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Wednesday is Transportation Watch Check out Transportation Watch each Wednesday in UPD. The section will also provide links to transportation news stories and other information. We welcome your ideas, comments and criticism at daily@utahpolicy.com.
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News Highlights Utah religious and political iconoclast Ed Firmage will retire from U. law school at age 70 (Salt Lake Tribune). 2005 was a stellar year for SL County tourism (Deseret Morning News). Beau Babka emerging as the frontrunner for S. Salt Lake police chief (Tribune). Main Street Plaza fight ends quietly after 7 years of contention (Morning News). |
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Quote of the Day “The idea that the poor and uninsured don't deserve to be made whole after a medical error, while the rich and covered do, is offensive.” -- Tribune
editorial suggesting that the state should find a way to
provide medical malpractice insurance for doctors who volunteer
at free medical clinics for the poor. |
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| Tuesday Buzz Written by LaVarr Webb & Associates |
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The Week Ahead With less than two weeks to go before the 2006 legislative session begins, lawmakers are busy getting legislation drafted and finalizing their priorities for the session. This week we’ll see a couple of national political figures in town. Grover Norquist, a well-known arch-conservative, will appear at a Conservative Caucus fundraiser on Thursday, and Virginia Sen. George Allen, a leading 2008 GOP presidential hopeful, will be honored at a luncheon on Friday. Also on Thursday, Gov. Jon Huntsman hears the annual Economic Report to the Governor, and House Republicans hold a fundraiser in the evening. For more details on these and other events, see the political calendar. Welcome to the 2006 Political Year The 2006 political year is upon us, and things get busy in a hurry for anyone considering a run for office, especially an office that will have multiple candidates from the same party. Politics heats up with the 2006 legislative session starting on Jan. 16, less than two weeks away. Gov. Jon Huntsman’s State-of-the-State Address will highlight the beginning of the session. On March 7, less than a week after the session closes on March 1, the 10-day political filing period for the 2006 election begins. On March 21, just a few days after the filing period closes on March 17, neighborhood party caucuses will be held to elect delegates to county and state conventions. What all of this means is that if you’re considering running for an office that will likely have more than one candidate in the same party, you have only 11 weeks to get ready for your first major test, the neighborhood caucus meetings. You should be communicating with prospective delegates and getting your neighborhood precincts organized RIGHT NOW. If you’re serious about the race and you expect tough intra-party opposition, you don’t have a lot of time to waste. It takes a great deal of time and effort to organize party caucuses. Few candidates do it very well, but every bit of effort helps. It’s also important to get organized now with a good team of campaign workers because County Lincoln Day dinners (for Republicans) and Jefferson-Jackson dinners (for Democrats) will begin soon and good candidates will want to have a presence at those events. Also, county conventions will begin right after the March 21 party caucuses and candidates need to be well prepared for the conventions. So the events of the 2006 political year will start to occur at a rather fast and furious pace, and it’s time to get serious about preparation. GOP Governors Face Tough 2006 Battles Republican governors all across the country will be in the bullseye in 2006, with Democrats expected to make inroads in winning state governorships. Republicans have held a majority of governorships ever since the 1994 elections, but that could change in 2006. The guy most responsible for helping GOP governors win is, interestingly enough, Mitt Romney, the current governor of Massachusetts and new chair of the Republican Governors Association. Romney is not seeking re-election himself in 2006 and is likely to run for president in 2008. The new Democratic Governors Association chair is New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who may also run for president in 2008. So it is Romney vs. Richardson in the gubernatorial battles and possibly in the presidential contest. The gubernatorial math, however, favors Richardson. Of the 36 seats up for election, 22 are held by Republicans. Republicans currently hold 28 seats overall and Democrats 22. At least eight Republican governors are stepping down because of term limits or other reasons. Some of