Vetting Questions for County Republican Officers

I found myself in a bit of a predicament this last Tuesday night.  I committed to teach a scout troop about the rights and duties of US citizenship to help them fulfill one of the requirements for the first class rank.  Two days after I made this commitment, the Davis County Republican Party announced a meet the candidate night for the very same time that the scout troop was meeting.  Free Tuesday evenings are few and far between for me, so I knew rescheduling with the scouts was impossible, but as a county delegate I needed the opportunity to research the candidates properly as I refuse to vote blindly.  So, I emailed a few questions to each of the candidates for Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary.  Lucky for me, all of the candidates were gracious enough to email back rather quickly with answers to my questions.  With the candidates’ permission, I am making them public since chances are not all of the delegates were able to attend the Meet the Candidate event.  To be fair, I am listing the responses in the order in which they were received.  Enjoy!

For the office of Chair:

While both candidates emailed me back, neither actually answered my questions, but rather sent me links so I could learn more about them.

Swen Howard:  www.swen4davischair.com  His website is very informative and I highly recommend visiting it.

Phil Wright:  Sent the following email:

Dear Deborah,

When the candidates are good, honest, and likable people, how do you chose the best to represent you?  

"Rhetoric is cheap, evidence  

comes more dearly."

 John Fund

My opponent is a good man, and a friend. It is not that I don't believe he could be our Chair one day, it's just that I believe that I am ready to be our Chair today.

Here are some of the things that I've accomplished as your Vice-Chair over the last 13 months:

·         Helped EVERY Republican Candidate get elected (re-elected) in Davis County

·         Helped grow and protect our County Party Funds which are now among the highest in the State.

·         Created the first Party Budget since 2008

·         Helped organize the County with Re-Redistricting

·         Helped facilitate the largest Caucus Turn Out in Utah's History

·         Built relationships and friendships that will help me as County Party Chair  promote our platform, keep our party organized, support the best candidates, and improve our Caucus and Delegate Education.

I've worked hard to earn your trust, and now I ask for your vote as Chair of the Davis County Republican Party.

Sincerely,

Phill Wright

Vice Chair Davis County Republican Party

Candidate for Chair Davis County Republican Party

For the office of Vice Chair:

1)    Why do you want to serve as DCRP vice chair?

Carl Downing:  I chose to run because I know many of the parties involved in the Count my Vote initiative and having had discussions with them I firmly believe their strategy of altering our caucus / convention system will cause irreparable harm to the State of Utah.  There is a reason why Utah is the best managed state in the union and leads the nation in nearly every fiscal soundness category, I believe that is the product of our caucus system and I want to be in a position to actively defend that.  Our next chair will be a busy person and I have extensive political experience from grassroots all the way up to senior campaign management, my experience will greatly benefit the chair and I can perform any duties delegated to me from him.  My vast campaign management experience will greatly benefit both our incumbent candidates with advice and resources as well as help develop the next generation of Republican leaders in Davis County.

Lisa Bingham:  You ask why I'm running, and I have to be honest with you—initially, I didn't want to.  Who in their right mind wants to hold themselves up to be hit by slings and arrows that are constantly cast at people holding public office? The Vice Chair position is little known, holds barely a smidgen of prestige, and really comes down to a lot of work behind the scenes, phone calls, supporting the DCRP Chair and state party officers and working hard to make sure things run smoothly through caucus and conventions. All of this, so that we, as a county, are continuously held in high esteem.

Right now, I find myself in a rare position in my personal life, where I have a window of opportunity to sacrifice this time and effort, to a party and community that I hold very dear to my heart. Keeping in mind that the blood, sweat and tears of EVERY member of this party—no matter how many points we agree upon—are mine to recognize, not dismiss. 

2) How do you primarily see your role as DCRP vice chair?

Carl Downing: The role of Vice Chair is primarily a supportive role to the chair and I am prepared and committed to provide our next chair with competent, capable leadership in their place as delegated.  I have extensive corporate and private organization budget experience to be able to fulfill the responsibilities of the Vice Chair office.

Lisa Bingham:

3) How do you propose we increase unity in the Republican Party?

