Why Run?
To get what we want, we are going to have to start fighting
Why I chose to run
“Why did you choose to run?”
I’ve gotten this question a few times in meeting with delegates and it’s the most important one if you want to understand my passion and drive in this campaign.
The main reason I’m running is embodied in the top priority I listed in my last post:
“We need to shape our own future.”
My day job is in healthcare policy and I spend significant time on Capitol Hill so I’m very familiar with the tendency our state legislature has to meddle in the affairs of local jurisdictions - whether its street design, public safety efforts, collective bargaining rights for public employees, or even the simple act of raising a flag in support of our historically marginalized neighbors - they do not want us set our own priorities. But the recent developments around the sports and entertainment district took this to another level - and with major financial implications for District 1 residents.
Lacking public input
First, in early 2024 we found out that the Smith Entertainment Group - the owner of the Utah Jazz and now the Utah Mammoth - was making private threats to leave downtown for reasons that don’t hold up to any sort of scrutiny. But for those of us who know the billionaire sports owner playbook, this was nothing more than posturing. They were not going to move to Sandy - a city without the infrastructure to handle the near-nightly deluge of visitors. Nor does a city like Sandy have the tax base to support any sort of subsidized arena construction. Nor does Sandy align with the urban vibes that Ryan Smith so desperately wants associated with his brand. No, the Jazz were not going to leave the only place that made sense for them to be if they want to remain a respectable institution in the NBA. Same goes for the hockey team. But unfortunately, leaders across the state fell for it and the democratic process went with it.
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Artificial timelines created offensively short and sometimes non-existent opportunities for public input on billion dollar projects that D1 residents will be paying for decades to come. And the worst part? Even our Democrat leaders seemed to be caught off guard and negotiating from a position of weakness. And if I’m being real - we haven't recovered. We are still negotiating from a position of weakness and there are literal YEARS of details to work out. Clearly, that needs to change if we are going to make these projects work for the benefit of Salt Lake residents.
Row in the same direction
My top priority is to take any and every opportunity to coordinate our County, city, and state Democratic delegations in pursuit of local control. This means increased and more frequent communications between our delegations so we can enhance the current strategy and more effectively carry it out. It also means at times strategically shirking the appearance of “collaboration” - no more unanimous council votes that billionaires and state leaders can tout as evidence that “this is actually what cities and counties want.”
In a super minority state, the harsh reality is that we don’t have much political power. But the little political power we do have should not be given away so easily. My commitment to you is to fight for the rights of residents over the interests of oligarchs and that starts now.