Our County
Our Choice
I'm running so that generations from now, our children's children will be thankful for the decisions we've made.
Erik has raised his family in Wasatch County and understands what it means to fight for what you believe in.
Wasatch is one of the best places to live, and the secret's out.
For over 20 years, I've watched people who don't live in our county act like they know what's best for our county. State bureaucrats who have never driven past our North Fields tell us how to use them. Developers who care only about profit build, skip town and leave us with higher property taxes.
I've served on the Heber City Council and currently serve on the Wasatch County Council. I'm running for re-election because the government closest to the people ought to be the one making the call.
I'm a father of three. I run a business. I know what a property tax notice does to a family budget, and I know what it feels like to watch a hillside go from open ground to thousands of residential units.
So, here's where I stand.
“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one that does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.”
Ronald Reagan
What I push for on Wasatch County Council
Open space and heritage
Elected officials can raise and lower taxes. They can rewrite an ordinance, but they cannot un-build a subdivision. Once open space is built on, it stays built on. Every acre we hand over is an acre no council after us can get back, no matter how badly they want it.
And it's not only the land. It's the barns, the fields, the ditches and the dirt roads. These are the reasons Wasatch County feels like somewhere instead of anywhere. If we forget where we came from, we'll end up like every place that already did.
What I'll push for
- Hold the line on zoning. Developers can build what the current zoning allows. The council is under no obligation to approve rezoning requests.
- Use every tool we have to preserve open space: conservation easements, transfer of development rights, agricultural protection, to name just a few.
- Protect and incentivize the working agriculture that's still here, not just the view of it.
Local control
The state is threatening to take away funding simply because we aren't playing ball. Whether it's roads, mines or developers, the state is increasingly making it impossible for county residents to decide the future of their own county. I will not rest until we see meaningful change at the state level.
What I'll push for
- Lobby the legislature to repeal the preliminary municipality bill (SB 258) that allows developers to completely bypass county review.
- Work with other counties facing the same overreach. One county is easy to ignore. Twenty-nine counties are not.
- Refuse to trade our decisions for state money. If the state withholds funding to force our hand, every resident will know who made that call.
Developers pay their share
I'm not against private property owners building on their property. I'm against paying for somebody else's profit.
Here's how it works now. A developer comes in. They ask for a tax break, an incentive or a rezone. In exchange they promise jobs, a tax base and affordable housing. The break gets granted, the project gets built. Before long, despite the promises, the affordable houses aren't affordable, the cost of new infrastructure is passed on to the public, and the extra school seats show up on your property tax bill. The developer leaves with the profits and the county residents are left with the tax bill. If the county is going to grow, that growth has to pay for itself.
What I'll push for
- No tax breaks or incentives for private development. If the project can't stand on its own, then it shouldn't be built.
- Hold every commitment in writing and enforce it. An agreement is worth nothing if the elected body doesn't hold the developer accountable and lets them change the terms whenever they wish.
- If a rezone ever comes to a vote, put the full cost in front of the public first: roads, water, sewer, public safety, schools.
Do we want it or need it?
That's the question we should be asking before every dollar is spent.
Your property tax bill is more than a number on paper. For many families, it decides whether they stay in the house they raised their kids in or sell it to someone from out of state who sees it only as an investment.
What I'll push for
- Apply the want-or-need test to every budget line, in public, on the record.
- Surplus goes to lower property taxes.
- No tax increase without showing residents the alternative we rejected and why.
We're stronger when we stand together
The state has full-time staff, lawyers and lobbyists. Big developers have the same. We have a part-time council and a limited budget.
We will never outspend them, but we can outlast them if we stay together. When our elected officials pull in different directions, the people on the other side of the table don't have to beat us. They just wait.
I've watched what happens when this county speaks with one voice, and I've watched what happens when it doesn't. The difference isn't close.
As council chair, getting everyone to the same table is my priority. When we had concerns about UDOT's environmental study, nearly every elected official in the county signed my letter to UDOT. I want to keep bringing residents and elected officials together like that.
Get the county council, the city councils, the school district and county staff at the same table from the beginning, not at the end.
Disagree hard in the room, then walk out united. That's how we send a message to special interests and the state.
Bring residents in early. Nothing gets the state's attention like a community that shows up.
I'm not asking for your money. I'm asking for your voice.
I'm not accepting campaign donations. If you want to help, here's what makes the biggest difference.
Talk to your friends and family
Tell them why you're voting for me. A word from someone they trust goes further than any sign or mailer.
Post your support on social media
Share this site and say why it matters to you. Tag friends and neighbors who live in Wasatch County.
Spread the message
When residents unite, the state and special interests have to listen. Every person who hears that makes us stronger.
Vote
Watch your mailbox for your ballot, and return it by Election Day, November 3.
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