Over the past several weeks, The Salt Lake Tribune Editorial Board has published editorials giving our recommendations on who should be elected to various local, state and national offices, and outlining the reasons why. The full editorials can be found on our website: www.sltrib.com/opinion
For President of the United States:
Barack Obama: Our endorsement of the president came after months of disappointment with Utah's former Olympics czar as we watched the Republican challenger crisscrossing the country and promising one audience he would do what, to a different audience, he had decried. To be blunt, we liked the Mitt Romney of 2002, not the zigzagging chameleon of 2012. The Democratic incumbent has proven himself a competent leader who was handed an economy in shambles, managed to ward off catastrophe, and is presiding over a recovery that, while slower than one would wish, shows signs of gathering momentum and producing jobs at a faster rate. His signature initiative, the Affordable Care Act, while far from perfect, is a much-needed set of reforms that are a significant step toward fixing our broken health care system.
For U.S. Senate:
Orrin Hatch: Utah's lion of the Senate can work across the aisle
For U.S. House of Representatives:
1st District: Rob Bishop House committee assignments can benefit Utah
2nd District: Jay Seegmiller Former Utah legislator in moderate Jim Matheson mold
3rd District: Jason Chaffetz A rising star in the House who has pushed bipartisan legislation
4th District: Jim Matheson Independent Democrat preferable to radical rightist Mia Love
For Utah Governor:
Gary Herbert: Has steadily grown in the job he inherited from Jon Huntsman
For Utah Attorney General:
Dee Smith: Experienced county prosecutor clear choice over corporate panderer John Swallow
For Salt Lake County Mayor:
Ben McAdams: State senator with remarkable ability to build bipartisan consensus
For Salt Lake County Council:
At-Large: Jim Bradley: Steady, seasoned hand who knows the ropes of county government
District 2: Michael Jensen: Experience, energy and expertise earn him a fourth term
District 4: Sam Granato: Former chair of liquor commission opposes SkiLink gondola
District 6: Paul Recanzone: Will put teeth in Foothills and Canyons Overlay Zone
Salt Lake County Proposition 1, Parks Bond:
For: $47 million in bonds for parks, open space, wildlife and trails a sound investment in future
Utah Constitutional Amendments:
Amendment A, Severance Tax Revenue to Trust Fund: No. Would hamstring future budget makers
Amendment B, Property Tax Break for Active Military: Yes. Long overdue help for the troops
Our endorsements reflect how the board would vote if it had a ballot. As always, the choice is yours.