These are classic discussions published back in June 2008
Investigations — Timing
Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert has been pilloried for waiting to act on Richard Ellis’s allegations until after the primary election. The delay, many argue, is a sure sign of cronyism, protectionism, good old boyism, etc. If that’s the case, and it’s not just the experienced realization that a politically-motivated witch hunt might be going on, then Democratic Representative Phil Riesen must be part of that conservative cabal.
On June 18th, he and Rep. Sheryl Allen went toe-to-toe on the timing, manner and purpose of their planned ethics complaint against Rep. Mark Walker. While Rep. Allen was extremely eager to file the complaint immediately before the primary, accompanied by a splashy press release, Rep. Riesen recoiled at the political crassness. Instead, he wanted it to be less political, waiting until after the primary and doing it quietly through the ethics committee, instead of through the media. He won on one of those two points.
These kinds of things are important to know, if... (read more)
Coincidence, I’m Sure
Three members of the House complained bitterly that their bills were being held by the House Rules Committee — of which Mark Walker is 1 of 8 members (1 of 6 Republican members). Those 3 complainants are (drum roll please) Neil Hansen, Sheryl Allen and Steve Mascaro.
In 2007 and most of 2008, each rules committee member nominated an equal number of bills to the list the Rules Committee would consider for committee assignments or floor prioritization, meaning that those 3 couldn’t find a single member to move his/her legislation. When Hansen, Allen and Mascaro complained that their legislation wasn’t moving, I candidly told them that they were perceived on both sides of the aisle to be grandstanding hacks who brought little of value to the process, and that the perception probably wasn’t helping their cause. (For example, Phil might want to explain to Neil why no Democrat on the Rules Committee and no member of Democratic leadership in the House... (read more)
Education: Pay for Performance
Tremendous things are happening in public education!
It seems that citizens, educators and policymakers are on the same page (imagine that!) regarding the merit of performance-based pay for teachers. The (very) tough thing, of course, is to figure out how we go about it.
This past session, the Legislature passed SB 281, which provides $20,000,000 for the districts to figure out a pay-for-performance (“PFP“) plan that they believe works best for them. (This is one of the loosest appropriations I’ve ever seen: “figure out how you’re going to spend the money, let us know what you’re doing, let us know how it went, and good luck!”). All districts, except one I believe, are stepping up to the plate with plans. Charter schools are doing the same.
I’m particularly excited about the Washington County School District plan (and not yet familiar with other districts’ plans). The WCSD plan is based on team-based goals, implementation, assessment, team-based performance, and school-based performance. How exciting! My only... (read more)
Gay Marriage in Utah
Sen. Scott McCoy writes an article on gay marriage – which is particularly interesting between the lines.
Sen. McCoy first warns of “political rhetoric and demagoguery” (no doubt, which will be spread exclusively by Republicans), while informing us that the California gay-marriage decision won’t mean much for Utah “in the short term.” He notes that his pending marriage to his partner won’t be recognized in Utah “for now.”
So, what do those qualifiers – “in the short term” and “for now” – mean? They mean that Scott and Democrats are working to force Utahns to recognize gay marriage, even though there is no doubt that most Utahns want no part of that.
The “full faith and credit” clause of the U.S. Constitution requires that states recognize laws and legal arrangements from other states. So, the plan of gay-marriage advocates is to use the courts to force other states to recognize California same-sex marriages – Utah being no exception.
There is a particularly juicy bit... (read more)
Steve Urquhart: Super Genius
I have to admit I am flattered that, once again, the good people of Salt Lake County are looking to me to solve a thorny issue for them. I think, though, that — instead of stepping in and solving this one for them — I’ll let them grapple with the issue, so that they might develop some problem-solving skills.
C’mon, people. Dig in and work it out. Delaying the tough work would only mean that the tough work has been delayed. Nothing more. Breaking up is hard to do, but at this point it’s simply a question of valuation. Politically tough? Absolutely. Rocket science? Hardly.
UPDATE (6/18/08): LaVarr Webb wrote an article today in Utah Policy that helps explain some of the background for local governance:
“In response to the Sunday Deseret News column I wrote about federalism, some local government leaders have sent messages saying that even as state officials feel the heavy hand of the federal government, local leaders sometimes feel... (read more)
Just 99.9% of His Purpose
From the Tribune: “But Ellis said after the hearing that his ‘whole purpose wasn’t politically motivated.’”
Scuzzy.
Sen. Hickman on Washington
Sen. Bill Hickman shared a few thoughts in the Tribune about our federal government. As someone who has spent 16 years in the political trenches — making the tough decisions to balance a budget every year — it seems that Bill is a bit frustrated with a federal government that increasingly wants to do the work of the states and locals but is unwilling to battle with the difficult issues it should be addressing, like immigration and energy policy.
I regularly meet with legislators from other states. Bill’s sentiments are directly in line with the vast majority of state legislators across the nation. States aren’t perfect. Often, we’re far from it. But we’re worlds better, or at least braver, than the show horses in D.C., who habitually hide from tough or controversial issues.
As for Utah’s 5 representatives in Congress, I think they are exceptional human beings. And that’s what really depresses me. If a Rob Bishop or a Bob Bennett can’t... (read more)
You’re Joking, Right?