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Billing Campaign Gets Financial Boost
The Provo business community seems to be rallying around Mayor Lewis Billings in his re-election effort. The rematch between Billings and Dave Bailey is thought to be close, as Billings narrowly defeated Bailey four years ago. Concerned business leaders attended a fundraiser for Billings Wednesday night that netted more than $50,000 for the Billings campaign.
The fundraising event was organized by Hal Wing of Wing Enterprises/Little Giant Ladder System. One observer at the event said those in attendance were a who’s who of Provo business and civic leaders, and added that it was probably the largest municipal election fundraiser in Provo history.
Meanwhile, Billings’ detractors, apparently desperate to find something to criticize, are making the devastating accusation that Billings didn’t do very well as a freshman at BYU some 30 years ago. Which leads me to conclude even more strongly than ever that I’m never going to run for political office. After all, 9th grade back in the mid-‘60s was a bad year for me and I just know someone would dredge up that report card.
Blog Watch
Advertise in Blogs?
Thanks to Jeri Cartwright (who has her own blog) for sending some information from National Journal’s Hotline noting that blogs are becoming accepted advertising channels. For example, Progress for America, a Republican 527 group, wanted to generate support among conservatives for the Harriet Miers nomination, so it purchased about $10,000 worth of advertising on about 20 high-traffic conservative blogs and Web sites, including National Review Online, the Weekly Standard Online, and the Washington Times Online. I expect the day will come fairly soon that Utah political blogs will be attractive advertising channels for groups wanting to influence public policy. Utah Policy Daily is already receiving such interest.
Utah Senate Group Blog
Listen to audio of Wednesday night’s public hearing on tax reform at The Senate Site. Also, Sen. Dave Thomas has posted an update on the GRAMA task force, which is considering whether government e-mail messages should be public records subject to GRAMA requests. The task force is proposing that some e-mail messages would be open to GRAMA requests, but not e-mail between legislators and staff and legislators and constituents.
Washington Watch
Cannon Wins Cheeseburger Vote
The “Cheese Burger Bill” (Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act (H.R. 554)), co-sponsored by Rep. Chris Cannon, passed the House Wednesday, 310-114. WebMD reports that “overweight Americans who blame fast food restaurants for causing their obesity won’t get their day in court....” Meanwhile, Cannon said, “The bill seeks to block lawsuits by people because they ate too much and got fat.”
Vote Near for Children’s Safety Act of 2005
The Senate Judiciary Committee is hoping to vote today on the Children‘s Safety Act of 2005, reports the Herald Daily News (North Dakota). Sen. Orrin Hatch, primary author of the Senate version, wants to leave controversial items out of the bill to ensure its swift passage. The purpose for the Act is to catch and punish pedophiles that make pornographic visual material at home using underage children.
Aides Aren’t Senators
The Hill reports that backers of Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers, Sen. Orrin Hatch among them, criticized the congressional aides who raised objections to Miers in a published report last week. “They’re undermining their own senators, and that should not be allowed,” said Hatch. “They’re not the senators, nor do they speak for the senators.”
People You Ought to Know
W. David Patton
Occupation: Director of the Center for Public Policy and Administration at the University of Utah, Research Professor in the Department of Political Science
Education: BA in economics - University of Utah; BA in political science - University of Utah; Master of Public Administration - Brigham Young University; Ph.D. in Political Science - University of Utah
Growing up: Raised in Cleveland, Ohio, area and finished High School in New Jersey, enjoyed math and science and played a lot of football and basketball.
Family: My wife, Wendy and I have been married 30 years and have seven children. Four are married and we have six grandchildren. Two of our children are living at home and go to Junior High School and High School in Bountiful. Our oldest daughter lives in Switzerland, and one son lives in Nampa, Idaho, the other three live in the Salt Lake area.
Why political involvement: My father was a city manager and later the mayor of a suburb of Cleveland, Rocky River, Ohio. I think I started thinking about politics and public policy defending my father's position in school. I began working with the Utah Public Employees' Association as their Research Director while finishing my MPA and later went to work with Al Haines, City Administrator at Salt Lake City under mayors Ted Wilson and Palmer DePaulis as the City's labor negotiator and a policy analyst. While working on a Ph.D., I took a job at the Center for Public Policy and Administration when Ted Hebert was the Director. After finishing a Ph.D., we went to Boise State University where I was the Director of the Center for Public Policy and Administration for 13 years. We returned to Salt Lake to take on the position of Director of CPPA at the University of Utah in 2002.
Hobbies: I enjoy reading biographies and am an avid sports fan (especially football and baseball (Go Tribe!) I also dabble in rockhounding, stained glass, woodworking, and just starting the cello.
Motivations/ambitions: Motivated by trying to keep food on the table for all those kids. I have seen over the years a great need for more informed public policy making and better administration of public agencies. I would like to see CPPA as the place policy makers and administrators can rely on for improving governance in Utah and the Intermountain Region, that is, the leadership, administration and policy directions of public organizations.
Hottest issue you’re watching: There are many hot issues right now in Utah policy. We are closely watching and will be analyzing the tax reform proposals. Transportation and energy are also critical areas of public policy, and education issues are always important because of their impact on public budgets. We are also closely watching the changes in the new administration at the State and making suggestions for improved governance at those levels.
Proudest moment: Probably watching my children marry wonderful companions and graduate from college. I have to admit that I really enjoy every moment I can spend with
my grandchildren.
Most embarrassing moment: After a very successful labor negotiation between Salt Lake City and the Firefighters, a group was celebrating at City Hall when Mayor Wilson came into the room just as I was throwing a champion-class paper airplane across the room.
Favorite book: Leadership by James MacGregor Burns
Favorite mentor: There have been many influential people in my life. First, my father who is still one of the smartest people I know. Jay Lyman in Chico, California, steered me back to finish the Ph.D. and taught me to have direction and vision in life. Jim Weatherby, my boss at Boise State who taught me that administrators can be demanding with high expectations and still be kind, decent people.
A small insight into my psyche: I have a tendency to get involved in too many things at the same time. I think this is a problem that many people have who work in public policy and politics - there is something interesting going on all the time in all sorts of different directions. I also believe there is a tremendous need for better leadership in the public arena, and as a result, I have been interested in and have studied leadership for a long time. |
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