Carl Downing: We live in a time where social media makes it easy to become detached and alienate some of our base supporters,  I understand social media and am an avid user both personally and politically.  Social media can be a great tool to unify and communicate our message to people but it is a double edge sword and can also cause division and hurt feelings.  I moderate a political page for the Northern Wasatch Front and know that as we establish our footprint in this world that early standards being set allow for a safe environment for discussion and learning.  In my page I had to recently remove the past Vice Chair of the Utah GOP from the group because he was continually personally attacking a member of the Utah County Party Leadership, I have thick skin and even though he is now personally attacking me in other forums I don't justify his anger with a response.  When we engage negativity with negativity in a public setting where anyone can watch, it devalues the brand we represent. As Vice Chair I will continue to set a standard where we avoid Republicans attacking Republicans, it is not healthy or welcome behavior.  I only wear one label, Republican and as such I welcome anyone who wishes to associate with us and cherishes our platform regardless of differences we all have much more in common and should treat each other as allies.

Lisa Bingham: The issues I would like to address are; 1) working hard to ensure every race in Davis County ends with a Republican in office, and once they are elected, that they feel full support from their county party and officers, 2) that we work to inform and energize our younger Republicans, as they will be those casting votes in the coming years and 3)  to be a voice of reason and tolerance within our party, in order to grow the tent, rather than shrink it.

It has surprised me how much suspicion there is within our own party. I hope that by ensuring there is no filter from the top down, but instead, that everyone has an opportunity to learn and vet and make informed decisions, using our county party as an advocate, that this will help to alleviate the feeling of alienation that seems to be felt by some constituents. 

4) Do your personal beliefs differ from the DCRP platform in any way?

Carl Downing:  I believe in the Davis GOP platform and respect the collaboration that has brought that document to where it is today.

Lisa Bingham:  I have signed a disclosure statement regarding my personal feelings on the party platform. I can assure you that I agree wholeheartedly with everything that our party stands for. Otherwise, I could not, in good conscience, serve.

5) What is the best thing that the DCRP is doing right now?

Carl Downing:  The Davis GOP fiscal management is the best thing we are doing right now, I pledge to continue to keep us on the conservative course so we can always be ready for the future.

Lisa Bingham:  Our party does a wonderful job of making contact with their delegates. Also, having served in the past as a county delegate, I appreciated how well our convention was run.

6) What is the foremost thing you would like to change about the DCRP?

Carl Downing:  The next chair gets to decide the direction the party goes but I will be happy to share my ideas from past political successes that could benefit the success of our chair and the DCRP.  Some areas where the DCRP can really shine would be to become much more active in the Teenage Republicans Group and help the youth in each local high school have a thriving chapter and allowing those students access to how we operate as a party.  Today’s sophomores will vote in the next presidential election and we should inspire them.  The different auxiliary groups that affiliate with the Republican Party should be acknowledged and engaged actively as much as possible in a closer relationship with the DCRP.  We can hold forums where experts in the various fields can inspire the next generation of candidates and support the current ones.  By becoming more active amongst the delegates and those who wish to affiliate with us we can continue to grow and strengthen Davis County.  One area I hope our next chair would be interested in would be taking an active look at the non-partisan school board races where we aren't represented by conservative viewpoints, these positions have a large impact on our pocketbooks as the Davis School District continues to overspend its budget and raise our taxes to compensate for their fiscal imprudence.  I would definitely like to arrange panel discussions so we can properly vet these candidates and place good Republicans in charge to change the tax and spend mentality there.

Lisa Bingham:  I don't anticipate making large changes within the party, but rather would like to help make better use of technology, in order that our younger Republicans feel connected to their grass roots and know how they can become involved.

For the office of Secretary:

1) Why do you want to serve as DCRP secretary?

Kathleen Anderson: At the behest of others within the DCRP, I am stepping forward at this time. This is unchartered territory for me, and I feel very much outside my comfort zone. That said, however, I am energized and anxious to become an integral part of the executive committee.

