William Brett Vance said he has observed that for voters, it’s “undisciplined, uncontrolled growth” that needs the most attention in Wasatch County.
If elected to Wasatch County Council Seat A, Vance said he would give the matter his full attention.
Vance, a Republican, will face Rachel Kahler in the primary election, on June 23. Vance was the only Wasatch County Republican Party candidate at the nominating convention in April to secure 60% of the delegate vote. However, Kahler chose the signature-gathering process, which triggered a primary election.
In November, the winner of the GOP primary election will face Democrat Patrick Saucier for the seat.
Vance is a self-proclaimed “America-first” candidate with a nearly 31-year military career as a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and test pilot. In February, Vance asserted that it’s time to bring “conservative values” back to the County Council.
In a prepared email statement, Vance said he has gone door-to-door throughout his campaign to talk with voters and “cut to the truth” of top issues. After months of talking with the community, Vance said people’s priorities stayed the same.
First, Vance said that there has been “poor planning and resource management” when it comes to development. He said the “skyrocketing rate” of development is not mirrored by the supporting number of population growth.
The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute in November estimated that Wasatch County is expected to be home to 84,126 residents by 2065. That’s double the county’s current population of just under 40,000.
“My concern — and that of all the folks I’ve been talking to for months during the campaign — is that we are building and approving new development projects too much, too soon,” Vance said.
Vance also said that the County Council should be “rooting out and ending fraud, waste and abuse.” Though Vance did not provide examples of alleged fraud on the county level, he asserted that income tax could be eliminated “if the money went to where it was actually appropriated.”
Vance cited fraud investigations at the national level by Vice President JD Vance.
“I just want to ensure that we don’t have similar circumstances here,” Vance said. “That’s simply good stewardship.”
The Republican candidate also said he has heard qualms from the community in regard to property taxes.
“I’ve been talking to people for months during the campaign, and this problem is always in the top three concerns,” Vance said.
His plan is to work with other councilors, the county manager and assessor to seek different income sources and cap current property tax rates.
“A great place to start the reductions would be properties belonging to seniors with paid-for homes,” Vance said.
On the current council, Vance said he appreciates the volume of topics addressed and that each council member is able to offer their opinion on a given topic.
“What I would change would be our budgeting process. Given the tripling of the budget in just a few years, it is time for a zero-based analysis and budget reset,” Vance said.
Vance said he has made it clear that the voters’ priorities are his priorities, too. He plans to promote increased communication with the community and work toward more conservative values in Wasatch County.
All primary election ballots, including those sent by mail, must be received by the county offices by June 23, which is also when in-person voting will take place.
Secure ballot drop box locations have been open 24 hours since June 3 and close at 8 p.m. on June 23. Election Day voting will be held from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Wasatch County Administration building.