My Qualifications & Key Issues

I recently spoke at the Cache Valley Chamber of Commerce with several other candidates.  I'll be posting a series of blogs that include my video discussion and my written notes for a series of topics.  This first one was about my qualifications and the key issues for my campaign.

My Qualifications - I grew up in rural northern Michigan, in Antrim County, which is a lot like a low elevation, less mountainous, and much wetter version of Rich Cobunty, next door to a couple of counties that are similar to Cache County. My parents owned a small business that was started by my father’s parents during the Depression. My mother’s parents were farmers, and I spent a lot of my childhood on their farm.

I have BA in Biology and a PhD in Ecology, and I’ve worked for more than 30 years as a college professor, for the past 9 years at Utah State University. I’m a teacher and a scientist. My knowledge and experiences in education and science would be useful additions to the legislature, where most members have backgrounds in business, law, or real estate. I know how to find good information, I can work well with people, and I know how to listen to and learn from people.

I have held quite a few leadership positions, from chairing committees, to leading professional groups, to directing programs and centers. I currently direct USU’s Ecology Center and an interdisciplinary graduate program in Climate Adaptation Science. I was an elected officer of the Ecological Society of America, North America’s largest professional society of ecologists.

I have experience managing large and complicated budgets, including 4 years as a Program Director at the National Science Foundation. I understand the many responsibilities that come with that, and also how to allocate funds fairly and be frank and open about what is done and why.

I have worked in many interdisciplinary, multi-sector groups, including ones with a main mission of coming to a common understanding of a problem and finding acceptable solutions. I have served on advisory boards that work with agencies, communities, NGOs, and policy-makers.

I value community and public service. Here in Utah, I belong to Rotary and 100 Cache Valley Women Who Care and try to support many service agencies and organizations.

So what would I stand for?
Three general things: Strong Healthy Communities, Better governance, “Good growth” in northern Utah

1. Strong Healthy Communities – Single issue politics usually don’t work and often are destructive. I think we do better with when we look to balance the many factors that make for strong healthy communities. Those include education, good jobs, a resilient economy, health care, public health, and clean air and water.
   
2. Better governance – I think we need an accountable, frugal, open government, one people can easily have a voice in. I think we need to have more open honest civil discussions, with good information and all voices heard. I think campaign finance limits would benefit us and improve accountability and ethics of our government.
   
3. “Good growth” - There’s a question about this later so the short story is, I would work to have thorough information to support decisions; to engage people in planning for our future; to steward our water, public lands, and other open spaces; and to think long-term as we decide how we grow our infrastructure, buildings, and, economy.
   

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​I love northern Utah and would be honored to serve as your Senator. I would work hard and do my best to represent you well and fairly. I will listen to you, learn from you, and regularly meet with you and make it as easy as I can for you to participate in your government.