for future growth?
Egelund: By determining that water in the Tooele Valley was over-appropriated, by revoking the unproved appropriations and by limiting the transfer of appropriations within the valley, the state is more effectively managing the supply of water. Did it impact and harm several citizens in the valley? Absolutely yes. It’s agreed that many times our elected officials have their hands tied when it comes to the decisions that are being made. But seldom if ever are they gagged and prohibited from warning their constituency that policies already in place are about to be enforced, resulting in substantial losses. Once elected, one of the most valuable services I can perform will be to keep you informed and make you aware of decisions that will impact your lives. I will do this. There has to be more initiative taken by the state to assure certain policies aren’t abused by entities that have large appropriations of water “stock-piled” claiming the intent to use them at some future point — which in essence holds the water hostage until a municipality is willing to pay a high enough ransom for the appropriations. We must assure the water is being used for its highest and best use by the citizens.
Gowans: The question on water pretty well outlines the Tooele Valley water problems. One solution is to study and improve the adjudication procedures, which are flawed. The legislature is looking at creating a water rights board with a water ombudsman to represent the water owner, rather than taking everything to court.
Garrard: Tooele Valley’s water is definitely an issue today. My great-great-great-grandfather actually homesteaded the land where I now reside. Tooele was quite different at that time. Agriculture was the main employment. Water was their livelihood, and thus protected. Tooele has since experienced a very large residential growth spurt. As farmers have sold their land, they have provided shares of water for the land they sold. These water rights are protected as property, and can be sold by the individuals who have them. We have unfortunately allowed rights to be transferred from one water basin to another in the Tooele Valley. This has stressed the water available for high urban areas. We now need to make sure that the current zoning throughout the valley will support the water needs of those areas. As residents, we can all do our part at conserving the water which we now have.
Q: Does Senate Bill 81, which was passed last year, address the problem of illegal immigration in Utah in the right way? If not, what would be your solution to the problem?
Egelund: Though Senate Bill 81 did much to deter employers from employing or doing business with illegal residents, it did nothing to deter the increase in illegal residents or to help legitimize those illegal residents that are already here. Stopping illegal immigration is a federal issue that must be addressed by the federal government. There are a substantial number of businesses that rely on laborers that are willing to work for less than minimum wage in order to deliver their product to market in a cost-effective way. If we alleviate this segment of the population from our society, those of us that are left behind will pay higher prices for services and commodities. Are you willing to pay the higher price? Utah needs to work hand in hand with the federal government in trying to stem the flow of illegal immigrants into the nation while working to legitimize those that are already here. I agree that some concessions will have to be made, but we cannot afford to make certain concessions. For instance, we should not house convicted criminals that are here illegally, and one could debate the need to even give them due process.
Gowans: Senate Bill 81 does not address all of the problems with immigration. It is very punitive in nature. The federal government needs to deal with immigration, it is their problem. If states do their own thing you end up with 50 different versions. A task force is meeting on SB 81. Their meetings are public and have been held all over the state.
Garrard: The Constitution delegates the responsibility of immigration to Congress. When Congress fails to do this, that responsibility reverts back to the state. I encourage Congress to once again fulfill this responsibility. Until this happens, Utah must step up to this issue. Utah’s passage of Senate Bill 81 is a step in fulfilling this responsibility. In our past, plantation owners desired cheap workers for their business. They claimed their industry would fail if they did not have the workers. It was unethical according to our U.S. Constitution and therefore we abolished slavery. We have now brought slavery back into our country in the form of undocumented workers. They get paid less than a citizen would to do the exact same job. It’s appropriate to enact legislation which prohibits businesses from allowing slavery in America. The ultimate solution is to give all illegal immigrants a period of time from which they can get their affairs in order and leave the country. After that time has expired, they will be deported from the country without a possibility of legal immigration. Those that leave before the deadline will be allowed to follow our immigration policy and get in line behind everyone else.
