Villages at Celebration

As expected, the project (Villages at Celebration - it's funny how not even the developer likes this name, he told us that Provo City gave it that name) is a go. The city council approved all 3 parts (annexation, and changing the zoning twice) last night.

I find it interesting several of the city council members (both from the stand and after it was done) addressed us saying we need to watch this project in the future, to make sure what was agreed upon tonight is really what happens in the future.

The two things I am most worried about is crime and traffic. Crime because they are building out in fields at the edge of town. The traffic, because I'm worried about the kids that walk and ride to school on the main road (the only road for a few years) to get to the development. I am so happy that they changed the size of the homes that will go next to me (they now have bigger lot sizes) and that they took all the town homes off the street with the school. However, the developer's traffic study said that once the whole thing is built, the development will have 25,000 vehicle trips a day, which is the same as 900 East (4 lane road). He told us this was the traffic projection once the whole project is built. I realize not all of this traffic will go on 1390 N., but a lot of it will, not to mention that the high school will be built just south of this development which will bring even more traffic (that wasn't studied) down this street also.

Now that they are moving forward with this, I hope that it is as grand as everyone claims it will be! I'm thrilled to have new neighbors across my street. Hopefully more youth will move in that are my kids ages! My older kids seem to be the oldest by far, in the streets around us.

West Side Development

Tonight is supposed to be the final city council meeting about the Villages at Celebration development. The city council, all along has been in favor of this development, and I am sure they will pass it tonight.

The developer came up with a revised plan to try and make some of the people happy, which I am grateful that at least we were able to make some difference. I am happy with most of the changes. Please don't get me wrong, I think development is a good thing, as long as you do it right and I don't think that right now is the right time to be spending so much money on a project at the edge of town.

The parts that have irritated me, are how much everyone (the city council and neighborhood chair) seems to think there are so many people, who live here, that are in favor of this development. I have yet to hear more than a handful, but they keep telling me there are soo many out there. Many people have come to me saying they don't want this development at all. A few neighbors went around one night, just in the few streets right next to the development are were able to get 40 + signature to petition the development, 17 people emailed me saying they were opposed to this development right before the last city council meeting. About 16 people addressed the city council in opposition to the development at the city council meeting. Not to mention anyone that emailed their concerns over the development directly to the city council members and the mayor.

I realize that this development is a shoe in (read the following 2 messages).

From Cindy Clark (this was not sent to me, but forwarded on):
Sorry for the delay in contacting you. I understand the feelings that you have--I think I know your concerns--they are the ones that I would have too if my neighborhood was involved with this kind of development. I believe you are right when you say this will probably pass tonight. After discussing it and trying to come to grips with the issues on the westside, it seems that this will be the best opportunity for the right kind of growth that most of you living in the area will want eventually. Yes it will be expensive and the city needs to make sure the infrastructure will be there first. We've been assured it will-without it there could be no project. Hope to see you tonight. Allison, are you still willing to help Steve in your area?
Cindy Clark

-------------------

From Sherrie Hall Everett:

Dear Neighbors,

Many of you have been very involved in the ongoing discussions regarding the large planned development that is being proposed in our neighborhood. These discussions began prior to my being the Neighborhood Chair and prior to being elected to represent this District on the Council. After a long protracted process this issue is finally before the Council for a vote this evening.

Many of you have been very supportive over the years of creating a plan that allows the remaining land to develop in a way that makes sense and creates what I personally believe could be a real gem for our city. However, in recent months we have heard some opposition from a group of neighbors that do not want anything developed and want to preserve open space.

While open space would be great, there is not funding in the city to purchase property and keep the land in open space. The priorities of the city are far greater on essential services.

What you should know is that the majority of land owners support the annexation and planning process. There is no effort to end the opportunity to farm or maintain agricultural lands, only to plan for the future and avoid the kind of piecemeal development that has occurred typically on the West side of the city. This development will build out over the next 15-20 years and is a plan for how that development will occur. It is important to have this vision as part of the General Plan so that transportation, infrastructure and planning needs can be addressed. It is also important to have this plan articulated to help us work on funding for critical future road plans that increase connectivity and safety for our residents west of I-15. The School District is also very interested in this type of planning for them to anticipate the needs for elementary schools, middle schools and high schools in the city. Also without such plans, retailers will not consider providing shopping to the West side. They want to be able to look at demographics and rooftops in the overall plan before they will commit to come.

In an effort to alleviate concerns and help work toward a good outcome, I'm attaching the latest round of adjustments to accommodate the neighbors, closest to the development.

In the neighborhood meetings that I have led and also the ones led by Don Allphin, there has been an ongoing majority of support. It would be important to show the continued support of our neighborhood for this planning and forward-thinking effort. Please come tonight to Council and help represent the entire neighborhood on this important matter.

