Utah County residents will elect state senators in two districts Tuesday, at least one of whom will be new to the Legislature.Races in District 4 and District 15 are contested by both Democrats and Republicans, which is sometimes rare in a valley where the GOP reigns. Both promise to provide some intrigue to typically anticlimactic campaigns south of Point of the Mountain.
In District 4, which straddles the Salt Lake County-Utah County line, Republican Sen. Howard Stephenson is trying to fend off Democrat Edward "Ted" Black. Stephenson has served six years in the Senate; Black is a first-time candidate. The two candidates disagree on most issues from taxes to transportation.
The candidates in District 15 are familiar names in Utah County politics. Republican Parley Hellewell has failed twice to win the GOP nomination in the 3rd Congressional race. Robert (Bob) Davis heads the county's Democratic Party and has run unsuccessfully for legislative office the past two elections.
The two are vying to replace retiring Sen. LeRay McAllister, who served 16 years in the Senate.
Davis and Hellewell are waging substantial campaigns. Davis has billboards scattered throughout the valley while Hellewell signs dot neighborhoods in the Provo/Orem area. They're also spending considerable time soliciting votes door to door.
Independent American candidate Mike Maloney is also on the ballot.
The Deseret News mailed questionnaires to the candidates, seeking their positions on various issues. They were asked whether they favor eliminating sales tax on food, how the state should deal with polygamous groups and what measures should be taken to discipline or fire bad public school teachers.
Questions also dealt with using tax money to protect open space, the concealed-weapons law and the state's CHIP program providing basic health insurance for low-income children.
The following synopses do not include all of the candidate responses. Rather, they include responses to questions on which the candidates differed the most, or which the candidates considered of greatest relevance to the campaign.
Complete questionnaire responses from legislative candidates who submitted their responses via the World Wide Web can be found online at the Deseret News home page.
SENATE DISTRICT 4
State Sen. Howard Stephenson, a Republican seeking re-election in Senate District 4, and Democratic challenger Ted Black disagree on most issues, from education reform to gun control.
Stephenson is president of the Utah Taxpayers Association, a business-backed tax watchdog group. He's a registered lobbyist with the state, and that status is one reason Black says he would do a better job representing the people of Draper and northern Utah County.
The sprawling district - which will almost certainly be reduced in area following the 2000 Census - runs from Midvale south of Center; northwest Sandy, generally west of about 300 East; south Sandy west of 1300 East, plus a section south of 11400 South east to 1700 East; White City south of Dry Creek; most of Draper, excepting a small section near 12300 South and 1700 East; and all of Lehi, Highland, Alpine and Cedar Hills in Utah County, plus adjacent unincorporated areas.
Stephenson was targeted for defeat by the Utah Education Association this year. But Stephenson survived an intraparty challenge in the state Republican convention to face Black, a Salt Lake County Fire Department inspector who seeks office for the first time.
Stephenson's record on public education angers the teachers union UEA. He has introduced - and says he'll introduce again - bills that would give an income-tax credit to parents who send their children to private schools, allow parents the right to pick their children's teachers and ban governments and school districts from collecting government union political action committee contributions from member paychecks.
Both Black and Stephenson say no new laws are needed to combat abuse in Utah polygamous communities, just enforce laws against incest and abuse. Black favors raising the minimum marriage age to 16. Both oppose the Goshute Indian tribe's plan to store high-level nuclear waste on its reservation.
Both men want to remove the sales tax from food by phasing in its implementation and not raising other taxes.
Howard Stephenson (R)
Address: 1038 E. 13590 South
Age: 47
Occupation: president, Utah Taxpayers Association
Experience: Six years in the Utah Senate
Three major issues: Crime, we must fund law enforcement. Taxes/
government growth, we have to limit budget growth, reduce taxes and pay off bonds early. Education, fund pay-for-performance for teachers, tuition tax credits for private schooling, let parents pick teachers and decide how and where their children are educated.
Concealed weapons: I support the Second Amendment and feel that weapon-free zones are too often an invitation for armed criminals.
Open space: Tax policy is one of the best ways to get voluntary placement of private property into open space. If local governments use taxes to do this, voters should approve first.
Funding low-income child health care: (The state's new CHIP program) is just one more step toward socialized medicine. The poor, elderly, children are now receiving government health care. Middle-age people are stuck paying for health care, and it will only get worse if we go to `single-payer' plans.
