Lily Eskelsen, former Utah Education Association president and Teacher of the Year, will announce her candidacy as a Democrat for the 2nd Congressional District in two weeks.
Eskelsen said she decided to announce so relatively early (the election is more than a year away), because she has already raised $12,000, has had to file Federal Election Commission reports and wants to get on with fund raising and campaigning against freshman incumbent Rep. Merrill Cook, R-Utah.Eskelsen was a fixture on the Utah political scene during the late 1980s and early 1990s as she served several terms as UEA president, lobbying the Legislature for more education funding.
An articulate spokesperson, Eskelsen says: "Even (Gov.) Mike Leavitt and House Speaker Mel Brown and Senate President Lane Beattie (all Republicans) would have to say today that I was a bi-partisan advocate for children," she says. The 16,000-member teacher association even changed its internal rules to let Eskelsen seek an additional term as president.
Recently, Eskelsen has taught part-time at Orchard Elementary School in the Granite District and worked part-time for the National Education Association.
Eskelsen says her tenure with first the UEA and now the NEA is really a great asset to 2nd District constituents. "But no doubt some people will use every low trick in the book to twist NEA positions. What the Eagle Forum (a conservative, family values group) will make out of (NEA positions), you can only guess," she said.
If you've seen Eskelsen speak, you've probably also heard her sing. She and her husband put themselves through the University of Utah by singing in a folk-type group. She continues to play guitar and sing at various events, like this spring's state Democratic Party organizing convention.
The 42-year-old mother of two sons, 20 and 15, says she's running against Cook because she wants to ensure better opportunities for the next generation.
"I became aware of Merrill in the late 1980s when he was pushing the ABC tax initiatives. I won Teacher of the Year in 1989 and at Symphony Hall at the ceremonies I could have received my award and thanked my mom and dad like all award winners do. But I felt I had to speak out against those terrible initiatives which would have ripped money from the poorest-funded state education system in the nation.
"For people who care about educating their and others' children, voting for Merrill Cook for Congress is like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders. It doesn't make any sense."
Also by getting into the Democratic 2nd District race early Eskelsen hopes to keep other Democrats out. After last year's tough convention and primary battle between Ross Anderson and Kelly Atkinson, Eskelsen says she wants no part of a difficult intra-party fight.
"It's true by getting in early I make other (Democratic) candidates think not only do they want to run against Merrill - a self-funded candidate - but do they want to run against Lily, also," she said.
Eskelsen has been married 25 years to Ruel Eskelsen, who works for a Sandy software company. They've lived near Liberty Park, in Murray and for the past two years in South Jordan. "I'm a classic Army brat, I was born in Texas, raised all over until my father retired and we moved to Brigham City. I graduated with Ruel from Box Elder High School and we got married soon after."
While she hasn't developed thorough positions on a number of issues, here are some of her thoughts:
- Eskelsen wanted more deficit reduction in the balanced budget/tax cuts just approved by Congress. "But I would have voted for the bills. I like the capital gains tax cut and child credits."
- She supports no firm acreage for Utah wilderness. "I'm still studying that. But I do want state school trust lands taken out of the equation; it only muddies the issue."
- She favors light rail in Salt Lake County.
- "I was raised by my good Catholic mother to value life. I hope if I had to make that terrible decision on abortion, that I would give my life for my born or unborn child. But I believe that ultimate decision must be left up to a woman and her family." While raised a Catholic, Eskelsen now attends the Unitarian Church.
- She supports the federal death penalty.