If for some reason you are unable to attend, please send your thoughts, comments, support via email to me.

Thank you for your interest,

Sherrie

-------------------

Cindy seems a bit patronizing, telling us that eventually we will want this (we just don't know it yet) and Sherrie doesn't seem to remember that the we had a neighborhood meeting where about 100 people were there and overwhelming (I'd guess 95%) were there because they completely disapproved of the project.

Oh well! I guess I'll be living in a construction zone for the next 15-20 years! I will add the new development plan to my google group site.

Yahoo!!!

The results aren't official yet, but the report for my precinct came in and I'm so happy to report that 219 people voted. Nice Job! Way to Go! I'm so glad that so many were willing to exercise their freedom today, with their right to vote!

:) I think that number will go up because provisional ballots aren't recorded yet. Early ballots might not be in that number either.

Check the Election Results

As the results come in tonight you will be able to view them at:
http://electionmap.provo.org/

GO VOTE TODAY

Just a Reminder: Tuesday, September 15th is Provo’s Municipal Primary Elections. Please Go VOTE! Good Luck to all the candidates!

New this year – you must provide identification when you vote (valid ID includes a photo ID issued by the state or federal government, such as a Utah driver license or US passport; or two other forms of ID showing the voter’s name and address, such as a current utility bill or bank statement).

Following is a list of candidates pertaining Precincts Provo 20 & 24 (west of Geneva Road & north of the river) – also Precincts 31 & 23:

*PROVO MAYOR CANDIDATES*
* Don Allphin — www.donallphin.org
* Steve Clark – www.stephendclark.com
* Ammon S. Cunningham — provomayor2009.blogspot.com
* John Curtis — johncurtis.org
* Neil Mitchell — neilmitchellforprovomayor.com
* Andrew P. Thompson — 801-373-4834 (*WITHDRAWN*)

*PROVO CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES (CITYWIDE 1)*
* Laura Cabanilla – laura4provo.com
* Carl Mayo — carlmayo.com
* Coy Porter — www.coyforcouncil.com
* Howard Stone — www.howardstone.org
* Lindsey Wiblin — wiblin@cougar.netutah.net

For your information there are 2 candidates running for office from precinct 20 – Carl Mayo for City Council & Don Allphin for Mayor.

The primary election will whittle the field of candidates down to two candidates per open seat. The General Election will be Tuesday, November 3, so mark your calendars! Remember that federal law requires employers to allow employees time to vote.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Precincts 20 & 24 - vote at Lakeview Elementary (2899 W 1390 N), in empty classroom down the west hallway of the school (by kindergarten classes).Precinct 31 (east of Geneva Rd & north of 820 N) - vote at Westridge Elementary (1720 W 1460 N).
Precinct 23 (east of Geneva Rd, south of 820 N, and north of the river) – vote at Freedom Academy (1190 W 900 N).

If you have any questions about where your polling place is, visit the Lt Governor's site at: https://gva1.utah.gov/elections/polling.aspx


If you are not registered to vote, Please go to the following web address, print the form and send it in.You won’t be able to vote on September 15^th, but if you get it in by the deadlines you will be able to vote on November 3^rd.You must be 18 years old by November 3^rd to register. The last day to register by mail is October 5^th. The last day to register in person at the County Clerks Office is October 19^th. http://elections.utah.gov/VoterRegistrationForm.pdf

Villages at Celebration

There is a large amount of land that Provo City has asked a developer to make a concept plan, Specific Plan Development, as its called. This land is all part of Utah County (346.72 acres) and Provo wants to annex it. Part of the land is owned by Provo School District. Other land is owned by farmers, and the developer.

The Developer is Gardner, Plum & Associates. Apparently the city council really likes the work these guys do, so they want him to develop it. I along with many of my neighbors have been trying to fight it. Tomorrow night (September 1, at 7:p.m.) is the City Council meeting set to decide if it should go forward or not.

Here are all immediate problems I see with this development (it looks pretty on paper, for the most part, but here are some of the realities):

CRIME - This development would be out as far west as you can go at the north of Provo. The housing scheduled for the first 2 phases (which is all the developer's representative said they would build and leave it up to someone else to buy the land and build the rest) has already been approved, by the planning commission (which we felt like we were lied to about, because everyone kept saying it was a city council decision), to be smaller homes, on smaller lots, with the approval to have only 5 feet between each home - essentially adding 210 starter homes on skinnier streets. Also the only street in and out of the development (first 2 phases) would be lined with town homes. Police have told us that with higher density housing like this, our crime rates would go up, especially if it is tucked away in a corner like it is. Just last week a gang member tagged my neighbor's house. Can't imagine what they will do if this development gets to go forward.

