2 call transportation top issue

PROVO — Transportation is the No. 1 issue facing Utah County today, say the two candidates running for a seat on the county commission.

How they propose to deal with that issue, however, is where incumbent Jerry Grover and challenger Gary Anderson differ.

The two candidates facing off in Tuesday's Republican primary recently responded to a Deseret Morning News questionnaire to address some of the hot topics of the race.

Their responses to the questionnaire can be read by selecting the related content links at left.

Grover, who is seeking a fourth term on the commission, said he believes the current approach to addressing the county's transportation needs "has flaws that need to be corrected."

Grover says Utah County needs to join Salt Lake, Davis, Weber, Morgan and Tooele counties as a participant in the Wasatch Front Regional Council, which is responsible for coordinating transportation planning for those areas.

Utah County currently is aligned with Summit and Wasatch counties in the Mountainland Association of Governments. But Utah County has little to plan with its MAG partners when it comes to regional transportation infrastructure such as I-15 and commuter rail, Grover said.

"The Mountainland concept needs to be abandoned and transitioned into the Wasatch Front Regional Council so Utah County can have a seat at the table," he said.

Anderson, who served as a county commissioner from 1983 to 1989, says transportation issues can be solved by working with mayors to lobby legislators, the Utah Department of Transportation and the Utah Transit Authority to bring funds to Utah County.

"I will lead a coalition of mayors, legislators and county officials to make certain that we, as the second largest county in the state, finally get our share of the transportation dollars," he said.

Darrell Cook, executive director of Mountainland Association of Governments, issued a statement on Friday that addressed some of the transportation issues brought up by the candidates during the campaign.

The written statement said one "misconception about transportation planning in Utah County" is that Wasatch and Summit counties have "oversight in the transportation planning process in Utah County."

Decisions regarding transportation in the county, Cook's one-page statement states, are made by the Regional Planning Committee, a policy board with representation from the county's cities, towns and county government.

Wasatch and Summit counties have their own planning groups, and do not have a voice on the Utah County planning panel, he said.

Cook's statement also says that any Utah County move to join the Wasatch Front Regional Council would put it in the position of being "only one of four counties at the table being subject to the collective will of the counties to the north, instead of having total control of its own destiny."

Tuesday's primary will decide who'll join Steve White and Larry Ellertson on the Utah County Commission. The winner will face no opposition in the November general election.

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E-mail: jpage@desnews.com