Republican Desperation in Salt Lake County

Look what I found driving in Holladay today:

Not only is this sign illegally placed, but it's also highly illegal as it has no indication of who paid for the signs.

Not only that, but it also smacks of desperation.  Doesn't exactly sound like a campaign that's up 10 points, does it?  (More on that in another post.)

In fact, it really is sad that the only thing Mark Crockett can campaign on is how "liberal" Ben McAdams is.  I've gotten two mailers from Crockett the past few days telling me this.

Not only is the sign illegal and the campaign tactic desperate, but it's a flat out lie.  Find me one person who honestly thinks Ben McAdams is as liberal as Rocky Anderson.  In fact, I'd be willing to be that both men would scoff at the notion.

Anyway, however liberal Ben McAdams may be, he is willing to bring all sides together to find a common ground.  The world of politics needs more Ben McAdamses.  Salt Lake County needs Ben McAdams.

Mark Crockett, Jani Iwamoto, and EnergySolutions

Not too long ago, I got a mailer from Democratic County Council Candidate Jani Iwamoto, trying to tie her opponent Mark Crockett as this huge supporter of EnergySolutions.

I had two thoughts when I read it:

1) When did EnergySolutions become the Great Satan?

2) Why is ES a county issue?

Then, I got this email from a good friend that I'm passing along to you:

Friends,

I’m writing you in regards to my friend Mark Crockett, the current Salt Lake County Councilor for District 4. I have known him for some years now, and I believe our county needs his type of leadership and analysis on the Salt Lake County Council.

The Democratic Party of Salt Lake County is, through its candidate for the County Council District 4, distributing literature that mischaracterizes an Mark’s actions while serving.

Contrary to what it says, Mark does not nor ever has supported the making Utah a nuclear waste storage depot.

1. The County has nothing to do with nuclear waste storage, with permitting the transport of nuclear waste, or anything else related to it.

2. The resolution Mark opposed was a strongly worded but empty political gesture. The letter, a heavy-handed attempt to tell Governor Huntsman what to do, had no business coming from the County Council due to its largely meaningless nature.

This piece of literature demonstrates Mark’s opponent’s lack of maturity and experience, not to mention lack of understanding of good policy. Please share this with your friends and let them know:

· Mark opposes nuclear waste in Utah.

· Mark has been and will continue to be the leading voice for environmentally safe policies and open space on the Salt Lake County Council.

Please support Mark Crockett and share this message with friends and neighbors in the county, reminding them to vote for Mark Crockett on November 4.

Thank you for your kind regard.

All the best,

Daniel B*****

(801) 3**-****

P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

-Bob

(DISCLAIMER: I work for EnergySolutions Arena. My affiliation with EnergySolutions is non-existant, other than they are a major sponsor of my employer, much like Coke or Budwieser.)

Campaign Finance Reform Ideas I like

From Monday's Deseret Morning News:

There are at least a dozen bills being drafted pertaining to state office campaigning, including:

• Conservative Rep. Greg Hughes, R-Draper, who is tired of judges putting wayward candidates back on the ballot after the candidates failed to file critical campaign disclosure reports on time — the penalty in the law now being their names struck from the ballot.

• And moderate Republican Rep. Sheryl Allen, R-Bountiful, who says too many candidates, including some sitting officeholders, and political issue committees and political action committees, are playing games with the reports. They are not listing substantial contributions and/or expenditures on their original reports, and then after an election they are filing an amended report that shows their real financial dealings.

The current laws-without-penalties make a mockery of efforts at fair campaigns.

Back in 2004, I was helping my friend Shaun run a campaign for County Council. One of his opponents in the primary (and eventual General Election winner) Mark Crockett failed to file his initial campaign finance disclosure on time. Then, when he was called on it, he filed a form saying he had not raised the $2000 required to file. He then filed an amended disclosure that said that he had raised $1999 from himself. However, there is no penalty in Salt Lake County for mis-filing your reports....

-Bob