For instance, did you know that the areas just west of Rudolph, the county seat, have been identified as a plentiful source of wind power? Not only is that potential there, a high-capacity power line passes right through it. Combined with a population eager to get back to work and a climate friendly to developing the area, Rich County could easily add hundreds or thousands of jobs to an area hard-hit by the current economic downturn.

Now this isn’t to say that the cows don’t have any value. In fact, improving the food processing industry in Utah would add significant value to our agricultural sector. Advanced economies cannot exist solely by selling or exporting raw materials. The true mark of a well-diversified and balanced economy consists in taking our raw materials and creating finished products. Even if such manufacturing isn’t immediately in Rich County, it creates demand for the raw materials.

Peter Corroon has publicly stated his commitment to developing these sectors of the economy by being a partner with private industry. His strategies for rural development can help ensure that we don’t get too invested in a single industry or region. For this reason, I encourage you to support Peter Corroon for Utah Governor.

Consider which states have been weathering this economy. Most of them are primarily agriculture-based, but they’ve been making significant investments in both the technology and energy industries. Much of this development is occurring outside of major cities. North Dakota, for example, has been working overtime to build up the oil industry and construct hundreds of wind turbines, most of which are out in the boonies. As a result, they have an impressively low unemployment rate and have successfully insulated themselves against any one industry bringing the state down.

The consequences of an “all eggs in one basket” approach are obvious when you look at neighboring states Nevada and Arizona. Both states bet heavily on service industry and construction jobs. The service industry generally pays poor wages and the construction industry regularly goes through boom and bust cycles. Nevada upped the ante further by doubling down (heh) on the gaming industry, a risky move that lead to higher unemployment than Michigan once the real estate market collapsed and nobody could afford to vacation anymore. Both states also ignored rural resources in favor of their major population centers.

Utah is already behind the curve on rural development. Homeshoring, bringing offshored jobs back to inexpensive rural areas in the US, is a practice that started around seven years ago. States like Iowa and Nebraska used their vast telecommunications infrastructure, leftover from numerous Cold War missile silos, to attract these call center jobs to their states with the lure of cheap labor and a low cost of living. Wyoming has had a booming energy industry which has kept their unemployment rate similarly low.

Utah, however, has been a laggard in this area. Efforts to improve the telecommunications infrastructure in our state are often met with staunch resistance from incumbent operators who have refused to invest in their networks. We’re enamored with oil when we could be developing the vast wind and geothermal resources in our state, exploiting the built-in demand for clean power from California. Sure, a number of large tech companies are coming to Utah, but they’re whizzing right by Tooele and Fillmore on their way to the Wasatch Front. That’s great for those of us in the city, but it does nothing to help out Utah’s small towns.

This neglect of rural areas is, unfortunately, a byproduct of the current Governor. As the chief executive, he is in charge of GOED and the way that it sells our state to new companies. He’s in charge of the PSC and what policies we enact for telecommunications investment. He’s in charge of UDOT and where it decides to build and maintain roads. If Gary Herbert wants to brag about Twitter, Adobe, and eBay, he needs to explain why he talked them into coming to Utah County instead of considering Moab, or Coalfield, or any number of other small towns that would crawl over hot coals to attract them. The fruits are clear: rural towns are second fiddle in Herbert’s vision.

Peter Corroon offers important distinctions from these policies. He’s in favor of critical infrastructure like UTOPIA which can allow rural cities to compete in the modern digital economy. He gives more than lip service to the small businesses that can drive both urban and rural economic development. He knows full well that we’re missing the boat on exporting our renewable energy to other states while reducing our own dependence on coal. In short, Corroon presents a balanced plan for economic growth instead of the “all eggs in one basket” approach that has failed so many other states.

I’m fully confident that Peter Corroon will do a much better job at being a partner with rural communities to attract outside companies and grow our own without being focused heavily on single industries. Vote Peter Corroon for Governor.

So what’s the deal, Gary? Is there some other story other than the one Peter tells? If so, do you want to share it with us? Until you do, the accusations have legs.