SAFETY - This development (phases one and two = 200 homes) is only 1 block away from the Lakeview Elementary School. The street the school is on, is the only street that goes into this development. It's just a wide neighborhood street, not a major road. We already had a kid hit by a car last school year, just imagine adding 400 + more cars on this street.

COMPLETION - The developer's rep, has said that this entire plan is probably a 15 year project. I'm afraid that this will start like other projects and never get finished. They might get started, but that doesn't mean they won't stop at 3 years and not complete it. Or what many have done, is once the project is approved and they get the first few phases done, then they sell it and since it is already zoned for certain things it makes it easier for the new developer to make even more changes, that we might not like.

THE PLAN - Like I already mentioned basically what we are looking at is 200 started homes all wrapped up in a pretty bow. Everything else on the plan is not going to be built by this developer, according to their own spokesman. Every thing on the plan is likely to change since every step will need to be approved by the city council, so the new owners can come in with a different plan. This plan has already gone through some changes. They took out some of the green space, and a church, and added more houses. I'm sorry, but quality of life issues need to be addressed. Overall this plan would add around a 1400 houses. In that same amount of houses from west of I-15, from the river to 2000 N. there are 4 churches (3 LDS and 1 other).

Long term issues with this plan, if it goes through:

UNIVERSITY AVE. SIZE ROAD - The road through the middle of the plan is a University Ave. sized road, which is approx. 2 blocks west of the school. It really divides this development in half. If put in, it would also force the school district to have another situation like Provo High, where kids have to cross a major road to get to their ball fields. Which by the way, the developer's rep. told the planning commission that the school will just have to sell their land, if they won't do it that way, because they will lose.

INFRASTRUCTURE - As of right now, there is not an approved plan to even have water out to this development (except for the first 2 phases, because they put the pipes in just a few weeks ago, before the city council meetings). It's absurd that the city would approve a project before they even have funding or a way to get the basics down. This water project is a $18 million project, that they seem to think 200 homes are going to pay for the whole thing, because they said it wasn't going to cost any of us any money. I highly doubt that a project this expensive will never cost any other property owners a cent.

I'm out of time for now. As you can see there are many issues with this plan overall, and I haven't even hit half of them!

Planning Commission report with latest site plan (it's on the very last page, page 31):
http://provo.org/downloads/comdev/pc_staff_report_august_12_2009_-_item_1.pdf

Phases 1 & 2 is what they are planning to go ahead with right away (possibly phase 3 also). The orange lots are smaller than the Cobblestone homes across the street to the east. You have to zoom in, but you can see all the town homes along 1390 North and so on.

Upcoming Elections

Apparently I took a summer hiatus! Now it's time to gear up for some up coming elections.


August 27, 2009 - election for county recorder and republican committees and legislative district officers (must be a central committee member to vote for this election). Candidates can be found here: http://utahcountygop.org/declared-candidates/

September 15, 2009 - primary election for non-partisan city races (mayor and citywide council member - also 2 districts). Candidates can be found here: http://provo.org/index.php?module=ibcms&fxn=elections.listofcandidates

November 3, 2009 - general election for non-partisan city races.

March 23, 2010 - precinct caucuses (Republican and Democratic parties)

Great Campaigning Info by LaVarr Webb

Tuesday Buzz Written by LaVarr Webb & Associates

Four Phases of a Utah Campaign Utah has a unique election system that is more complicated, and probably more difficult, than most state election processes. Candidates in intra-party contested races have to run four very intense and different campaigns, each with distinctive strategies and requirements. By election day, candidates who make it to the end feel they’ve run an exhausting, harrowing, political gauntlet – and they have. But the process forces a candidate to focus on both grassroots and mass media, and prepares a candidate for service. Here are the four phases of an intra-party contested campaign: 1. From starting date (right now!) to Neighborhood Caucuses (March 23, in 2010). Objective: Get supporters to the party caucuses to win state delegate slots. Mount statewide grassroots organizational and communications effort to win support of likely caucus attendees, focused on opinion leaders, previous delegates, political insiders/activists, and new potential supporters. Requires hundreds of individual and small-group meetings, phone calls, numerous direct mail pieces to keep the buzz going, build coalitions, win support of opinion leaders and interest groups; run mini-campaigns in each voting precinct in the state. Maintain sophisticated database of all contacts, who’s for, against, and neutral. Build “dashboard” to track progress and “see-at-a-glance” progress. Use e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, etc. 2. Caucus Night to State Convention. Objective: Now that delegates have been selected, pursue their support with all manner of direct and indirect contact. Lots of small-group meetings, lunches, breakfasts, etc., with direct mail, e-mail, and phone calls. Develop county convention strategies, and prepare for state convention presentation and strategy. Update database/dashboard with all relevant info so proper data and intelligence is available at all times. 3. Convention to Primary Election. Objective: Extend reach to all Republican or De mocratic voters with broader communications/paid media. Still strong focus on grassroots. Figure out winning number (50% plus 1); target, target, target to reach them. 4. Primary to General Election. Objective: Finally, fight the candidate of the opposing party. Again figure out winning number and how to reach it. Target to make it happen.

