New Legislative District 60 Chair

On January 28,2012 we attended our quarterly Central Committee Meeting. Everyone who is elected as a Precinct Chair or Vice Chair comprises the body of this meeting. It is where we vote on issues critical to the county party, prepare for elections, caucuses, have district elections, etc. I ran for Leg 60 Chair and won.

My vision for our district is threefold. I very want to unite a district that has become quite divisive. Regardless of which side we are in the issues, in my opinion, when we come together as a district we must focus on spreading the Republican message, registering voters and getting out the vote, and supporting our candidates and elected officials.

On March 15th we will hold the statewide caucuses for the Republican Party. At each of these caucuses new precinct officers will be elected: Precinct Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary/Treasurer as well as state and county delegates. It is our goal to get every voting Republican in Legislative District 60 to the caucus. Here, patterned after the representational government our Founding Fathers gave us, we elect those who will meet with candidates, research them and the issues, and whittle the Republican field down to one candidate who will represent us in November.

We face a historic time in America and are in the battle for her very soul. It is my hope that we can have record turnouts at our  caucuses  and at the polls. It is one of my strongest beliefs that in order to salvage our nation, we must begin at home. Our political home begins in District 60 of Utah County's Republican Party. I look forward to working with everyone.

Because I am now the Leg Chair, I will not be able to conduct our March 15 Caucus. Robin Devey, who is my vice-chair, will conduct that night. It has been an honor to serve the Orem 28th Precinct for all these years. I intend to remain active and will be seeking a state delegate position so that I may continue to represent you. Thanks for your confidence all these years. I am certain I am leaving you in very competent hands.

Thank you,

Candace Salima

Leg 60 Chair

Brad Daw: Legislative Update

Commencement Newsletter

Dear Neighbor,

The Utah State Legislative Session has begun and is already in full swing. There is a lot going on at Capitol hill that I'm excited to share with you. To address concerns raised at the last City Council meeting, I have included a brief summary of Representative Ken Ivory's mission to take back our Utah state lands, below. This really is wonderful work and we are all behind him and wishing him the greatest success. First off however, we had a very provoking presentation delivered in the Committee of Higher Education that I'd like to share, on the potential usurpation of higher learning.

The future of Higher Education?

In the Committee of Higher Education this week, we were privileged to hear from Professor Clayton Christensen, a Professor of Business at Harvard University, who delivered a very interesting presentation on his projected views for the future of higher education. According to Professor Christensen, higher education is now in a position to be disrupted by developing institutions such as the evolvement of online learning. In other words, the growth of online learning is on track to compete with prestigious universities and higher education. The University of M.I.T. provided a perfect example of this when they recently allowed their courses to be taken online. Students around the world are now able to complete coursework taught by the brightest Professors in the country and they do not have to be full time students of M.I.T. to do so. And so this raises the question: What does this development mean for Professors and classes of introductory curriculum? In other words, why would students want to attend a public university Physics 1010 class when they could take Physics 1010 from the most capable Professor of physics in the country? It will be interesting to see how this idea progresses as the world of online learning continues to grow exponentially. In fact, Professor Christensen had a very amusing story about the University of Phoenix that he used to emphasize this conclusion.

Taking back Utah State Public Land

As promised, I'd like to give you a brief overview of Representative Ken Ivory's work to take back our state lands from the federal government. Take a look at this map to see how outrageous the issue really is. Notice Utah is number three on the list of the top ten states of federally owned land. Also note the drastic differences between the two coasts. Representative Ivory is currently working with lawmakers in five western states to pass similar legislation: Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Idaho, and Wyoming. It is absolutely essential that the states control the majority of their public lands.

On a lighter note,

A friend of mine sent me this link that I found to be amusing in light of today's current debt crisis.

Local Political Blog

LOCAL POLITICAL BLOG: A neighbor of mine recently uploaded a local political blog to keep up to date with current legislation and important events in Utah, specifically in the Orem District. Check it out here.

- Brad Daw

From the office of Senator Mike Lee: Tribute to Officer Jared Francom

FOR IMMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Sen. Lee Pays Tribute to Fallen Officer Francom on Senate Floor

Today, Senator Mike Lee spoke on the Senate floor about the tragic death of Utah policeman Jared Francom, who was shot in the line of duty on January 4th. A video of the speech is available here, and a transcript of Senator Lee’s remarks is below:

Mr. President, today I rise with a heavy heart to mourn the loss of Ogden police officer Jared Francom.

Earlier this month, on the evening of January 4th, 2012, Agent Francom was senselessly gunned down defending his fellow officers as they attempted to serve a search warrant in Ogden, Utah. Five other officers – Shawn Grogan, Kasey Burrell, Michael Rounkles, Nate Hutchinson, and Jason Venderwarf – were wounded in the gun battle.

A week later, a crowd of roughly 4000 family members, friends, and supporters, including more than a thousand uniformed officers, gathered at a public memorial for Jared to saygoodbye to one of America’s fallen heroes.

The sentiment from all that knew him was the same: Jared was a devoted family man, a dedicated father to his two young daughters, a fun loving brother and son to his family.

At the funeral, which I attended, I heard Jared’s brother Ben say he “taught people to care for each other and taught others to change the world like he was doing on the streets of Ogden.”

Commenting on the outpouring of support, Jared’s brother Travis said, “I know my brother would be proud, because we all are his family.”

Achieving a goal he’d set for himself as a young boy, Agent Francom became a member of the Ogden police force seven years ago and and was assigned to the Weber-Morgan Narcotics Strike Force.

Jared’s sacrifice should be a reminder to us of the incredible risks our brave law enforcement officers all take to protect the people they serve. I have a deep and unwavering respect for the law enforcement community and, as a former Assistant U.S. Attorney, have seen up close how these men and women serve with honor, integrity, and dedication.

Jared Francom was no exception. He will be remembered for giving his life in service to the people and community he loved.

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