June 26 Primary Election Post-mortem Exam

No WCF post-election post-mortem can ever be considered complete until our ever-savvy readers have thrown in their own 2¢.

Via Ricky Hatch's Weber County Election website, we've gleaned the full list of survivors of yesterday's Weber County Primary Election. Each of the candidates named below now qualifies to appear on November Weber County General Election ballots:

US President (GOP)
Mitt Romney 
 
US Senate (GOP):
Orrin Hatch

US House of Representatives District 1 (Democrats)
Donna McAleer

State Auditor (GOP)
 John Dougall

Governor (Constitution)
Kirk D Pearson

State Attorney general (GOP)
John Swallow

Utah House District 29 (GOP)
Lee Perry

Ogden School Board District Precinct 1
Don Belnap
David Tanner

Ogden School Board District Precinct 5
Shane Story
J. Scott Handy

As an added bonus, and to assist our readers in wrapping up their understanding of yesterday's results, The Standard-Examiner carries these post-primary stories this morning:

• Hatch wins GOP Senate primary
• McAleer to face Bishop for District 1 seat on Nov. 6
• Perry, Handy, MacDonald land on November ballot
• Bond for Weber district passes; N. Ogden residents defeat Prop 1; Ogden School Board incumbent Story to face Handy

And remember, folks: No way can a WCF post-election post-mortem can ever be considered complete unless and until our ever-savvy readers have thrown in their own 2¢, capice?

That's your cue. You're on, O Gentle Ones.

Update June 28, 2012 8:00 a.m.:  Encouraging outcome in GOP House 68, where GOP loonybird Bill Wright, author of the ill-conceived HB 363, went down in flames versus GOP moderate challenger Merrill Nelson.

2012 Utah Primary Election Real-time Tallies - Updated

Grab your Orville Redenbachers' and pull up your Barcalounger easy chairs, as the Lt. Guv's website "scoreboard" begins to light up!

It's 8:00 p.m., and the polls are now closed.  If you'd like to follow real-time election results as they roll in this evening, click the link below, which will take you to the Utah Lieutenant Governors website.  Here's the Lt. Guv's main website link, for those readers who'd like to roam around and check out all Primary Election results, state-wide. Navigate the main menu in the left sidebar to view real-time tallies in every race in every jurisdiction around the state, from U.S. President to local school board :

• Utah Election Results - 2010 General Election Preliminary Results

For our WCF readers' convenience however, we'll cut to the chase. Here are the Lt. Guv's individual vote tally pages for the specific Weber County ballot races and issues which we've been closely following for the past few months:

• US Senate (GOP)
• US House of Representatives District 1 (Democrats)
• Governor (Constitution)  
• State Attorney General (GOP)
• State Auditor (GOP)
• Utah House District 29 (GOP)
• Ogden School Board District Precincts 1 and  5, etc.

Please take note that the latter link includes tallies on the $65 million Weber School District bonding proposal which evoked a fair number of reader comments under our WCF writeup just yesterday.

Alternately, WCF political wonks might want to try County Clerk/Auditor  Ricky Hatch's Weber County Election Office website.  We've been tracking this site over the years, and sometimes it's a little more timely than the Lt. Guv's above-linked pages, especially when the Lt. Guv's site gets overwhelmed:

• Weber County Elections 2012 Primary Results

Grab your Orville Redenbachers and pull up your Barcaloungers, folks, as the Lt. Guv's website "scoreboard" begins to light up!

Update 6/26/12 8:15 p.m.:  Patience, folks.  After seven years linking vote tallies in seven (countem 7) previous elections, we've learned that it often takes a half-hour or more to get the Lt. Guv's online voter count software moving to display the "real-time" vote tallies, (so called).

Final, Final, Final 2012 Utah Primary Election Reminder

Stay tuned for tomorrow evening's WCF article, where we'll reveal the results of tomorrow's 6/26/12 Utah Primary Election in real-time, as is our 7-year WCF custom

In advance of tomorrow's Utah Primary Election, we'll once again reiterate the Utah Primary Election data which we set forth in last Saturday's (6/12/12) WCF post, mercifully in even more brief form.  Here are your 6/26/12 Utah Primary Election candidates, folks, digested to the most possibly simple and basic format.

