Newsletters and Updates

On October 10th, 2018, from 3 - 5 pm, candidates for the United Utah Party will gather at the Salt Lake City Library to meet voters and discuss their legislative agenda. This event is open to both the press and the public.

“We have more candidates running in Utah races than any party other than the Republicans or Democrats,” said Richard Davis, the United Utah Party Chair. “This is a great opportunity for voters to learn more about them and discover a party that reflects the mainstream of Utah voters.”

Davis said the event will include an opportunity for the candidates to discuss the UUP’s recently announced legislative agenda, along with other issues that are important to voters. “We’ve gotten very specific in terms of establishing our priorities,” Davis said. “When voters discover they have a real choice, they get very excited.”

The UUP Legislative Agenda focuses on education, clean air, housing affordability, lower healthcare costs, term limits, campaign finance reform, open primaries, open meetings, and an a independent redistricting commission. “We’re a reform-oriented party,” Davis said. “Our candidates believe that it’s time to make government more responsive to the voters, not to party leadership.”

Nils Bergeson, the Exective Director of the UUP, agreed with Davis.

"The fact that we have so many candidates - and not just names on ballots but candidates putting in significant time and resources into reaching out to potential voters - is very heartening for a brand new party like ours,” Bergeson said. "In fact, it's unprecedented. It shows how strong the demand for change from the status quo truly is. I'm glad that we'll have the chance to show many in the state what high-quality individuals we attract to run under our unifying banner.”

Add your reaction Share

REPORT FROM UNITED UTAH PARTY'S HOUSING AFFORDABILITY SUMMIT

Posted by · October 02, 2018 7:49 AM

Community and government leaders discussed options to improve housing options for Utah residents

MIDVALE, UT… This past Saturday, the United Utah Party hosted a Housing Affordability Summit. Kent Norton, a former KSL personality, served as the moderator, and panelists at the summit included Dejan Eskic from the Kem Gardner Institute at the University of Utah, Urban Planning Professor Michael Clark from Brigham Young University, Tara Rollins of the Utah Housing Coalition, Jeff Southard of the Utah Homebuilders Association, and Zach Schofield, a research analyst with the Sutherland Institute. Their presentations focused on different public and private efforts to make housing affordable in the state of Utah.

Also in attendance were Rep. Becky Edwards (R-North Salt Lake) and Rep. Joel Briscoe (D-Salt Lake City) of the Utah House of Representatives.

“To tell the story of who we’re talking about, who are these folks [who need affordable housing], they’re our children. They’re our grandchildren. They’re our neighbors who simply want to have a place to live,” Rep. Edwards said in her presentation. “And if we want the type of economic expansion in our state that we know we’re in position for, we know that we’re going to need to do this, but we’re going to need to do this in a responsible way.”

Rep. Briscoe agreed, and he discussed proposed legislation he and Rep. Edwards were sponsoring for a $100 million bond to create more affordable housing opportunities. He quoted House Speaker Greg Hughes’s comments about how affordable housing was a huge challenge coming to Utah.

“My only quibble with [Speaker] Hughes is that it's not something that’s coming,” Rep. Briscoe said. “It’s here now."

“It was really encouraging to see so many people spend a lovely Saturday afternoon coming to a discussion like this,” said Richard Davis, United Utah Party Chair. “It shows that this is an issue that is important to Utah voters and to our candidates.” The United Utah Party has fifteen candidates running for the State Legislature, many of whom were in attendance at Saturday’s summit.

Add your reaction Share