April 28th Neighborhood Meetings

On April 28th we had 2 neighborhood meetings. One was the Lakeview Neighborhood and the second was the Neighborhood Watch. I have posted my notes about these meetings on my Google Group. If you are in my neighborhood, please sign up! There is a link on the sidebar. Look for My Lakeview Neighborhood Group.

2 Things that Bothered Me about the Convention

So now that the convention is over and done with and all disputes have been washed under the table, there are a couple of things that I hope never happen again.

The first one is just a irritation of mine, because of my trying to change a delegate. I was told that there is no way that I could change a delegate. I was told that it wouldn't be fair, the candidates wouldn't get the new delegates information in time and because they needed time to get the delegates credentials, among other reasons.

So why is it that Marian had a special meeting the morning of to approve her own appointments? There was no notice for the candidates, except for the meeting right before, if it was even mentioned there. Why were their credentials previously made up? Why can't you play by the rules? Why is there always so much secrecy? This is the stuff that I don't like about our party.

Here is the other thing that really irritates me. In the race for vice chair, the majority of the delegates at large did not know that Don Larsen was going to withdraw. Many had already voted on their ballots before convention even started. Largely in part, because not everyone had a pen and were asking to borrow one.

Don had a number of the votes. In fact, it was a large enough percentage that Mark did not win by 51%. Lowell only lost by 10 votes. It is my guess that if those delegates would have voted correctly that the race may have gone the other way. So delegates not voting properly is one issue, but the party should have acknowledged what had happened with the votes and issued a re-vote, or second ballot, since you had to win by 51%. But that would be too much work and "our guy" won anyway so let's just leave it. There was already a 2nd ballot printed, that we all had in our packets.

Again, I realize that nothing can be done about these things it's just irritating that so many of these things happen. And to think, these are just the ones I know about, how many others are there that I don't?

It is my hope that the new leadership will run things differently. That they will be more open, honest, and fair in their dealings. That they won't hold themselves to different rules than everyone else.

Vote for Lisa Shepherd

It's about time the delegates voted for Lisa. I don't think I know anyone who personally puts in so much time and effort into her political stuff. Finally, others are realizing it. Politics can be mean. Lisa has had many personal attacks against her. I'm sure that can not be easy. However, she just picks herself up and keeps plugging along. She knows the problems we have and wants to help find reasonable solutions to them. She ran a great campaign. She gave a great speech. She talked highly of the other men in all the county leadership races. She really deserved this win.

Initially there was going to be a multiple ballot for Lisa's race. They take 3 names, and then narrow it down to 2. We voted the first time, and awhile later we were told that we were not going to need our second ballot. This is because one candidate received over 50% of the vote. We were a bit nervous about it, but hoped for the best and she came out on top. It's quite an accomplishment to beat out the man who had "all of our elected officials support."

The other great thing, is that Lisa was also running for State Central Committee. There were 52 candidates. The first 20 people with the most votes would be on the committee. Out of all the candidates Lisa received the number one most votes.

Wow! What a great outcome for both races!!!

2009 Utah County Organizing Convention Results

This County Convention was all about electing new Republican party county leadership. Offices we voted on were chair, vice chair, secretary, and treasurer. We also elected State Central Committee Members.

Here are the results:

Chair:

Taylor Oldroyd 440 votes

Steven Diamond 391 votes

Vice Chair:

Mark Cluff 415 votes

Lowell Nelson 405 votes
Don Larsen withdrew during his speech

Secretary:

Lisa Shepherd 484 votes

Matt Thompson 307 votes
Keith Kuder 32 votes

Treasurer:

Lynn Taylor 592 votes

Ben Smith 236 votes

State Central Committee Members (top 20 are committee members):