Just so's you'll get a feeling for the relative strength of our WCF preferences in regard to these primary candidates, for what it's worth, we've also taken the effort to attach little tell-tale emoticon icons below:

US Senate (GOP):
Orrin Hatch
Dan Liljenquist ☠☠☠

US House of Representatives District 1 (Democrats) :
 Ryan Combe ☝
 Donna McAleer ☝

State Auditor (GOP):
 John Dougall ☠☠☠
Auston Johnson ☝☝☝

Governor (Constitution):
Kirk D Pearson
Brandon W. Nay

State Attorney general (GOP):
 Sean Reyes ☝
 John Swallow ☠☠☠

Utah House District 29 (GOP):
Brad Galvez
Lee Perry

Ogden School Board District Precinct 1:
Don Belnap ☠☠☠
David Tanner ☝
Allen Smith ☝

Ogden School Board District Precinct 5:
 Shane Story ☠☠☠
 J. Scott Handy ☝☝
Clark Hogan ☝
Jim Hutchins ☝☝☝

Still a mite foggy about the issues involved in tomorrow's primary election?  Here; read this then:

• Weber County Forum Primary Election Writeups

The polls open at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow (6/26/2012), and close at 8:00 p.m.

Stay tuned for tomorrow evening's WCF article, where we'll reveal, around 8pm, the results of tomorrow's Utah Primary Election in real-time, as is our time-honored 7-year WCF custom.

The Weber School District’s $65 Million Bonding Proposal - Another Issue on Tomorrow's Primary Election Ballots

A $65 million bond issue slam dunk... or will it be back to the drawing board for the Weber School District?

There's one more ballot issue we'd like to address this morning, as we stand on the cusp of tomorrow's Utah Primary Election. An examination of tomorrow's Weber County primary ballot reveals that there's an important public bonding issue which has somehow wriggled onto the ballot, i.e., Weber School District’s $65 million bonding proposal, which would allow the district to build five new schools and update two existing ones. The Standard-Examiner story provides the gist:

• Weber School District seeks support on bond issue

 Note: The above-mentioned bond proposal will appear on only the Weber County ballots of those voters who reside in the Weber School  District, of course.

In a circumstance where this new bonding is being "framed" by proponents as a measure which will not raise taxes, it would seem that Weber School District officials have their ducks lined up with tight-fisted Weber County voters who might otherwise drive a stake through the heart of any bonding proposal which would create $65 million in new public debt.  While it's likely, therefore, that this bonding measure will have smooth sailing in tomorrow's balloting, there is at least one fly in the ointment, as set forth in yesterday's Standard-Examiner guest commentary by M. Royce Van Tassell, Vice President of the fiscally conservative and highly-influential Utah Taxpayers Association:

• Vote against the Weber School District’s $65 million bond

So what about it, O gentle Ones? Is this $65 million Weber County School District bonding proposal essentially a slam dunk? Or will the procedural irregularities and outright trickery which Mr. Van Tassel illuminates convince cash-strapped Weber County taxpayers to reject this measure and force the the school district to reprise this bonding measure "at a later date?"

And what's your individual take on this proposal? Will you be voting for or against it?

Are there any other issues which we've missed?

How about a little reader discussion on this?

Deseret News: Sean Reyes Sues Attorney General Opponent John Swallow For Defamation

The latest development in the Utah GOP Attorney General bare-knuckle battle royal, which would turn practioners of the fine sport of American Professional Wresting green with envy

 In our relentless quest to assemble the most pertinent information concerning Tuesday's Utah Primary balloting, we'll highlight the most recent development in the GOP State Attorney General's race, where GOP AG candidates Sean Reyes and John Swallow are waging a bare-knuckle battle royal, which, with the latest campaign development,  would turn practioners of the fine sport of  American Professional Wresting green with envy. Earlier this week, candidate Reyes took candidate Swallow to task for what Reyes characterises "malicious attack ads," adding that "I was warned that if I ran against John Swallow, my family and I would be targets for brutal lies and attacks."  Here's the riveting audio clip:


  Reyes is right, of course.  As those of us who've followed candidate Swallow's political career already know, hard ball politics-wise, this campaign is not Mr. Swallow's "first rodeo." 

