Learn BEFORE you vote. (Not an official website of American Fork City.)

Year: 2018

It’s Over There This Time

Are you looking for David’s Handy Election Guide, 2018 General Election Edition? I put it at FreedomHabit.com this time, since most of the matters on my ballot are county- or statewide, not local. It’s out a week earlier than usual, but later than I intended, which was by the time ballots arrived in mailboxes.

A couple of things bear repeating here.

First, as with other recent vote-by-mail elections, your mail-in ballot must be postmarked no later than the day before Election Day, Monday, November 5. If you forget or procrastinate, you can go to a polling place in person on Election Day to deliver your ballot.

Second, check the back of your ballot. Mine doesn’t say on the front that it’s continued on the back, but it is.

Learn before you vote — then vote!

David’s Tardy Little Election Guide (2018 Primary)

I’m no longer a registered Republican, so the only races on my 2018 primary ballot are for Alpine School Board and the Utah State School Board. We’ll begin with those, then move on to several Republican primary races

(Please note that we’re firmly in the realm of opinion and commentary here. If you’re looking for information without opinion, this post is not for you.)

I’m penciled in as the moderator of another school board debate before the general election, so I won’t tell you how I plan to vote. Also, I don’t know yet. But I will offer some thoughts on each candidate, based mostly on the debate I moderated on May 9 (audio here). My notes may guide you and me in different directions — not that you’ll ever know — and that’s fine with me.

I recommend that you listen to audio of the May 9 school board debate and visit candidate websites and social media accounts for further information. An earlier post here at afelection.info has links for local and state school board candidates.

Continue reading

Local and State School Board Debate Audio (Primary)

This post features audio from the May 9, 2018, local and state school board debate at American Fork Junior High..

We start with two apologies. First, it has taken me six weeks to post this audio, and now we’re within a week of the election. Election Day is Tuesday, June 26, and those mail-in ballots have to be postmarked no later than Monday, June 25. On the other hand, it could have been worse; another week later, and it would be after Election Day. Second, my recorder ran out of memory space, due to an oversight on my part, so I lost a few seconds of one candidate’s answer to the penultimate question, and all of the responses to the final question (essentially, how are you different, and why should we vote for you?). If someone else has audio and wants to offer it, I’ll happily correct the omission.

Come to think of it, a third apology: I was too busy moderating to take photos for this post. Alas. Again, if someone has some good ones to share, let me know.

Details and Housekeeping

The American Fork Council PTA sponsored the debate. Yours truly, David Rodeback, was the moderator. Questions were submitted before and during the debate, and I added a few of my own. Attendance was about 50.

The audio is not of professional quality, but it is usable. I’ve done some noise suppression, adjusted volume levels, and deleted segments of dead air, plus some bits of chatter from, ahem, the moderator. Substantively, the candidates’ answers are unedited.

In the first audio segment — the least important — I explain the format and do some housekeeping.

 

American Fork primary ballot

These are the only two races on my primary ballot, because I’m unaffiliated.

 

Alpine School Board Debate

The primary ballot has three candidates for Alpine School Board, District 3; two will advance to the general election. Each voter gets one vote on the race.

The candidates are Sarah Beeson, Kara Sherman, and ‘Afa K. Palu — with names as printed on my ballot, and in the same order.

Please tell us your name and why you’re running for school board. (Beeson – Sherman – Palu)

 

What experience in your life, professional or otherwise, would you like the voters to consider? (Beeson – Sherman – Palu)

 

What have you done to prepare specifically for service on the Alpine School Board? (Sherman – Palu – Beeson)

 

In education, everyone seems to want something, and certainly there are many needs. How will you balance the needs and wants of parents, students, teachers, administrators, and others? (Palu – Beeson – Sherman)

 

The district has a clear vision for learning. Are you familiar with it, and are you hoping to support it or to change the vision, or somewhere between the two? (Beeson – Sherman – Palu)

 

Is there too much, too little, or about the right amount of federal control of our public schools? (Palu – Sherman – Beeson)
AND
Is there too much, too little, or about the right amount of state control of our public schools? (Palu – Sherman – Beeson)

 

What do you want to accomplish as a member of the school board? List your top two, three, or four priorities.  (Beeson – Palu – Sherman)

 

What should we do better to address the ongoing demographic challenges posed by a steadily growing population over the next ten, twenty, or thirty years? (Sherman – Beeson – Palu)

 

Pick one of these topics and give us your best thoughts:  (Palu – Sherman – Beeson)

  • promoting school safety
  • teacher retention (someone asked specifically about special education teacher retention, if you want to go there)
  • the importance of the arts and humanities in public education

 

What makes you different from your opponents? Why should we vote for you? (Sherman – Beeson – Palu)

.

