Utah’s state budget and economic growth are the envy of the nation, and it’s all thanks to the Republican Party. That’s the message Governor Gary Herbert had for attendees of the party’s Summit County organizing convention.
Herbert was the keynote speaker at the Wednesday meeting held at the Park City High School that re-elected Henry Glasheen as county chairman and selected Park City School Board member Lisa Kirchenheiter as vice-chair (see related story).
Interest in the organizing convention was historic, Glasheen said. The last meeting in 2009 had about nine attendees. Almost 70 delegates were credentialed Wednesday and with their spouses plus other attendees there were likely over 100 people there, he said.
This interest is partly explained by the desire of party members to see more Republicans elected to county positions, he said.
Thomas Wright, a Park City real-estate broker and chairman of the Utah Republican Party, said he saw it happen in Salt Lake County and knew it was possible in Summit County.
Gov. Herbert focused his remarks on what he called the successes of Republican principles in Utah that are changing minds, even among Democrats.
One needs to look no further than Park City to witness the optimism for Utah’s economy, Herbert said, referencing the luxury hotels that have invested here.
2010 also saw the opening of Utah’s 14th ski resort and billions spent in on-mountain improvements like those at Canyons Resort, he said.
“The message to me is, ‘We’re investing in Utah because we like what we see in Utah,'” he said. “If we don’t have a good environment where capital can come and see growth it will find somewhere else.”
During a television interview, Herbert said a fellow governor was asked what it would take to save his state’s struggling economy. The answer was exactly what Utah has been doing.
“Everyone who does what we’re doing will see similar results,” he said. The state’s growing economy is “according to plan.”
“Other states are looking at Utah as an example of what they’d like to be when they grow up,” he said.
Despite having vetoed four bills passed by the legislative branch that very day, Herbert said Legislators deserve credit for Utah’s success.
“If you like what we’ve been doing in Utah, grab a Legislator and give them a hug,” he said.
Without raising taxes, the Senate and House balanced the budget while funding growth in education for the first time in three years and maintaining service levels to the public, he said.
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