Eyes are on District 24 race

He could have chosen the easy path by running as an incumbent representative instead of challenging an established senator.

Then again, Rep. Darin Peterson, R-Nephi, never sought public office because he wanted to follow the easiest path or work as a lifetime politician. He said that he only wants what is best for his people and the state, and doing that meant taking on Sen. Leonard Blackham, R-Moroni, a high-ranking senator seeking his fourth term.

"If politics were all I was interested in, I would have stayed in the House," Peterson said. "But I want to make sure it's a better state for my kids."

Now, because of Peterson's challenge, the race for Senate District 24 — a heavily-rural district that covers six counties in central Utah — has become one of the most closely watched of Tuesday's legislative primaries, a fact both candidates acknowledge. While five other incumbents face tight primaries, none of them has the experience or clout of Blackham, who has served 12 years and is the Senate budget chairman.

Peterson, 37, said he decided to challenge Blackham primarily because of the tax increases, such as a quarter-percent tax on restaurants, cable franchise taxes and inflationary adjustments to the property tax, which the senator supported. Peterson worries that businesses will quit looking at Utah because of the tax burden.

Businesses "serve at their pleasure," Peterson said. "Too many more hits of the hammer, and they will start leaving."

The 54-year-old Blackham disputes that he has supported tax increases, pointing out that his position as budget chair means that he is ultimately responsible for the budget that is proposed. During the past few years, revenues have been tight, and legislators have had to look for "minimal" increases to meet basic needs. On the flip side of that, however, is that he has been very supportive of significant tax decreases in "plush" times, such as a property tax decrease in 1994.

"I take a few hits on the budget, but that happens when you write it," Blackham said. "We did it during very tough times and didn't have to raise taxes, except for a few small hits."

Along with his seniority, Blackham, a turkey farmer and vice president of Moroni Feed Company, said that it is important for rural communities to have a voice in Senate leadership. Otherwise, all of their important issues — educa- tional funding, land use, economic development — will get pushed aside by urban interests because Senate districts are divided by population, not by county.