As I begin my new position here I want to take a few minutes to introduce myself. In the future you can expect to read messages focused on Utah tax policy in this space but for this first time, I want to share who I am with all of you.
When I was a young newspaper reporter at Provo’s Daily Herald I was assigned the government and politics beat. It was a beat I was excited for. I grew up following politics in Utah. My dad would get involved in local races and that in turn meant I was involved in local races.
I remember doing honk and wave events for state legislators as a kid and taking pamphlets door to door for various candidates. We’d go to election night parties at candidates houses and would go to political party neighborhood caucus night meetings before I could even vote. In college I would always take a political science class, even though my major was in journalism, just because I found the classes fascinating.
Despite all of that, my first editor at the paper gave me the best advice I could have when writing articles and observing the government. He said, “look at every issue from the perspective of the taxpayer.”
That clicked a light on for me about how I wanted to think about government. It was my job as a reporter to make sure my readers, also known as taxpayers, understood why a government program existed, how much it would cost, and what benefit it will bring to taxpayers. I wasn’t supposed to take a position on the governments I was writing about but I was supposed to inform our readers.
After a few years of covering government issues, I was given the great opportunity to come to work here at the Utah Taxpayers Association. Working with former Association president and former State Senator Howard Stephenson was like getting a master’s degree not only in tax policy but in life. His leadership and vision for what should happen in the state regarding taxes and figuring out how to accomplish those things was a priceless education. His impact on the state continues to be felt and will be felt for years to come.
Following my time at the Association I had the opportunity to help grow the government relations practice at the law firm of Holland and Hart. That position gave me the chance to work with the many talented lobbyists and attorneys at the law firm. My experiences there were valuable and have helped prepare me for this role that I’m starting now. I got the chance to work with various levels of governments and also represented large corporations and small businesses to the legislature.
While these professional experiences have been helpful to me in my life, the most important experiences comes from what happens at my home in Bluffdale.
My wife, Melissa, our three kids, and our dog, Swoop, are who I think about the most when I look at tax policy in Utah. I think about how the things the government is passing will impact them. Will it cost them more money? Will it create a program that will benefit them and the greater community for generations to come? Will it create jobs that my kids will want to have when they grow up and start their careers? Will it ensure the state, county, city and school district are doing the most they can with the money they are collecting or are there places where the belt can be tightened and more efficiencies can be found? Will the policies that are being considered grow our economy and continue to keep Utah the envy of the nation?
I love our state and want to see it do great things while also keeping Utah the special and unique place it is. I am excited about the chance to work with all of you, the taxpayers, elected officials and government staffers in our state as we work together to keep Utah on top and a place where great things will happen. Please feel free to contact me when you have a tax issue arise. My email is: Billy@utahtaxpayers.org. Now lets get to work.