EVANSTON — Area residents packed the Roundhouse on the evening of Thursday, July 12, for the Evanston Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum featuring candidates for county offices. The forum was well attended and gave voters the opportunity to hear from candidates on issues ranging from budgets and responsibilities to public safety and the proposed ICE detention center. 

The four candidates for the Uinta County Commission were all in attendance. Incumbents Wendell Fraughton and Eric South are being challenged by Mark Anderson and David Tanner for the two available seats on the commission. Voters also heard from the three candidates for Uinta County Sheriff, with Dennis Hutchinson and Randy Chandler challenging Sheriff Doug Matthews. Uinta County Assessor Lori Perkins answered questions along with challenger Maryl Thompson. 

Although running unopposed for re-election, Uinta County Clerk Amanda Hutchinson, treasurer Terry Brimhall, clerk of district court Kerri Wright and attorney Loretta Howieson all gave opening and closing statements and responded to questions. 

Fraughton was asked about his position regarding the proposed ICE facility. Fraughton said a response would take longer than the allotted two minutes but he would try to keep it brief. He said he thinks it would be good for the county and would boost the economy and create jobs.

He said, “All the negativity has been researched by us and is totally untrue.” He said the proposed location is out of town and would be visible from few places in Evanston, and added, “Right now, I’m for the facility.” 

Anderson said his highest priorities if elected includes three items. He said he wants the commission to be financially smart, doing “a better job trimming the fat and using money more wisely.” Anderson also said he would prioritize public safety and make sure the sheriff’s office is able to hire enough officers. His third priority would be working toward a five-seat commission, something he said is well deserved by the county. 

Eric South was asked about funding for library services and restoring some of what has been cut in previous years.

“I’m all for the libraries getting more money, but the way the library works is they get one mill levy,” he said. “When levies go down, theirs go down, too, just like the rest of the county.”

He continued by saying services could possibly be restored if people want to volunteer at the library. He said he is hopeful more development will take place in the county so the valuations will increase and help everyone. 

When asked about public events and usage fees at the Uinta County Fairgrounds, Tanner said events at the fairgrounds bring the community together and he supports anything that unites people to work together and stop fighting. He said it needs to be determined if usage fees are covering maintenance and depreciation costs, and the fairground budget and reserves need to be considered in addition to simply increasing usage fees. 

Fraughton said if re-elected his highest priorities will be maintaining the necessary services for county citizens within the available budget. He said if any additional funds were to come in, there are repairs needed at the fairgrounds and the human resources building and a new parking lot is needed at the courthouse.

“Something always comes up when you don’t expect it and that pretty much takes anything we might have,” he said. 

Anderson also addressed maintenance and usage fees at the fairgrounds. He said the county should be encouraging people to use the fairgrounds, and added, “We have to maintain what’s there and do a good job having those in working order or events will not want to come here.”

He said the county needs to take a position on the “road to nowhere fairgrounds dream.” He suggested money could go to improving the current fairgrounds instead.

South echoed Fraughton when asked about priorities, saying running the county while keeping it in the black was important. He said money was put into a reserve fund for potential use on new fairgrounds “back in the heyday,” and commissioners have chosen to leave that money in reserves “in case things get worse.” 

Tanner also discussed the proposed ICE facility. He said, “I don’t see how we can support this facility without more facts.” He referenced an ongoing lawsuit within Wyoming against MTC (the company behind the proposal), as well as charges against the company in other states.

“What has MTC done to correct those issues?” he asked.  He also said there are questions regarding the number of jobs, the pay scale, property taxes, ownership of the building and more that need to be answered. He said he doesn’t believe visitors want to stop and stay near such facilities. He said, “At this time, I have to say I’m opposed to it.” 

Tanner also said he was going to address the “elephant in the room,” noting he was the only Democratic candidate at the forum. He said he believes the county commission should be a nonpartisan office because people should be voting for the person and not the party. 

Questions for the candidates for sheriff focused on public safety in a time of decreasing budgets, continuing education and training for law enforcement and the recent incident at the county complex in which an inmate was able to disarm a detention officer. 

Dennis Hutchinson said he would like to reintroduce train-the-trainer programs to allow for in-house training and out-of-area training when needed. He also stressed the need for open communication and resource sharing with other law enforcement agencies. 

Hutchinson said his vision for the sheriff’s office includes involvement with the community.

“It’s imperative to be involved in community events,” he said. “How can we serve a community if we don’t know the people involved?”

Hutchinson said during his time in law enforcement one of his responsibilities has been training new officers, specifically mentioning training programs that allow officers to specialize and control their own career development. 

Randy Chandler spoke about a recent incident at the county complex and said, “First and foremost, I would talk with the judge. It’s his courtroom.”

He said he personally is against taking handcuffs and shackles off in the district courtroom. He said he would like to see the use of video arraignments, so inmates don’t have to leave the jail, and also said he would like to see a specialized transport team with at least two officers at all times. 

Chandler said he doesn’t plan to be a 9-to-5 sheriff since the sheriff’s office is shorthanded due to budget constraints. He said he would like to pursue grant funding and pursue training with other area agencies. 

“If elected, the commissioners will get sick of me being the squeaky wheel,” he said.

Sheriff Doug Matthews said there have been severe budget cuts for the entire time he’s been in his office. He said his top priority has been to acquire safety equipment for deputies and to bring in training at little or no cost to the county. He said it is important to go outside for training.

“If you do all the training in house, you start to get an inbred atmosphere,” he said. “It’s good to bring in outside people who have different ideas and different ways of doing things.” 

He said budgets will continue to be a problem and it would be necessary to continue to “do things smarter and better.” 

Matthews also said he has been pushing for more money for officers for the past three years.

“Believe me,” he said, “the commissioners are sick of me asking for more money.” 

He said he has applied for a number of grants to acquire new radar units and Tasers and worked with the county to put video visitation into the jail. He said he knows there are still many things to do and he will continue to explore every opportunity and avenue. 

Assessor Lori Perkins said the responsibilities of her position include identifying, locating and appraising all property in the county. She said her office is audited by the state and the department of revenue every year and has to be in compliance. She said she is a certified tax appraiser and her audits have been well within guidelines every year.

When asked about the biggest need for her office, Perkins said they are dealing with budget cuts and staff reductions like everywhere else in the county. She said she is aware of a new program that does the measurements of buildings from computers that would take some of the workload off appraisers in the field. It is her understanding the state is going to try to get that program for every county. 

Perkins’ challenger Maryl Thompson said the biggest need in the assessor’s office is to bring some reason into the way property is taxed. She said she’s spent time on the website and comparing properties, and “it doesn’t make any sense the way the land is valued.”

She said she’s not quite sure how to figure it out but believes she can do it more fairly. 

As for job qualifications, Thompson said she is prepared to do anything and everything required to receive job training. 

“I’m sure none of the previous assessors have gone into office with all of the training needed,” she said.

Amanda Hutchinson, Brimhall, Howieson and Wright, all running unopposed, took the opportunity to speak about the way budget cuts have impacted their offices and educate attendees on the responsibilities of each of their positions. 

Hutchinson said a huge need of the clerk’s office is judges for the upcoming elections. Brimhall said she wants the public to know the treasurer’s office works well together and receives favorable reports on the annual audits. 

Howieson said she believes “the world needs more cowboys,” and people who respect law enforcement and teachers, when asked about the needs of her office. Wright urged everyone to register to vote and get involved. 

All four touted the open-door policies of their offices and their willingness to answer all questions and serve the public.