Friday, April 2, 2010

CORE VALUES I BELIEVE IN

***SMALL BUT EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT

Government can be ineffective whether it be large or small. I believe it often has to do with management skills and capability. I have been able to successfully manage a very small County Surveying Department very effectively with a small staff thanks in part to advances in surveying technology.

***A GOVERNMENT THAT IS NON-INTRUSIVE IN THE LIVES OF PEOPLE

There are several extremely important and vital government services provided to people. Outside of these services I believe in the least amount of government involvement possible.

***A GOVERNMENT THAT WILL BE RESPONSIVE IN PROTECTING OUR RIGHTS

I have been working diligently for the past 30 years in protecting YOUR property rights and am committed and passionate about continuing that process.

***A FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE AND ACCOUNTABLE GOVERNMENT

I have managed the County Surveyor's budget successfully and responsibly in a very fiscally conservative county. I am always trying to find ways of doing more with less because I know the source of those dollars and how hard citizens work to earn them. You will always get a lot of "bang for your buck" with my office.

I BELIEVE WHOLE-HEARTEDLY IN ALL OF THE CORE VALUES OF THE STATE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND HAVE SPENT THE PAST 30 YEARS PROMOTING ONE OF THOSE "KEY" VALUES, THAT OF PROTECTING YOUR PROPERTY RIGHTS!

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
**REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR SINCE 1985
**CHIEF DEPUTY, UTAH COUNTY SURVEYOR'S OFFICE FOR 25 YEARS
**REPRESENTING UTAH COUNTY INTERESTS AS PARTICIPATING MEMBER OF UAC (Utah Association of Counties)
**ACTIVE MEMBER OF UCLS (Utah Council of Land Surveyors)



OTHER: Having basically served as the chief deputy in the County Surveyor's Office for many years, I have been made intimately aware of the statutory functions of the Office and have been performing those effectively. I understand those functions very well and that helps me be effective for your benefit. I don't have any hidden agendas that many political candidates seeking office may have. My only agenda lies in serving YOU the citizen and helping protect YOUR interests.

As all of us go through this political process together you may have all kinds of questions pertaining to the County Surveyor function. While there are several statutory functions of the Office, none is more "key" than the location and preservation of over 4000 survey monuments county-wide. These monuments also known as the "PLSS" literally define your property title rights and as such become important to all of us. We have been able to identify approximately 3300 of these 4000 monuments. I have made it a priority to identify the remaining 700. I have personally been to all 3300 of these identified monuments, some of them multiple times. I know their history, condition, etc. There is NO ONE on any level of government OR in the private sector that understands or knows more about these monuments or has a better understanding of the history of surveying in Utah County. I AM VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING THE RIGHT PERSON SERVING YOU IN THIS CAPACITY.

I look forward to meeting you and encourage your support!

To Whom it May Concern

I’ve had the privilege of knowing and associating with Gary for the last 14 years. Our paths crossed over a mutual interest around wrestling. I’m not talking about the highly glamorized professional entertainment version of wrestling, but rather high school wrestling, which couldn’t be further from the hype, recognition or acknowledgment. We happened to have had boys of the same age that wrestled so that is where it all started for me and my boys.

Having just moved to a new part of the valley, I was interested in getting my boys into wrestling because I wanted them to be able to experience and learn important life principles just as I had been exposed to. Gary was running both a little kids program as well as coaching the Jr. High team. Just a short time that passed before I was able to recognize that this program existed because he felt it was important enough to sacrifice his leisure time and resources for something with a much greater purpose. That purpose simply put was to help young boys learn and grow into good young men. Sure he wanted to help his own boys become successful in the sport, but his example and influence reached much further than just his own. He influenced a generation of young boys for the good with little to no support from the school or community.

A man that can see a need and take the initiative and get it done is a rare commodity it seems. Gary has exemplified this attribute over the years. When the regular season for wrestling was over, he recognized more mat time would enhance the kids performance so he continued by coaching more practices. Here again, there was no paycheck involved in this endeavor. He expected nothing, but just did it because it was the right thing to do.
Coaching any sport is a challenge, but wrestling not only exposes the flaws in character of the wrestler, but will also show the character flaws of a coach as well. In working with Gary I experienced what it’s like to work with a man that had solid character and values. I couldn’t have wished for a better man for my boys to associate with and be influenced by. Wrestling is a tough sport, and not only for the boys. It’s tough on coaches as well. There are numerous occasions to make the popular or more comfortable decisions. Gary made the right ones and at the right time.

Gary later accepted the head coaching job at Springville High School because the previous coach had vacated the position and there was an urgent need. It was a need that he selflessly met by using his vacation days from his full time employment job so he could spend the necessary time to coach. He also took his personal time to haul kids to tournaments and wrestling camps of which was done a lot at his own expense. He went above and beyond the call of duty, but the more time I spent with Gary, it was substantiated that this was part of his standard operating procedure.

Over the years together, I can say that Gray is a guy that I can trust. He’ll say what needs to be said instead of what people may want to hear. He’s ambitious and always looking to improve upon and make things better. He will do what he says he will do without excuse. I was proud to sit beside and coach with a man whose integrity was never in question, but rather validated by the many that I’ve come across that have known or had interactions with Gary. He’s a dear friend to this day and they don’t come much better in my opinion.





Sincerely,

Steve Petersen
Co-founder/Administrator
RedCliff Ascent
Discovery Academy
Discover Ranch