those seats are highly vulnerable, including New York and Massachusetts, two Democratic states where GOP governors are retiring. In another big state, California, GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is very unpopular, and in Ohio, the administration of outgoing GOP Gov. Bob Taft has been rocked by scandal. A number of other GOP seats are considered to be highly vulnerable. So Romney has a lot of work to do to as RGA chair. He faces a formidable opponent in Richardson. But the job of RGA chair is perfect for Romney right now. It will give him good reason to travel around the country, dispense money to GOP candidates, and further develop his political network. (The source of some information for this item came from the Wall Street Journal and National Journal.) "Mitt Money" a Mormon Article on Mormons in San Bernardino County, California, mentions the following national Mormon pols: Sen. Harry Reid, Mass. Gov. "Mitt Money", and the "retired" Sen. Orrin Hatch (SBSun). Washington Watch Cannon Opposes Fence Rep. Chris Cannon opposes proposal for a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border (Contra Costa Times). Utah Among Fastest-Growing States According to Census Bureau, between now and 2030, the fastest-growing states are projected to be Nevada, Arizona, Florida, Texas and Utah (see press release). Utahns Appointed to Pork Body Agriculture Sec. Mike Johanns appoints Utahns Kenneth E. Jacobsen and William G. Howard to the 2006 National Pork Producers Delegate Body (see press release). Blog Watch At the Senate Site blog, Sen. Lyle Hillyard seeks input on his proposed amendment to the Utah Constitution... Centerville Citizen reproduces letter he/she sent to the Centerville City Council about a new subdivision... Midday Metro has a post-game review of last week's Rocky Anderson Show... Reach Upward has a long post on what it means to be a conservative... The Warren notes why "having children is increasingly like voting"... Utahnia has a post on the convergence of Paris and Salt Lake City... YDems predicts success for the Democrats in '06... Democracy for Utah's unhappy with "the Trib's recent lean to the right"... Charley Foster has a post on Rep. Carol Spackman Moss's proposed Good Samaritan bill (scroll down)... Weber County Forum says recent Ogden City maneuverings have a "very particular odoriferous essence" about them... The Chief Source has a post on Pete Ashdown's Senate candidacy. Utah Spends $4B by New Year The Sutherland Institute’s Government Spending Clock figures Utah government spent $4,394,166,200 of taxpayer money by midnight on Jan. 1. The beginning of the New Year marks the halfway point in the State of Utah 2006 fiscal year. You can follow state spending by watching the clock at the Sutherland Institute’s Web site. The Spending Clock was introduced in July and it keeps a running total of taxpayers’ funds, based on a calculation in actual time, that Utah state government is spending, averaging just over $278.67 per second. It will continue through midnight on June 30, 2006 (the end of FY 2006) when it will reach $8,788,332,400. At that point, it will be reset for the upcoming fiscal year. Governor Huntsman’s recommended FY 2007 State of Utah Budget is $9.6 Billion – a 9.2% increase over FY 2006. If adopted, the Utah state government spending rate will break the $300 per-second barrier: over $304.14 per second. Now You Know The town of Holden is seven miles north of Fillmore. At one time the town was known as Buttermilk Fork because travelers passing through were encouraged to stop for a glass of milk while they rested. The town was named after Elijah Holden, an honored member of the Mormon Battalion and early settler who froze to death in the nearby mountains. (Source: Local Government Directory, Utah League of Cities & Towns) |
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Tuesday
January 3, 2006
Exoro Group is a major sponsor of UPD
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| Political Calendar |
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Please submit calendar items to Daily@UtahPolicy.com -
Jan 3: KCPW's Midday Metro at 10 a.m. will cover
the politics of preventing teen drug overdose with Lucianno Colonna
of The Harm Reduction Project of Salt Lake City; the elimination
of smoking in all public places with Sen. Michael Waddoups; and
the Year in Utah Technology, from politics to IT advances, with
tech vet David Politis. Email your questions and comments to midday@kcpw.org. -
Jan 3: Lt. Gov. Herbert to attend the Southwest
Utah Planning Authorities Council, 12 p.m., 1070 W 1600 S, in St.
George. |
| - See the entire calendar |
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Utah Policy Daily is a service Publisher: LaVarr
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Utah Policy
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