 Now however, according to the Deseret News, Reyes is turning the tables and cranking up the heat another notch himself:

• Sean Reyes sues attorney general opponent John Swallow for defamation

Predictably, as the D-News also reports, Swallow's lawyers, not to be outdone by Reyes's lawyers, are now working feverishly to draw up a lawsuit of their own.  Surprise of surprises.

Just about what you'd expect from a couple of Republican trial attorneys, we guess.

Take heart however, folks.  Rest assured, there actually will be a level-headed and fully grown-up Utah Attorney General candidate on the ballot in November:

• Andrew McCullough For Attorney General of Utah 

In the interim between now and Tuesday however,  we suggest you all pull up your popcorn and LA-Z-Boys folks, to sit back and enjoy all the fun.  It's definitely getting interestinger and interestinger, innit?

Standard-Examiner: Brad Galvez, Lee Perry Vie for House Position

The floor's open for any WCF political wonks, who'd care to point out a dimes' worth of difference between these two GOP candidates

In the interest of assembling the most robust collection of information possible prior to Tuesday's Utah Primary election, we'll pick up where we left off yesterday and highlight Friday's online Standard-Examiner story, which calls attention to the two candidates vying for nomination in Utah's newly created House District 29, in which race two current GOP House incumbents,  Rep. Brad Galvez (District 6) and Rep. Lee Perry (District 2) are battling it out in a contest where only one of them will have the chance to return to the state legislature next year for the 2013 legislative session:

• Brad Galvez, Lee Perry vie for House position

Click the links below to view each candidate's campaign website:

• Brad Galvez 
• Lee Perry

The winner of the June 26 primary will face Democrat Heidi Britton and the Constitution Party's Sherry Phipps in November.

The floor's open for any WCF political wonks, who'd care to point out a dimes' worth of difference between these two Republican candidates.

Consider that your morning challenge.

Standard-Examiner: Pay, Teacher Morale Issues for Precinct 5 Ogden School Board Candidates

In truth, there are several great choices in the Precinct Five race, none of whom answers to the name Shane Story

The Standard-Examiner is "firing on all cylinders" this morning, with this pre-Primary Election story, putting the spotlight on Ogden School District Precinct Five, wherein School Board incumbent Shane Story faces three challengers in the primary election — J. Scott Handy, Clark Hogan and Weber County Forum favorite Jim Hutchins:

• Pay, teacher morale issues for Ogden School Board candidates

In truth, there are several great choices in this race, none of whom, in our never-humble opinion, answers to the name Shane Story, however.  And in keeping with the theme of our earlier article this morning, wherein we touted the benefits of electing school board members who actually know a little something about public education, we'll remind our readers that Jim Hutchins is an actual professional educator too.

So who'll be the first to throw in their own 2¢?

The floor's open, O Gentle Ones.

Standard-Examiner: Don Belnap Challenged for Place on Ogden School Board

Novel Concept: Howbout electing a professional educator like David Tanner to "financial planner" Don Belnap's School Board slot?

As I reviewed the past performance of the school district in Ogden, I felt a little frustration. My feeling was that maybe they were not making decisions based on educational foundations. There isn’t, in fact, an educator on the Ogden School Board at all, and there are in Davis and Weber. I’m running because it’s time for an educator to step up to the plate and take the lead.

David Tanner - Precinct 1 Ogden School Board Candidate
Don Belnap challenged for place on Ogden School Board
June 21, 2012

To our considerable delight, the Standard-Examiner provides more information on Tuesday's upcoming  Ogden School Board Primary Election races, with the below-linked story focusing on the Ogden School Board’s Precinct One seat.  Read up folks... looks like it might come down to a two-man race, inasmuch as School Board challenger Allen Smith apparently doesn't believe its important to return S-E reporter Nancy Van Valkenburg's phone calls:

• Don Belnap challenged for place on Ogden School Board

Our take? Vote for anybody except board incumbent Don Belnap. This morning's S-E story informs us that, wonder of wonders, "David Tanner, 45, is a Weber School District educator, teach[es] fifth grade at North Park Elementary in Roy. "

Howbout this for a novel concept, folks? Howbout electing a professional educator like David Tanner to properly fill "financial planner" Don Belnap's School Board slot?