.

Utah State School Board Debate

The candidates for Utah State School Board, District 9, are — again as listed on my ballot — Kami Alvarez, Joylin Lincoln, Avalie Muhlestein, and Cindy Davis.

Please tell us your name and why you’re running for school board. (Muhlestein – Alvarez – Lincoln – Davis)

 

What experience in your life, professional or otherwise, would you like the voters to consider?  (Muhlestein – Alvarez – Lincoln – Davis)

 

What have you done to prepare specifically for service on the State School Board? (Alvarez – Lincoln – Davis – Muhlestein)

 

Why do we have a state school board? Is it better to have an elected board instead of an appointed board, or just a state superintendent?  (Lincoln – Davis – Muhlestein – Alvarez)
AND
Follow-up: Do you support or oppose making the state school board a partisan election?   (Lincoln – Davis – Muhlestein – Alvarez)

 

Common Core was adopted almost a decade ago and has been controversial ever since. Some love it, some hate it, and the current board said it would cost too much to fix. Would you vote to change it, and if so, how? (Davis – Muhlestein – Alvarez – Lincoln)

 

Should a member of the State School Board work to move control away from the state to the local level? If so, how? (Muhlestein – Alvarez – Lincoln – Davis)

 

What can you do on the state school board to help retain good teachers and to attract good teachers to the state?  (Alvarez – Lincoln – Davis – Muhlestein)
AND
Some school districts in Utah have dramatically increased teacher pay in order to attract and retain teachers. What if anything should the state do to help poorer districts compete for teachers?   (Alvarez – Lincoln – Davis – Muhlestein)

 

(I’m missing a few seconds at the end of Mrs. Muhlestein’s last response, but I’m including what there is. Closing statements are also missing. Again, my apologies — and if someone has decent audio to offer, I’d be pleased to post it.)

Final Thought

We try here to separate information from commentary, and to label the latter clearly. So I’ll soon post my own thoughts in a separate post, focusing on the races in which I get to vote, but also mentioning other (Republican) primary races affecting American Fork.

I’ll say this for now. I liked all these school board candidates, for reasons I’ll explain soon. And I still haven’t decided who gets my vote in either race. But I’m getting there.

To help your own further research, this earlier post has links to additional information about the candidates.

Local and State School Board Candidates (2018 Primary)

I am without party, for almost the last two years, but I still get to vote in the June 26 primary election — at least on races for State School Board District 9 and Alpine School Board District 3. So do you, if you’re registered.

Today, May 9, is even more fun for me. I’ll be moderating a debate featuring state and local school board candidates. Each race gets about half an hour of questions, which isn’t a lot, but 30 minutes is infinitely longer than zero, if you do the math.

Here are more details about tonight’s event, the candidates, and the election itself.

May 9 School Board Candidate Debate

Location: American Fork Junior High Library

Sponsor: American Fork Council PTA

Approximate Schedule:

  • 6:00 pm: meet and greet the candidates (both races), plus some introductory formalities, so the candidate Q&A can begin on the half-hour
  • 6:30 pm: local school board candidate debate (Alpine School District, District 3)
  • 7:00 pm: state school board candidate debate (District 9)
  • 7:30 pm: mingle with the candidates (both races)

Some questions are already prepared, and a few were sent in advance to the candidates. The public is invited to submit questions in writing until 6:30 p.m. Due to limited time with each set of candidates during the formal part of the evening, any given question may be asked as written; combined with other similar questions; condensed or otherwise modified by the moderator for clarity, brevity, or other considerations; or not asked at all. The post-debate mingling is a good chance to follow up on what you heard, ask the questions that didn’t get asked, and get a sense of how individual candidates connect with voters.