Ted Black (D)
Address: 10862 S. Ardonna Way
Age: 37
Occupation: Fire protection engineer
Three major issues: Growth, planning that will preserve our quality of life; political balance, restoring the two-party system here; open meetings, all political meetings should be open to the public including party caucuses during the Legislature.
Concealed weapons: It should be legal to ban all weapons in churches, public grade schools, public junior and high schools, public colleges and universities and private businesses that are both open to the general public and not usually open to the public.
Open space: He favors it "and much of the cost of such preservation could be raised through impact fees. Perhaps some limited taxes should be used also.
Funding low-income child health care: I favor the (state) program as it is.
SENATE DISTRICT 15
One of these two-time election losers will at last find himself in the winner's circle.
Democrat Robert (Bob) Davis has lost two Utah House races the past four years. Republican Parley Hellewell failed twice to secure the GOP nomination in the 3rd Congressional District.
Now the two face each other in state Senate District 15, which includes parts of Orem and Provo, to replace retiring Republican Sen. LeRay McAllister, who served 16 years in the Senate and seven years in the House.
Hellewell is a staunch Republican who had the backing of the far-right Utah Republican Assembly during the primary election. Davis says moderation should give way to partisanship in the Legislature.
Davis and Hellewell both say the state is in need of tax reform. The state needs to reduce government growth and lower taxes, Hellewell said. Davis believes property tax, income tax and sales tax on food must be reviewed and adjusted to be more fair.
Senate District 15 covers south and central Orem, northwest Provo and Vineyard. More specifically: northwest Provo, generally west of 500 West and north of Center Street, plus an area east to the Provo River between Moon River Drive and about 2500 North; the district's northern boundary in Orem is 1600 North west of I-15, 800 North between I-15 and State Street, 400 North between State Street and 1000 East, and Center Street east of 1000 East.
Independent American candidate Mike Maloney is also on the ballot. He did not respond to the Deseret News questionnaire.
Robert "Bob" Davis (D)
Address: 28 N. 580 East, Orem
Age: 40
Web site
address:
www.utw.com/(tilde)bdavis
Occupation: Computer network engineer, First Security Bank
Personal: Wife Cherie, two boys
Experience: Utah County Democratic Party chairman; Orem CDBG committee chairman; Orem Summerfest committee
Major issues: Growth, with its effects on crime and education along with increased demand on services, would rank first and second, he said. Tax reform would be third. "The first principle used to deal with these problems lies in being proactive, not reactive as we have been," he said.
Why me: Davis said he believes in moderation. "Because of my community involvement, I have learned that there are many sides to the issues, and that the only way I can represent others is to actively seek input, consider all concerns and vote as I believe my district would want. Partisanship has no place here as all people, not just Republicans, Democrats and others, must live with these decisions."
Eliminate sales tax on food? Yes. Growth when combined with surpluses, Davis said, will pay for its elimination. "Food is not a luxury but a basic block of life."
Concealed-weapons law: Davis said the law should be changed to allow churches, schools, colleges and public and private businesses to prohibit guns.
Olympic funding: Davis said the state should not help finance putting on the 2002 Winter Games.
Schoolteachers: Everyone wants to eliminate bad teachers, Davis said. "Some have complained about the lengthy process while others have claimed bad teachers can become good teachers if given a chance. I believe that solutions to this and other problems are often found when we address the causes."
Parley Hellewell (R)
Address: 492 S. 1000 West, Orem
Age: 48
Occupation: Owner of PPM, a plumbing, heating and air conditioning company
Personal: Wife Marilyn, four children, three grandchildren
Experience: Former 3rd District congressional candidate
Major issues: Hellewell considers taxes, growth, states rights, stopping government waste, planning ahead and fighting for what is right as the major issues facing state government today.
Why me: "My beliefs are more like the people of this district than my opponent's are," Hellewell said. "I have been studying the problems and solutions for a long time and will have the support of the dominant party."
Eliminate sales tax on food? Hellewell is not sure about eliminating the food tax. He said he needs more information before he can take a position.
Concealed-weapons law: Hellewell said the state's current concealed-weapons law should remain as is.
Olympic funding: If needed, the state should provide a "small amount" of money to help put on the 2002 Winter Games, Hellewell said.
Schoolteachers: Hellewell said he's not sure yet how to fire or discipline bad teachers. But, he said, it needs to be done.
Polygamous groups: "I don't know all of the laws, but I don't think there should be much change," he said.