Just a thought.

Standard-Examiner: Newcomers Seek Congressional Nod

 Read up, folks... time's running short

The Standard provides a helpful story on its website this morning, drilling down on the Utah 1st District Congressional District primary race, highlighting biographical facts and distinguishing a few of the positions of Democratic Party candidates Ryan Combe and Donna McAleer, who are vying for their party's Primary Election nomination to face GOP incumbent Rob Bishop in the General Election in November.  We've spliced in links to each candidate's campaign website, of course:

• Newcomers seek congressional nod

Read up, folks. Time's running short. Primary election balloting's set for this coming Tuesday (June 26).

Standard-Examiner: Primary Competition Should Raise Interest in 2012 Elections

Special invitation to those readers among us who are fully up to speed on Ogden School Board politics to chime in with your comments, informing us who are your School Board candidate favorites and which candidates don't cut the mustard, in your own ever-savvy opinions

As we advance to within ten days of the 2012 Utah Primary Election, the Standard-Examiner carries a timely Dave Greiling column this morning, highlighting a few of the contested races which will appear on Top of Utah primary ballots, published with the obvious journalistic intention of heightening reader interest in the upcoming June 26 Primary Election balloting:

• Competition should raise interest in 2012 elections

For the sake of clarity, we'll pick up where Dave left off, and summarize those contested races coming up on June 26, including both the races which Mr. Greiling highlighted, and also the ones he missed.  For the sake of simplicity, we've limited our summary to those races which will appear on Weber County Primary Election ballots only. In those instances where candidates have taken the trouble to publish campaign websites, we've also provided those live links:

US Senate (GOP): Orrin Hatch and Dan Liljenquist

US House of Reprentatives (Democrats) District 1: Ryan Combe and Donna McAleer

State Auditor (GOP): John Dougall and Auston Johnson

Governor (Constitution): Kirk D Pearson and Brandon W. Nay

State Attorney general (GOP): Sean Reyes and John Swallow

Utah House District 29 (GOP): Brad Galvez and Lee Perry

Ogden School Board District 1: Don Belnap, David Tanner and Allen Smith

Ogden School Board District 5: Shane Story, J. Scott Handy,  Clark Hogan and Jim Hutchins

We hope all Weber County Forum political wonks took action to make sure you were registered to vote on June 26, by beating last Monday's Primary Election voter registration deadline. Mr. Greiling also hits the nail on the head, wethinks, when he says, "[i]t will be interesting to see if the number of contested races this time around spurs more voters to go to the polls."

And what about these Ogden School Board races?  Except for Board incumbents Don Belnap and Shane Story, and one of your blogmeister's favorites, District 5 candidate and frequent WCF contributor Jim Hutchins, most of these School Board hopefuls are generally unknown around these parts.

In that connection, we'll issue our special invitation to those readers among us who are fully up to speed on Ogden School Board politics to chime in with your comments, informing us who are your School Board candidate favorites and which candidates don't cut the mustard, in your ever-savvy opinions. The same applies to any other candidates on the June 26 Primary Election ballot roster, of course.

The floor's open O Gentle Ones.

Who'll be the first to throw in your own ever-savvy observations and remarks?

KSL Radio: Streaming Video of This Morning's KSL Doug Wright Show's Orrin Hatch/Dan Liljenquist U.S. Senate Race Pre-primary Debate

Listen up folks; and don't forget to lodge your ever-savvy comments below

Here's something that Weber County Forum political wonks might want to watch, as we approach the November 2012 General Election... a streaming video of this morning's KSL Radio Doug Wright Show's Orrin Hatch/Dan Liljenquist U.S. Senate race pre-primary debate:



Listen up folks; and don't forget to lodge your ever-savvy comments below.