I’m looking forward to meeting the candidates I don’t already know, and hearing what they all have to say. This is not just an exercise; I’ll be voting too, and I don’t yet know for whom.

Here is audio of the May 9 debate.

Alpine School Board Candidates (District 3)

(In alphabetical order by surname. Linked to be updated when available.)

Sarah Beeson

‘Afa K. Palu

Kara Sherman

Utah State School Board Candidates (District 9)

(In alphabetical order by surname. Linked to be updated when available.)

Kami Alvarez

Cindy Davis

Joylin Lincoln

Avalie Muhlestein

Key Dates in the 2018 Primary Election

May 29: last day to register to vote by mail

May 30: last day to change party afffiliation. (But if you’re unaffiliated, you can affiliate in person at a polling location)

June 5: ballots mailed by county (approx.)

June 12-22: in-person early voting

June 19: last day to register to vote online or in person

Monday, June 25: mail-in ballots must be postmarked no later than today

Tuesday, June 26: Primary Election Day (can still vote in person)

Housekeeping

Candidates are welcome to contact me (David Rodeback) via e-mail to update or add web and social media links, provide a good candidate photo, etc.

Thanks to all the candidates — for running. It’s not a small thing.

Clark Taylor Joins American Fork City Council

On January 9 the American Fork City Council appointed Clark Taylor to fill the vacancy Brad Frost left on the council when he was sworn in as mayor the previous week, after winning in the November election. Frost was two years into his second term on the council, so the appointment is for the remaining two years of that four-year term.

Clark Taylor

Utah law provides for the council to fill such a vacancy. The City announced the vacancy in December, took applications until January 5, then heard from each applicant in the January 9 meeting, before choosing Taylor unanimously on the first ballot.

The other applicants were:

  • Jeff Shorter, who lost in the November general election, running as a one-term incumbent;
  • Kyle Barratt, who lost in the November general election;
  • George Brown, who served on the council several terms ago and has since run unsuccessfully for mayor;
  • Ernie John, who lost in the 2017 primary;
  • Bruce Frandsen
  • Amber Marstella
  • Charelle Lyon

If you’d like to examine the applications, they’re publicly available and pages 4-29 of this PDF file, which includes the meeting agenda and the council members’ packet of information for the meeting. They include written responses to several questions. To see the candidates’ statements to the council in their meeting, a long and avoidable discussion of the voting process, and the vote itself, turn to the City’s YouTube channel for video of the meeting. (The agenda, which is at the beginning of the packet at the previous link, will help you navigate the video.)

I don’t know how much back-channel discussion went on among council members in the days prior to the vote, or what additional contact any of them might have had with applicants or with Mayor Frost. (There’s no reason for it not to have occurred, but anything involving at least three of them at a time would have to have been noticed in advance and treated as a public meeting.) I didn’t speak about the process or the vote on the record with any of the council; nor did I speak with the candidates themselves. Nor, for that matter, am I acquainted with all of them. However, I thought the result was predictable.

Clark Taylor has served on the council twice before, as recently as two years ago, and is known to be a workhorse and to work well with others. His name has been tossed about in the past as a strong potential mayoral candidate. Such a congenial, energetic workhorse would have great appeal to the rest of the council and the mayor, coming in the wake of four years during which some members of the council were known to be less than energetic in accepting and fulfilling committee assignments.

So I thought the outcome was predictable, given that Taylor’s name was on the list. And the unanimous first ballot is noteworthy, but — at least for me — no surprise.

All of that said, there were other strong candidates in the field. The tougher the decision, the luckier we are.

So . . . thanks to all who applied, and congratulations to Councilman Taylor.

Mayor Hadfield’s Mission

One of the first people I got to know in American Fork, after my family and I arrived in 1998, was J. H. Hadfield, known in recent years to American Forkers as Mayor Hadfield. He yielded the gavel this week, after two four-year terms, to our new mayor, Brad Frost.