1 Lisa Shepherd 477
2 Steven Diamond 467
3 Lowell Nelson 456
4 Matt Thompson 454
5 Marian Monnahan 447
6 Ben Smith 421
7 Lynn Taylor 404
8 John Valentine 395
9 Mike Thompson 333
10 Don Larsen 324
11 Sharon Storrs 324
12 Kip Meacham 308
13 Curt Bramble 302
14 Karen Valentine 301
15 Stan Lockhart 299
16 Susan Bramble 294
17 Becky Lockhart 290
18 Clayton Holbrook 286
19 Brian Jenkins 278
20 Jackie de Gaston 268
21 Linda Houskeeper 257
22 Heather Williamson 255
23 Dave Duncan 253
24 Ivan Keller 242
24 Poppy Moreno 242
26 Holly Richardson 239
27 Chris Herrod 230
28 Jay Morgan Philpot 227
29 Beverly Miner 221
30 Marc Roberts 216
31 Jed Morley 213
32 Steven Turley 210
33 Craig Frank 203
34 Kristen Chevrier 202
35 Jordan Gunderson 196
36 Adrielle Herring 190
37 Jim Proctor 188
38 Judy Keller 182
39 Bradley Reneer 178
40 Chad Bunn 174
41 Phil Peay 164
41 Hayden Williamson 164
43 Corey Norman 156
44 Sam Brand 153
45 Mike McGee 150
46 Delaina Tonks 142
47 Bruce Armstrong 140
47 Alan Lisonbee 140
49 David Starling 118
50 Nathan Rathbun 112
51 Wendy Hart 95
52 Mark Steele 84

see previous post for convention info & pics.

My Time at the 2009 Utah County Convention

It was a cold and rainy day! As you approached the doors of the school there weren't many signs outside. I got there fairly early. I had told Lisa Shepherd I would come and help pass out papers while she went to the candidate meeting. I walked around the candidates tables, then I grabbed some of Lisa's stuff and I parked myself by the front doors, along with many other people, to handout fliers and other miscellaneous campaign items.

At 7:30 a.m. it was time for Central Committee Meeting. This is for all precinct chairs and vice chairs. Commissioner Steve White chaired this meeting. We discussed 2 platform changes, one on family and another on immigration. With some adopted changes, they both passed.

Next, we had Senate District Sessions. Mark Madsen is my senator and he was not there. I can't say I was very happy about it. Maybe he had a good reason, but I didn't hear about it. We voted instead to listen to candidates from our district that were running for the State Central Committee. This proved to be a very useful and informative use of our time.

We then moved on to our Legislative Districts. We stood out in the hall for a very long time waiting, because the Senate District before us went over time. It was Margaret Dayton's district. Finally, we all came in and took a seat and Margaret proceeded to take up some of our time as well. Keith Grover is my legislator and he was there. He talked about legislator's lack of salary and the way to take care of ethics in the house is by voting every 2 years. He talked about the committees he is on and all the email, letters and house visits he receives from constituents. He said that this is not a permanent career from him and invited us all to come visit him in Salt Lake City, during the congressional session, and to spend time on the floor.

He opened the meeting up to questions, which was really nice. We discussed the I-15 project at various points, Provo Center Exchange, and Orem Center Street overpass, etc. We also talked about the Common Ground Initiative, Health Care coverage, The Autism Bill that didn't pass, and air pollution in Utah County.

On to the Convention...

Provo's Mayor, Lewis Billings, chaired this meeting. He did a great job.

Prayer, presentation of the colors, singing of the National Anthem, and the Pledge of Allegiance followed. This is what Mark Shurtleff, state Attorney General, twittered about the Pledge:
At Utah County GOP Convention. I have NEVER experienced a more powerful and moving Pledge of Allegiance!

It really was remarkable!
Next, we had a vote on if the candidates for county leadership should be allowed 5 minutes, instead of just 3 minutes, to talk. This was turned down.

Becky Lockhart, Rules chair, talked next. A motion to approve the rules was made and it passed. Later on we find out that doing this approved the meetings agenda. Pretty sneaky of them, since they knew many people were in opposition to the agenda and that there was going to be some talk on amending it.

Susan Bramble, credentials co-chair, said that out of the 1234 possible delegates (7 unfilled), 805 had checked in. This was 66% and constituted a quorum. [You have to have a quorum to vote on anything.] The number of delegates that checked in is not the final count.

Phill Peay gave the treasurer's report. He said that the party has $44,988.25 and a postal credit of $856.83. He said that the post office box and insurance are paid until 2010. Accounts receivable were $27,500 and I believe he said most of this comes from the Lincoln Day Dinner.

Garr Judd, auditor, made a motion to accept the audit and it passed.

Marian Monnahan, county party chair, spoke next. She talked about the $54,000 that the party gave to the Utah County PAC, which she said made another $50,000. [This Utah County PAC is always a topic of controversy.] She talked about how the penny is actually called a "one cent" coin. She talked about the balance of email and privacy. [This has been highly controversially the past year or so.] She hopes that this will continue to be the best run and most successful county in our state and said, "Ask not what the party can do for you, but what can you do for the party?"