Q: How would you work to reform health care and insurance in Utah in terms of cost, quality and accessibility?
Egelund: Fortunately, in Utah we enjoy a high quality of health care, and though some may differ, prices here are more affordable than many places throughout the country. Certain aspects of health care need to be readily available to every citizen at the absolute best rate. Well care and immunizations for infants, toddlers and children is essential. It’s also essential to provide mammograms for women and prostate screening for men and at the same time we need to care for the aging population and take steps to ensure their health and well being. I would like to see health and nutritional education at the forefront of our children’s education and part of every insurance plan. Tooele County has a wonderful health department that gets financing from different sources and provides valuable services to many citizens. I would encourage working with this model and seeing how it could be improved to provide even more of the care I already mentioned. Prices could be controlled and even offset by patients participating in paying a portion of the costs. I strongly recommend avoiding legislation that would require employers to provide health care, as such costs would cause most small businesses to shut down.
Gowans: Health care is a difficult task. We have a task force in its second year of study. I am hoping they will have some recommendations. I would like to see us eventually offer some low-cost alternatives to health care insurance for everyone. But it is very complex.
Garrard: I oppose government involvement in health care. There is however a simple proposal that would drastically cut health care and insurance premiums in Utah. Utah will ask health care providers and insurance providers for a bid to give health care to Utah’s state employees. Providers have the option of bidding for the Utah employee coverage contract. Providers will be required to submit their bids for all ages and conditions. The state will review them and only accept the three lowest bids. State employees may choose from those three providers to meet these personal needs. Along with providing services for the state employees, the providers will be obligated in the contract to give that same bid for service to all in the state of Utah, for those same ages and conditions. To gain the business of Utah, the providers must compete against each other. This will automatically reduce cost. By allowing all Utah residents to obtain that same bid for service, the accessibility to residents will improve. Ultimately, by not regulating the industry, quality will be maintained.
Q: As Tooele County’s roadways become increasingly congested, what long-term transportation solutions would you propose for the area?
Egelund: Transportation solutions for Tooele County will come in increments. The personal automobile will always be the preferred choice for commuters. We need to plan for population growth and avoid turning our highways into parking lots by designing an arterial road system that will efficiently feed into major highways and freeways. The proposed Midvalley Highway won’t be enough. Public transportation is an essential element, but is also expensive without a large, diversified local tax base. UTA is willing to expand services but it falls to the communities being served to offset the costs of service. At the least, we can assure that the buses coming to the county are running routes that attract riders, are large enough to handle the number of riders, and are moving quickly enough to make the commute time a feasible alternative to private vehicles. A FrontRunner-type of rail service would be wonderful in Tooele County, but it is years down the road. But we need to take action now to begin to plan for that day so we can avoid additional costs and delays that could have been avoided with a bit of thoughtful planning.
Gowans: Tooele County’s roadways are complex, and even though the Midvalley Highway is on the books as an alternative, it won’t solve all the problems. Tooele City needs help to finish 1000 North. There also needs to be a look further east in the Tooele Valley. Even though we have UTA, there ought to be communications with Union Pacific on an approach such as commuter rail.
Garrard: I have seen many Utah communities deal with growth and roads. I have watched as huge land developments have grown in Salt Lake County. I have noticed that the long-term transportation needs seem lax in these developments. The Midvalley Highway is looking ahead for our near future. By reviewing the Tooele County plan, we must identify and draft for roadways in the future. Then, as these areas are developed, we may include with the development, upgrades to the road systems. This will alleviate the burden of doing so after the development is already in place. We need another alternative to travel to Salt Lake City. The geographical area makes the solution rather difficult to address. Upgrades to I-80 will improve the situation. An approach similar to the recent SR-201 to I-215 northbound interchange would provide beneficial relief. Move the SR-201 exit from I-80 eastbound to the freeway entrance at SR-36.
Compiled by Staff Writer Tim Gillie.
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