One year ago, the Deseret News' editorial goal of changing the basic form of Salt Lake County government seemed forever relegated to the ash heap, where it would molder along with old master plans, plat maps, campaign buttons and other things that gather dust.
Today, the lesson seems to be that persistence and sound reasoning will prevail over time, provided the cause is a good one.The goals this page sets each year are meant to steer a course for the community and are not necessarily intended to be accomplished within one year. The purpose is to raise awareness and promote meaningful dialog, as well as, in the long run, to win victory and accomplish an end. By that measure, the goals this page has set through the years have generated mixed results, highlighted by some important successes. Now that the year is ending, it's time to pause and study the results.
By far, the biggest success involves the form of Salt Lake County government. Voters decided to change it in 1998 to a nine-member county council and an elected mayor, effective in 2001. This page often had said voters would approve such a change if only given a chance, and that proved to be correct. Its effect will be long-lasting on the people the county serves.
Few people were talking about changing the county until this page made it a goal. But the truth is many other people deserve credit, as well, for catching the vision. Not the least of these is County Commissioner Brent Overson, the only commissioner to publicly favor doing away with his own position.
The goal to change county government was set in 1997. Some things take awhile. We set four goals at the beginning of 1998. Some of them will take awhile, as well. Here is a quick summary of those '98 goals and the progress made during the year:
The homeless: Nearly three months ago, the Midvale City Planning and Zoning Commission gave the Travelers Aid Society permission to open an overflow shelter. That was a momentous occasion. It meant that, for the first time, a city in Salt Lake County other than Salt Lake City had recognized the need to do something to alleviate homelessness during the cold winter months. It meant that the chance of someone freezing to death on the streets, as has happened before, was reduced significantly.
A year ago, the goal of this page was to find more permanent shelters and to change the community's mindset. Instead of warehousing the homeless, we urged a system of smaller, well-chaperoned group-home shelters to help train people to return to mainstream society. That goal remains a distant one, but the Midvale shelter gives reason for hope -- especially for the 2,000 or so people who are without shelter here every night.
Growth: During the year, we have urged making progress toward construction of the West Davis Highway and an east-west line of TRAX, the new light-rail system. TRAX definitely is on track. The federal government recently provided $5 million to study the new line. The West Davis Highway, however, remains bogged in a bureaucratic morass.
We also urged a state-led effort to preserve open space. That much has happened. State and local leaders are at least talking about the need, although solutions seem a long way off.
School Vouchers: While Utah's public schools remain adequate, they likely would excel if given the benefit of real competition. We commend the state for announcing the formation of Utah's first three charter schools next fall, but the concept of school vouchers, so successful in other states, has yet to catch on here. That's too bad. Our goal remains to give parents true choices when it comes to educating their children.
Nuclear Waste: No train or busload of spent nuclear fuel rods has yet to reach the Goshute Indian reservation. In that sense, we have succeeded in our goal of keeping the stuff away. But the real fight over keeping the shipments out remains to be fought.
If the federal government decides the shipments are safe and proper, it will set up a showdown over sovereignty. Indian reservations are subject to federal law, not to the state. But it is the state of Utah that will suffer if other places are allowed to send their radioactive garbage here. If everyone else says the rods are safe, why don't they keep them where they are?
Once again, the Deseret News has no intention of abandoning the goals it set for 1998, even though the year is ending. Instead, we pledge to continue to persuade, raise awareness and generate interest in these and other worthwhile issues. As has been shown, persistence pays.