Views of governor hopefuls similar

SOUTH OGDEN — Several candidates for Utah governor put their best foot forward with Weber County residents Monday night, but few really broke away from differentiating themselves on issues of education, the economy and taxes.

Four gubernatorial candidates took the time to appear during a candidate forum sponsored by the Women's Legislative Council of Weber County, a bipartisan political group. All of them spoke early in the discussion about their reasons for wanting to be Utah's next governor and how they were qualified for the job.

"I'm running because I think I can make a difference," said Utah County Commissioner Gary Herbert, whose sentiments were echoed by fellow Republican candidates state Sen. Parley Hellewell, R-Provo, former House Speaker Nolan Karras and current House Speaker Marty Stephens.

The three men spoke in support of educational choices, such as tuition tax credits and school vouchers, as well as against higher taxes and government bureaucracy.

Hellewell said he is running to get government regulation under control, adding he feels government overregulation is having a negative impact on the state's economy.

Karras said he felt government debt, both state and federal, was a big issue. Karras said his experience as a corporate official, as well as current chairman of the Utah Board of Regents, gave him a balance of experience in education and business.

Stephens said getting high-quality, high-paying jobs was a priority for him as was education choice, protecting rights and government spending. Both Stephens and Herbert supported the creation of a special commission to scrutinize Utah's budget and bring it under control.

Spouses for both Jon Huntsman Jr. and Fred Lampropoulos appeared on their behalf. Both women spoke about families and their husbands' character.

Representatives for former Rep. Jim Hansen and Libertarian candidate Richard Mack were present.

Organizers said invitations were also sent to Democratic candidate Scott Matheson Jr. and acting Gov. Olene Walker. Matheson indicated that he did not want to participate in a candidate forum until after the party primaries, when one Republican candidate would be chosen. Walker indicated she wanted to attend also, but she has not yet announced her candidacy and does not yet know if she will run.

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