Standard-Examiner: Monday Last Day to Register to Vote in Primary

If you don't bother to register and vote in the June 26 Primary, you'll be equitably disqualified here on WCF to whine about the results

Helpful 2012 election-related  article in this morning's Standard-Examiner, reminding S-E readers of a Monday's fast approaching voter registration deadline.  These selected paragraphs provide the gist:

People who want to vote in the June 26 primary elections but aren't yet registered have to sign up on Monday or miss their chance (...).
Voters may register in person at their respective county clerk's office or on-line by visiting www.vote.utah.gov. The deadline is Monday.
"Registration is coming to an end. If they miss the deadline, and if they are not already registered, they can't vote in the primary," Davis County Election Coordinator Pat Beckstead said.

Read this morning's full S-E story here:

• Monday last day to register to vote in primary

Once again, here's a live link to the Utah State Government Elections Site, where you'll find a full array of helpful voter registration information, along with this easy to complete online voter registration form:

• http://www.vote.utah.gov

For those readers who'd prefer to register in person, here's a Google Map for the Weber County Clerk's Office (2380 Washington Blvd Suite #320, Ogden, Utah 84401), to help with your navigation:



View Larger Map
Those with questions or special needs can call 801-399-8036 in Weber County, (or 801-451-3420 in Davis County).

Snoozers will be losers, according to the old ax.

And remember, folks, if you don't bother to register and vote in the June 26 Primary, you'll be equitably disqualified here on WCF to whine about the results.

Standard-Examiner: Democrats Debate Who Will Face Bishop in November

It's refreshing to have some good candidate choices as we approach the June 26 primary, don'tcha think?

As a postlude to last night's Weber County Democrats congressional candidate debate, the Standard carries this Mike McFall story, reporting on the defining issues and positions of 1st Congressional District Democratic Primary Election candidates Ryan Combe and Donna McAleer:

• Democrats debate who will face Bishop in November

The Standard received considerable criticism of its lax and belated coverage of the recent Democratic State Nominating convention; and the publication of this morning's quite robust story makes it clear, we believe, that the Standard will not in the convention aftermath repeat that same unfortunate mistake.

Check out Mr. McFall's story, WCF readers.

It's refreshing to have some good Democratic Party candidate choices as we approach the June 26 primary, don'tcha think?

Update 6/6/12 7:30 a.m.:  The Salt Lake Tribune is all over the story too:

• Two Democrats fight to challenge Rob Bishop

Weber County Democrats June 5th Congressional Candidate Debate

With the politically savvy Doug Gibson moderating this debate, it's bound to be one lively and informative event

Attention all Weber County Democrats, and all other otherwise politically-leaning folks who are likely to vote in the upcoming June 26 Primary election.  The Weber County Democratic Party website provides a heads up of this coming Tuesday's (June 5, 2011) intra-party debate, where the two Democratic candidates who qualified at the State Democratic Convention to square off in the Primary to run for GOP incumbent Rob Bishop's Utah 1st Congessional District One seat will put their best feet forward to garner your June Primary support. Here's the full text announcement, via the WCDemo site, along with a coupla extra live links which we've added for our WCF readers' convenience:

Dear Weber Dems, Here’s an important date to put on your calendar: Tuesday, June 5th at 7 pm in the auditorium of the Pleasant Valley Branch of the Weber County Library, just across the street from Ogden Regional Hospital.

A debate will be held that night between our two excellent 1st District Congressional candidates, Ryan Combe and Donna McAleer. The debate will be moderated by Doug Gibson, the Editorial Page Editor of the Standard Examiner.

I’m sure Doug will have some tough questions of his own for our two candidates, but we’d like to give you a chance to submit questions. Please send to me at olsensl@aol.com, and we’ll forward them to Doug.

Let’s pack the house that night and show Weber County there are more than a handful of Democrats in our community!

Steve Olsen

Chair Weber Dems
Date: June 5, 2012
Time: 7:00 pm
Where: Pleasant Valley Library
5568 S Adams Ave
Washington Terrace, UT

The Standard-Examiner also carries a brief announcement this morning in its hard-copy edition.

With the politically savvy Doug Gibson moderating this debate, it's bound to be one lively and informative event.

Mark your calenders folks.

We hope you'll all plan to attend.