Jeff Thornton:  I have been involved on an increasing level in the Davis County Republican Party since moving to Fruit Heights in 1992.  I have served as precinct Vice Chair, Chair, Legislative Vice Chair and Chair, Credential’s Chair, and I have been elected several times to serve as either a County or a State Delegate. I was elected two years ago by delegates from Farmington, Kaysville and Fruit Heights, to serve as a Leg District Chair for District 17. Nine months later, following the resignation of the previous Secretary, I was elected by a vote of the Central Committee – the body consisting of Precinct Chairs and Vice Chairs, to fill that vacancy. I have served as County Secretary for the last 15 months.  I wanted to serve a full term, so I filed to run about a month ago.  I enjoy the work and I enjoy the people that I work with.  I like being involved and encouraging others to voice their opinions.  I am kind of a techie, so, since there is a lot of working with lists and databases, I enjoy that, too.  Those I support tell me I do a good job and everyone appreciates being appreciated.

2) What do you plan to accomplish as secretary that hasn't been done before?

Kathleen Anderson: Communicate, communicate, communicate! I'd like to better communicate information throughout the county party. I also hope to ensure that all information disseminated is current and accurate. I hope to continuously explore the ever changing social media outlets and incorporate those into our use as well.

Jeff Thornton:  In the last 13 months, I have brought forth multiple, successful amendments to our County Bylaws to better define the role of the Secretary and streamline the operations of the party.  I have organized the records that I work with so that they are useful.  I have worked closely with the State of Utah Republican Party to maintain and improve the Caucus Tracker system that we use to manage the delegate lists.  I have prided myself on doing all that I can to ensure that each of the precincts is fully and fairly represented at the county and state conventions by babysitting the delegate database and keeping the Legislative Chairs informed where they need to address vacancies among the delegates. I have attended all but two of the monthly Executive Committee meetings, all of the Central committee meetings and all of the conventions during my service. I have faithfully recorded and prepared minutes of those meetings and expeditiously sent them out for the review of the attendees prior to subsequent meetings. I have risen at 5:30AM on several Saturday mornings to be available at the conventions to verify delegates.  .I will continue to do all this and look for other ways to help out.  I already do a lot of work, so I am not expecting that I will take on huge new challenges, but if something arises that I can help with, I do as much as I can to help make it happen.

3) How do you primarily see your role as DCRP secretary?

Kathleen Anderson:  I see the role as delineated in the DCRP constitution and bylaws. I will support the Chair. I will timely document and record all necessary party business. I will keep accurate minutes and records. I will have this information easily accessible to the delegates.

Jeff Thornton: There are three parts to this position. One is to serve as an executive Officer and council with the Chair, Vice Chair and Treasure to make sure that we are conducting the business of the party efficiently, effectively and ethically. The second is to serve as a member of the Executive Committee with the Legislative and Senate Chairs and Vice Chairs. The Secretary is to see that the documents of the party are maintained and the minutes are accurate and timely.  The Secretary also acts as the nanny to the Leg Chairs to make sure the delegate lists are complete and accurate.  Lastly, and very importantly, the Secretary, as do other members of the Executive Committee, serves as an at-large delegate to the County and State Conventions.

 4) Do your personal beliefs differ from the DCRP platform in any way?

Kathleen Anderson: No. I support the DCRP platform fully.

 Jeff Thornton:  No.  I have read the platform multiple times and I have no issues with what it says.  I make no inferences that it says anything other than the words in the document and I have no hidden agenda, nor do I feel that there is any such hidden agenda or veiled meanings in the platform. I have signed the statement of agreement required by the DCRP Bylaws without reservation.

 5) What is the best thing that the DCRP is doing right now?

 Kathleen Anderson: Winning elections! The DCRP won 100% of their races! 

Jeff Thornton:  First, we have actively worked to provide education to the delegates and interested others about issues and the candidates running under the Republican or Non-partisan banners for public office in Davis County.  Second, we have successfully enabled the election of all of our candidates in Davis County.  Right now, our focus is on holding a fair and representative convention.

 6) What is the foremost thing you would like to see change about the DCRP?

 Kathleen Anderson:  I love our party and platform. I feel that if we remain focused on battling the true enemy(ies): apathy, complacency and entitlement mentality, through education and communication, we will become an even greater organization. I'd like to be part of a board that is responsible, respectful and listens more to its members.  I feel open and honest dialog is essential to success.

Jeff Thornton:  Above all, we need to change the format of the caucuses so that we continue to have large turn-outs.  If we don't deal with the issues of venue size and voting delays, people will stop coming.  We have already discussed a few things that we can do to address those. 
So there you have it!  I hope this helps everyone make a good, informed decision this Saturday.  See you at the convention!