Next up Clayton Holbrook asked for an agenda amendment. This is where we found out that unknown to all of us we had already accepted the agenda. There was a lot of booing. However, we still had some debate on it. Clayton wanted the County Party Leadership races to be voted on before the State Central Committee. Which completely makes sense. Why they wanted to do it the other way is beyond me. We needed a 2/3 vote to pass it. There was discussion back and forth about it. The reason for the request is because we get to vote for up to 20 people. The County party chair and vice chair are automatic Central Committee members. So delegates felt like they might be wasting 2 of their votes if they voted for one of the winners of those 2 races. Curt Bramble requested that we amend the rules to vote for 22 instead. He couldn't do this because it was out of order, we weren't discussing the rules, just the agenda. After all this discussion it was essential turned down.

[Senator John Valentine was Parliamentarian]

However, another man got up and made a new agenda amendment. I can't remember how he worded it, but it was essentially asking for the same thing, to move the County Office elections to now. This passed! I guess it's all the way you say it!!!

Ideally the way this should have gone, is we had all the opening and party report items. Next, vote on County Leadership. Following the vote, the elected state representatives should have spoken. They were supposed to be going to the Salt Lake County Convention following ours. This would have allowed them to get up there sooner. Why are the conventions even on the same day? After that, we should have elected the State Central Committee, because we could have had the results of the county leadership by then. But of course, this is not how it went.

So we listened to each of the candidates for county party leadership.
Taylor Oldroyd, Steve Diamond, Lowell Nelson, Don Larson, Mark Cluff, Matt Thompson, Keith Kuder, Lisa Shepherd, Lynn Taylor, and Ben Smith.

The speeches were interesting. They were only allowed 3 minutes. Don Larson withdrew himself when he got up to speak. Keith Kuder railed on the Brambles, which lead to Curt talking to him on stage and continuing in their seats after they were asked to sit down. Matt Thompson had Margaret Dayton talk about him, which I think if anyone was still wondering about who to vote for, knew after listening to her, that it was not going to be him. Taylor 's wife and kids came up to the front and stood there at the end of his speech. After he was done all the kids left except one little girl who was watching her daddy. It was adorable. I think it scared her when she realized that she had been left behind.

Then we voted. We were told that because there were 3 people in the secretary race we might need our second ballot. The only reason we wouldn't is if one candidate got more than 51% of the vote.
Chris Cannon was given the Ronald Regan award and spoke.
Next, came the introductions of the 52 candidates for State Central Committee. Their names were read off and they marched across the front of the stage.

Then we voted. Both times we placed our votes in taped up cardboard boxes.

Here is Chris & I waiting for the all the ballots to be collected and for the meeting to continue. Mayor Billings had to ask several times for everyone to take their seats and ended up having to go over to legislators on the stage and ask them again to take their seats.
LauraLyn Eberting talked about the platform and if anyone wants to make changes they should submit their requests to their precinct chair. She talked about the 2 changes that were adopted earlier in the Central Committee Meeting. We then voted to either ratify or reject the changes and not discuss them at all. They were both ratified.
Our elected officials now had the floor...
Gary Herbert said our state is in good shape. Governor Huntsman took $1.1 billion out of the state budget. Utah has been recognized as the best managed state. Forbes said Utah is the best place in America to do business. Utah was also recognized as the best state poised for economic recovery. Republicans hold every main office. He said, "traditional family is the bedrock of our society." He also mentioned - principles are the important thing. Principles are what guide us.