We often say the words “public service” with a wink or an eye-roll, and we look mostly in vain for genuine heroes in our politics. I myself have less than a handful of heroes in national government, but they’re much easier to find at the local level. And sometimes public service really is service.

mayor hadfield

Mayor James H. Hadfield

Before They Were Mayors

J. H. enlisted me to serve as his assistant in a local church leadership assignment before he and I had even met, I think, and we worked together in those roles for the next four years. I quickly discovered, beneath a crusty exterior, a warm and generous heart, a keen and open mind, an eagerness to serve, a skill for delegation, a profound distaste for long meetings and bureaucratic baloney, and a humility one does not always find in seasoned leaders. He didn’t want fanfare; he was more interested in helping people. He had more energy for that than I did, and I am decades younger. I’ve spent most of my adult life in local church leadership, but a disproportionate number of my favorite behind-the-scenes stories have J. H. in them.

A few years later I would meet the first American Fork Mayor I knew before he ran for office, the late Heber Thompson. He and I worked together on a civic project for more than a year. I found him equally eager to serve and possessed of a quiet dignity and intelligence, to say nothing of a taste for French poetry. He ran for office and was elected in 2005. He and I had a few political differences along the way, but under his leadership the City addressed some large and difficult issues intelligently.

Heber was retired. He could have worked a lot less and enjoyed his retirement years more, but he wanted to serve, and he thought he could and should serve. And he didn’t take shortcuts. Before running for mayor he served in one of the busiest and most thankless unelected roles in the City, as a member of the Planning Commission.

J. H. was working in the City Engineer’s office at the time, and I knew he was looking forward to retiring and serving a particular church service mission. Colonel Hadfield (long of the Utah National Guard) wanted an assignment to work with members of the military somewhere. He spoke of this plan repeatedly to me — sometimes over french fries and milkshakes, after we visited one of our flock in a hospital in another city, where his dietary misbehavior was less likely to find its way to Mrs. Hadfield’s ears.

Serving Where Needed

Then came 2009. Mayor Thompson would seek reelection, hoping to serve one more term. Behind the scenes, two of the best people I have ever known, friends for whom J. H. also had great respect, began to twist his arm. They wanted him to run for mayor — my older friend against my newer friend. Somehow they persuaded him to put his dream retirement at risk — he might win — and he filed for office. He turned to me for help with his campaign, which I gladly provided. I thought he stood a good chance of winning, in part because, when I was out and about with him in our church service, everyone in northern Utah County seemed to know him, and he seemed to know everyone.

(Cool tangent: He and Mrs. Hadfield — Elaine — first crossed paths in a Lehi maternity ward, as newborns. By his account, she wouldn’t give him the time of day. Later he would win her favor, obviously, but it wasn’t easy.)

As we strategized in those early days of the campaign, I could see that he was running to win, not just to placate friends who wanted him to run. I knew of his hopes for his retirement years, and I could do the math even before he stated it outright: if he won, his service mission would have to be to the city, not to his beloved fellow soldiers somewhere.

He did win, and he narrowly won reelection in 2009, despite an anti-incumbent frenzy.

Mayor Hadfield’s Mission

In the ethos of church service — not just in the LDS Church — and in the ethos of military service, for that matter, we are sent where we are needed, and we go where we are sent. One of the many things we can learn from J. H. Hadfield and his greatest supporter, Elaine, is that civic service is crucially important too, and some of the best people are needed there. The examples of his predecessor, Mayor Thompson, and his wife, Vicki Thompson, with whom I served on a City committee, offer the same lesson.

colonel-mayor-hadfield

Mayor Hadfield’s second and last term ended this week, but there will be no church service mission now. He has been battling cancer for a while. He and Elaine sacrificed the service they wanted, to serve where they were needed. And if we’re tempted to think that civic service — eight years of it! — is somehow less worthy or a lower calling than a church mission or two or three, their example could instruct us in that too.

Looking back, I see that there is much to honor in eight years of service by an excellent mayor. For one thing, he’s kinda like a superhero of infrastructure, and we needed one. (See a recent Daily Herald article.) But I thought you should know what some of his friends have seen and honored from the beginning.

Thank you, Mayor and Mrs. Hadfield.