The Sign in My Yard

For the first time in my adult life, I have a sign in my yard that supports a particular political candidate. Never before have I felt strongly enough that any candidate should win that I felt comfortable putting a sign in my yard. Here’s a little background about how Jamie and I came to the decision to put that sign there:

A few months ago, three young college-aged folk came by our house and asked if they could put a Sterling Beck sign in our yard. They were moving quickly while they asked. They never really took the time to stop and talk. I said that I didn’t know enough about him to know if I wanted his sign there or not. They said that he’s the one who brought our city Google fiber and they stuck his sign in my yard.

That made me uncomfortable. I threw the sign away and started to do some research. The more research I did, the more I came to the conclusion that I did not want Sterling Beck to represent me in the Provo City Council anymore but that I very much want Stephen Hales to do that job. Here are ten reasons why:

1. Stephen Hales does not accept money from special interests for his campaign. He really is committed to representing the people of our neighborhood.
2. Stephen Hales has lived in Provo for a long time and has ran a business here. This says to me that he is truly invested in the community.
3. People who I know and trust who know Stephen personally tell me he is an honest guy who is level-headed and often the voice of reason in conversations.
4. Stephen lives in a historic home. He worked to keep the historic Maeser School from being torn down. He shares my belief that it is important to keep Provo’s historic homes and buildings in tact and in good condition. This keeps the community rooted and beautiful.
5. When I emailed Stephen and asked for one of his signs to put up in our yard, he delivered it personally. He was very humble and grateful that we wanted to support him with a sign. Perhaps the best word to describe his attitude is “modest”.
6. Stephen showed respect to his friends in the community who were running against him in the Primaries by not seeking endorsements until the Primaries were over. This shows that he puts relationships and unity before personal ambition.
7. As far as I know, Stephen has never lied about having endorsements from people who didn’t actually endorse him. His opponent has.
8. Stephen is realistic. He opponent says that he brought Google Fiber, a recreation center, and a splash pond to Provo without raising taxes. I was impressed by that when I first heard it but then I heard that the funds to do those things were committed before he came into office (admittedly, I don’t have a source for this one but would love one if anyone knows for sure about this). I notice that on Stephen Hales’ website, he writes about being realistic. He says that if the city is going to build things, the city needs money to do it. I don’t want more taxes by any means but I do want someone representing me who is honest about the price of growth.
9. Because Stephen has been running his own business in Provo, he knows what is needed to support local business. I don’t think he’s going to raise taxes in any way that is going to hurt his own business and the businesses of others in the community with whom he associates everyday. He does talk on his website about working together to help business have more success and bring more businesses to Provo which will mean more revenue without any one business paying more taxes than they currently are. That seems like a wise vision to me.
10. Finally, for me, voting for Stephen Hales is not just about having someone represent me who I know shares my interests and priorities (although it is about that). It is also about my yearning for a representative government that truly represents me and other citizens instead of representing corporations and other special interests. I believe that special interests have the right to exist but I also believe that people have the right to take action and make sure that their “representatives” really represent them. Stephen Hales is not a career politician. He’s a guy who’s been involved in the community for a long time who wants to do something more to help now. His opponent is a career politician who is heavily funded by special interests and who actively uses money to recruit people to his cause. Stephen Hales didn’t try to force a sign into my yard or anyone else’s yard. In fact, from what I can see, people go to him to ask how they can support more than he goes around asking for support. I see in this local election an opportunity to vote for the kind of true representative government that I wish existed on all levels of our political system.