Mark Shurtleff thanked everyone for their prayers and support. He mentioned his thoughts on hearing the Pledge of Allegiance. He said that the #1 problem in our state is prescription drug abuse. He talked about SB81 and his Attorney General Strike Force against criminal illegal aliens. The said, "Utah's Constitution prohibits same sex legal unions - PERIOD." He also talked about state directory to protect your email and cell phones from adult oriented solicitations. It is @ https://www.utahkidsregistry.com/ He talked about the Tea Parties. Nancy Pelosi was calling those who went "dupes" and how President Obama claimed he was unaware of them (the parties). He goes on to say just like how he was unaware of the AIG bonuses, that 5 of his cabinet members weren't paying their taxes, or for 20 years was unaware of his pastor. He talked of Samuel Adams and Paul Revere. Quoted Cleon Skousen and Longfellow. I liked his closing statement about rising up the purple majesty, rolling across the plains and crashing down on the current administration.
Stan Lockhart - He mentioned that it wasn't until 1996 that all the offices in Utah County were Republican. The said that the party chairs is responsible for 3 things. 1) to make sure Republicans are elected. 2) to organize the party 3) to raise money. He said it's the grassroots that make the party not the administration. He told the new leadership that the standard is not perfection, just the best that they can. He also told them to understand that it is difficult and to keep a good attitude. He talked about how the legislators hit a brickwall when it came to I-15. They were told they would only bond for it if the legislators agreed to raise taxes. Legislators said no. They eventually worked out a compromise of a small vehicle fee increase.
Jason Chaffetz stared with, "Welcome fellow terrorists." He talked about recently going to IRAQ. He said that we should be of more service. He also said that we should thank, help and support our troops. We need to do more to take care of those men and women who take care of us. He also said he wouldn't support a president that apologizes for being a military and economic superpower during his stops around the world. His speech was short and sweet. He got a standing ovation and lots of applause.
Bob Bennett - He said that there are 2 fun things to do at convention. 1) to be a cheerleader, to be proud to be an American, that it's OK to be American. 2) to be a truth teller. He said we already had cheerleaders today, so he was going to be a truth teller. He said that this week is the 1st time in 5 years that polls show Americans feel that America is on the right track - 80-90%. He said American's really like their attractive, new president. He said all we have to do is be smarter than Barrack Obama. He talked about General Washington and the Continental Army and how he looked for points of weakness to win. He said that we need to be careful about finding the right battles to win. People will lose their love affair with attractive, young president.
Orrin Hatch talked about how he is "fighting his guts out to have 41 senators [Republican senators for US Senate]." He said it is hard not to like Obama, but they are running us into bankruptcy. This administration spends, borrows and taxes too much. He talked about how the House can push anything through, but it stops in the Senate. They want to limit spending to 20% of GDP. Right now it is 28% going to 38%. He said that Obama is pushing the wrong programs. He said that he is the longest member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and when they release papers people will think that they had the wrong impression of George W. Bush. He said George W. Bush could have used his veto pen more. He said there has never been one single day where physical conservatives were the majority of any one body of congress. Republicans aren't just dreamers, we are doers. It's going to take all of us to make change and for our dream to come true.

Awards & Such

Marian gave a gift certificate to one of the leg. chairs and a "Bush Souvenir" and gift certificate to Lewis Billings.

Mayor Billings said Marian has served 8 years as chair and that is the longest anyone has served in that position. She was given a flag.

Marian gave Susan Bramble one of the Republican logos that apparently Mayor Billings and family made some time ago.
Susan Bramble came and gave the final credentials report: 847 for 69%
7 spots not filled, 380 didn't check in. Someone earlier had mentioned that they only thought 420 would come. We doubled their expectation.

Next, there was a proposed resolution that needed to be discussed. The declared that we still had enough people there for a quorum so they went ahead. Don Larsen wrote the proposal. He said we must support the Rule of Law and the Constitution. The resolution failed. A division was called. They did it visually, not an actual count. It failed.

They announced the winners of the county party leadership, but they didn't have the results of the state central committee by the time it was over.

Results can be found here: http://provovoice.blogspot.com/2009/04/2009-utah-county-organizing-convention.html

Lakeview Neighborhood Watch Meeting

Here is the information (from Lawrence Law our Neighborhood Watch Chair) for the upcoming Neighborhood Meeting:

Lakeview Neighborhood Watch Meeting for all neighborhood people.

Meeting date: April 28th
Meeting time: 7:30 to 9:p.m.
Place: Lakeview Elementary School Gym

Agenda:

1- Lawrence- welcome, prayer, flag ceremony, introductions of leadership. (Cluff get scouts for flag ceremony.)

2- Deena- short synopsis of last meeting. Update on what has happened since last meeting.

3- Neighborhood chair introductions by self. Don Allphin and Kevin Garver

4- Sgt. Jensen give update report on recent crime in area, stressing ongoing need for vigilance.

5- 2 min. District Reports with DL, ADL and Sec. of each district up front so people know them.

6- McGruff home update. PTA pres? How are homes chosen and filtered? Quota? 3 Step process- background check by police, check with bishops, neighbor concerns?

7- Deena- give contact information, talk about street team responsibilities and phone tree.

8- Jim Campbell- training on street patrols

9- 5-10 min district huddles (overview of purpose, possibility of BBW, upcoming meeting, patrols?)

10- Lawrence- thank you, retire flag, closing prayer.

We are asking for a donation to cover costs of the neighborhood watch program. We are recommending a minimum $5 per family or home to defray costs such as McGruff House program dues, flyers, paperwork, etc. We will be reporting costs and where the money is being used. No one is profiting from these funds and will be used sparingly. Please be thoughtful and donate generously.

So far we have spent $220 for paper, pens, staples, copies, posterboard

We have over 1200 homes in our Neighborhood Watch boundaries and every family needs to be represented. Please come support the safety and beauty of our neighborhood.

Provo TEA Party

Provo’s Tax Day TEA Party - Wednesday, April 15, 2009

I applaud David Kirkham (co president of Kirkham Motor Sports) for hosting such a spectacular TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party. What a great turn out, could easily have been 1000 people there. It was really something. I also applaud all the people who came out to make a stand on such a miserable weather day. The silent majority was not silent today!!!

