It's Election Day in Utah

The local Emigration Grocery owner running for City Council to represent my neighborhood, JT Martin, has asked me 12 times to vote for him in person or via fliers on my door stop. Hey, JT - I will! Good luck! Now leave me alone and go make SLC more friendly for small business.

I jumped on the Ralph Becker bandwagon about two weeks before the primary. Although he leads comfortably, I am sure that his team is hoping that Utah democrats are not complacent, and show up in droves to give him a mandate to lead Salt Lake. I think that will happen... come this time tomorrow night, Mr. Becker is our mayor-elect.

What other place has a highly controversial REFERENDUM 1 on the ballot - adjacent to PROPOSITION 1? You think voters can keep them straight? I consider myself pretty well informed but didn't realize the "spend $190 million on police and fire stations" proposition had a number... and that it was the same number as "spend $400 million of general fund money to supplement schools money and give out vouchers to allow parents to take their kids to private schools." I'm for both... I'm guessing this notoriously CHEAP government in this state hasn't provided sufficient police and fire coverage (although we get a cop nailing speeders at least once a month on my block)... and since the same cheap government has notoriously underfunded public schools for decades (Utah is 51st in per pupil spending, behind public education magnates DC and Mississippi - but we're ahead of Puerto Rico?), the $400 million doesn't go to schools unless you pass vouchers (they'll spend it on silly soccer stadiums - that's sarcasm of course - I happen to think that's a fine use of public funds), so I say, "What the hell.. let's be the nation's petri dish and try a comprehensive voucher program."

My guess is Dave Buhler loses to Becker with 40-ish % of the vote, and vouchers get trounced (less than 35%).

Speaking of petri dishes, I can't wait to collect my thoughts on "EXPOSED" - a little play from KUED's Mary Dickson (a former Snow Lion traveler, I might add) which just sold out its world-premiere two-week run here in SLC and is headed to much, much bigger things. I predict Broadway. Seriously.

Day One of the Ralph Era is dawning... and only 364 days until Bush is ousted!