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| Watermelon in a Garden |
This past week I've undertaken to do a review of the remaining candidates for Payson's city council. I'm hoping to follow this up with a letter to the candidates. (Unfortunately, not all of the candidates provide suitable contact information.)
Larry Skinner is retired and a former City Councilman for Payson. His record and interests are unclear, but based on his performance in the primary, he seems to be very popular.
His expense filing is modest, but seems, oddly enough, to lack any mention of the $50 filing fee that other candidates noted. (Maybe it's not due at filing?) Based on the expenses that are noted, he seems to be focusing his efforts on fliers and in-person events. So, while his campaign may seem non-existent to people like me, he's shaking a lot of hands and winning the support of those he meets. Though, he is probably also gaining some of the incumbent advantage from having campaigned as a former councilman already.
Taresa Hiatt
Taresa comes across as someone who works hard and cares about doing practical things to improve the business climate in Utah. She boasts an impressive amount of activity and involvement. She also has an actual campaign website, which speaks well for her ability to do her due diligence. Her tendency to share sketchy news articles and "Share if You Agree" images on Facebook, however, doesn't speak so well for her, reminding me of my least favorite Facebook friends. Despite that, the information available about her seems the most relevant and positive that I can find in this race. (She has responded to a questionnaire we sent to the candidates.)
Her expense filing is the most pricey. She is covering many bases with signs, flyers, and a website. It's probably necessary since she has to break through two incumbent-like competitors. Her website has cost her, along with online promotion, but she finished second in the primary, so it seems to have been enough. It was a close second though. Still, if Phillips keeps doing nothing, Hiatt may have a good shot. (The voters looking for a new candidate to support after the primary, weren't incumbent voters.)
Scott Phillips
Scott Phillips is an incumbent. An incident in 2008, in which he allegedly confronted a couple of young adult taggers, overshadows anything else about him. It is clear that the alleged taggers were inappropriately applying tape to property. (Whether they were just bored and sticking/unsticking tape absent-mindedly as they claim, or were building designs that incorporated gang signs as Phillips claims, is unclear.) It is also clear that the confrontation turned physical. (Whether Phillips simply pulled them away from the truck, and made them clean up the mess as he claims, or punched them multiple times and yelled racial slurs at them as they claim, is unclear.) Phillips paid a $100 fine for assault, along with more costly legal fees, having finally pled no contest. The incident seems to have led to a rise in his popularity. It's either a story of police denying our right to self defense, or a racist local violently overreacting to common youthful thoughtlessness. The popular perception seems to be the former. Knowing more about the incident could be useful, but it might be nicer to find something that hinted at his political philosophy. (He has since sat down with us for an interview.)
He seems to be doing almost nothing to campaign. This can be a winning incumbent strategy, but since Taresa bested him in the primary, he may need to do better.
Brett Christensen
Not much information is available regarding Brett Christensen, though his campaign is better than average, even if it seems to lack substance.
His expenses have been modest compared to Hiatt, but more than the incumbents. He bought T-shirts and street signs. It was enough to get him to the real election, but he's running dead last for this next race.
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