(I apologize for the bad pictures and any name misspellings, etc.)

The party started just after 5:p.m. I am not sure what time it ended because I had to leave at 6:40 p.m. to be to another meeting at 7:p.m.

Brianne Nelson, the daughter of Provo City’s Library director, sang the National Anthem. It was stunning and beautiful.

David introduced each speaker and spoke a bit between each.

1^st up was House Representative, Jason Chaffetz. It’s always fun to listen to him speak.

David spoke a bit next. He talked about how he organized the first Tea Party in Utah on March 6^th in Salt Lake City. Among other things, he mentioned the instapundit site (www.instapundit.com). I really liked David. I wished that he would run for some type of public office. I think that he would be great.

Mayor Lewis Billings spoke next. He said that Provo City was in its fourth rounds of budget cuts. He also said that the government should be more like those of old with the motto of fix it up, make it do, or do without. He said that “CHANGE is all we have left.”

Margaret Dayton spoke next. She spoke of if there is a decision between government brains and private brains, private brains should always win. She talked about how she wanted to opt out of the No Child Left Behind program. She asked for a raise of hands for how many people were first time protesters. It was well over half.

David Kirkham talked about how one time he was in Poland at the factory that was building the body of his cars. He said that the factory had it’s lights off. Men were in there working with machinery without any lights. He said that is what happens with Socialism. He said, “I don’t want my children to grow up with that.”

David had a child come up with the sign he was holding. The sign said “I owe 12 trillion dollars.”

Nick Kirkham, David’s 12 year old son, gave an amazing speech. He read an essay he had written. It moved me to tears. He talked about a conversation he had with his father about John Revere and talked about driving a cobra through town yelling, "the Socialists are coming." He asked if you were a Republican to raise your hand. He then asked if you were a Democrat to raise your hand. He then told us we were all liars – we are all AMERICANS!!!

Chris Herrod spoke next. He said that Socialism destroys the soul. He said that Obama’s change is just old philosophy that has failed time and time again. He talked about how Glenn Beck says power rests in WE the PEOPLE. He also quoted Ezra Taft Benson. It was a great quote, wished I had it to share with you.

David mentioned many times how he turned down people to speak at this event. He said his purpose for holding these events was to effect change in the 2010 elections.

John Dougall was next. He said our agreeing to debt today is taxing our children. He talked about how Patrick Henry said, “Give me Liberty or Give me Death,” but now it is “Give me Liberty or Bail me Out.”

David said we left Europe once already, why are we headed back? He said that there were 13 Tea Parties in Utah.

Francis Gibson spoke about getting involved. If we get involved we can make change. We each needed to tell 5 people about our opinions and to get them involved also.

David talked about our need of economic freedom.

Brad Daw said, “Where is this global warming?” (Did I forget to mention there was snow on the ground and it was raining and cold?) He reminded us that our rights don’t come from Washington, but from a higher source. They are God given. He said our federal government shouldn’t dictate to us, we should dictate to them.

David - Socialism is trickled down disappointment.

Jess Jones, a college student, spoke.

Ken Ivory said that 93% of the bailout went to only 25 companies. He talked about the “Big Stick Tea Party.” This will be an event when 1000 tea bags will be hand delivered to all 535 members of congress. Accompanying the bags will be a video called the “Big Lie.” The purpose is to stop future government bailouts. (http://www.ourcaucus.com/BigStick.html)

Senator Valentine spoke and pointed out that we are a silent majority no more!

David read one of the signs – “Extinction is Forever, Save the Tax Payer.” David told a story of his friend Tiffany whose husband recently died of cancer. When trying to get financial help for their medical bills it was recommended to them to get divorced, because then Tiffany could go make some money. At the time, the government had them sucked into their system and only allowed them to make $200 (two hundred, didn’t want you to think I wrote it wrong!) a month.

Ruth spoke about 912. Glenn Beck first started it. The purpose of the Utah 912 Project (utah912.com) is to unite with other Americans who share the values practiced by our founding fathers; to study, uphold, and defend the Constitution of the United States of America; and to take action to hold our elected officials accountable for the oaths they have sworn. Glenn came up with 9 principles and 12 values to bring us back to that time of September 12^th where we all stood united. United We Stand. Change takes place in our neighborhoods.

David’s neighbor, Simon Jester, spoke next. He recited the 4th verse to the Star Spangled Banner. (You must read his comment to this post!)

“Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!”

Brianne sang another song, Power of a Dream.

David read another sign, “Revoke Congress’ VISA”

This is when I had to leave…

There were people standing on the sidewalk along University Ave getting people driving by to honk their horns the entire time. It was great!