Governor: In the short time that Gary Herbert has been in the governor’s seat, he’s managed to create a long trail of blunders and screw-ups that are inexcusable. Remember when Las Vegas wanted to siphon off water from Snake Valley? Herbert almost signed a deal to make it happen until it became public and there was an outcry from around the state. How about accepting a $10,000 donation the same day the state grants a first of it’s kind strip-mining permit? Maybe trying to both accept and refuse radioactive waste rings a bell? And how about that $13M payout from UDOT to a losing bidder that he was “virtually unaware” of?  This doesn’t sound like someone who has the best interests of the state in mind.

Peter Corroon isn’t without his faults (cash for clunkers? Really?), but he has been a very effective administrator in Salt Lake County and I don’t feel like he would be running around selling of the state to the highest bidder. He cut the county budget when he had to and wasn’t afraid to raise taxes when he felt it necessary. I want that kind of even-keel leadership, even if his running mate, Sheryl Allen, is a giant yawn. But boring is good. It usually means we can expect a lack of shenanigans.

I’m proud to support Peter Corroon as our next governor.

State Senate 9: Wayne Niederhauser is seeking a second term in the State Senate, and I see little reason to think he doesn’t deserve it. He’s done a lot of grunt work with updating the tax code using his background as a CPA and has been extremely responsive when I e-mail him with a concern, a critical feature in any elected official. My only quibble is his vote for HB150 to expand administrative subpoenas, but every candidate will, sooner or later, make a vote I don’t like.

With a lot in the plus column, Tyler Ayres has an uphill fight to convince me to switch horses. While he ordinarily would be a reasonably good candidate (albeit one I’m not particularly excited about), there’s just not enough reason to vote for him over Niederhauser. Most of his issues read like boilerplate Republican talking points despite being a Democrat, and it makes me feel like he’s taking the Trisha Beck approach to running on and yet away from his party. I don’t much like pandering, and this particular bit doesn’t do much for me.

I’m confident that Wayne Niederhauser will do a fine job with a second term.

State House 48: Two years ago, I expressed concerns at how unresponsive Trisha Beck seemed when I e-mailed her my list of candidate questions. Today, I can see that my concerns were well-founded. Any time I have e-mailed her on an issue of importance to me, I would hear nothing back. Ever. Not even a courtesy “thank you for contacting me” form letter. Look, I know part-time legislators are busy folks, but responding to constituents is part of the territory. If you don’t do that, what good are you?

Lavar Christensen is seeking a re-match of 2008 and is seeking the seat again. I feel that his positions are much more in-line with mine, and, more importantly, he’s always been responsive to communication. If there’s an issue I care about, at least I know he’ll be listening. That counts for a lot.

I’ll be voting to replace Trisha Beck with Lavar Christensen.

Mayor Corroon, on the other hand, has proven himself a very capable executive in the largest county in the state. He stood fast on opposing tax increases when they weren’t necessary and proposing raising taxes when it was. I don’t feel like Salt Lake County is rolling in excess and I’m glad we have a mayor who’s willing and able to call those shots, even when it may be politically unpopular. I like taxes as low as possible just like the next guy, but I also realistically understand when things are more expensive and that you will always reach a point at which you can’t cut any more. (This in no way insinuates that there can’t be more belt-tightening at the county level, but the effort required to find more cuts may not be worth the final amount.) I’m also confident that if Corroon was governor, we wouldn’t be hand-wringing about Las Vegas water grabs or depleted uranium.

That’s what I want from a governor, someone who defines quality of life as something greater than tax revenues. I don’t feel like Gov. Herbert has done a good job in that regard, but Mayor Corroon has already proven himself by fighting the soccer stadium handout to millionaire crybaby Dave Checketts (who somehow found the money to later buy the Rams), opposing taxes when they weren’t necessary, supporting them when they are, and generally being a good manager, just what we need in the executive branch. I hope you’ll join me in supporting Mayor Corroon’s bid for higher office.