4 in Davis agree on issues

Take four candidates: two Republicans and two Democrats, three men and one woman. They all agree transportation is one of the major issues facing Davis County, and they agree about how to speed improvements. They also agree that they don't have all the answers.

And voters will elect two of them to fill the open seats on the three-member Davis County Commission on election night, Nov. 7.

The Democrats, Rob Miller and Chris Martinez, want to mix up the political landscape on the all-GOP commission. The Republican candidates, Bret Millburn and Louenda Downs, say there are good people in each party and that voters should pick the best person for the job.

Miller and Millburn are going head-to-head for seat A, currently held by Commissioner Dannie McConkie, who was ousted during the county's Republican convention in April. Martinez and Downs are vying for seat B, currently held by Commissioner Carol Page, who opted not to run for re-election.

All four candidates say it was a mistake when commissioners voted down a $10 increase for vehicle registrations last March. The estimated $2 million a year could have been used to purchase land in the corridor for an extension of Legacy Parkway through northern Davis County, they say.

All four candidates would push for a measure on the 2007 ballot that would let voters decide whether to increase the county sales tax by one-quarter percent for the same purpose. That measure would bring in $10 million a year.

So, no matter what happens in the election, Davis County voters can expect the next commission to pursue Legacy corridor preservation.

Where the candidates differ is in experience and their perceptions of what a commissioner should be. Here's a look at each candidate:

Seat A:

Bret Millburn, 39, is director of planning and development for the United Way of Northern Utah and lives in Centerville. During the 2002 Winter Olympics, Millburn was the general manager of athlete transportation.

Millburn failed in has last bid at county commission. He ran four years ago against Page and decided to run again because he doesn't like to be on the sidelines.

"It doesn't do any good to complain unless you're trying to be part of the solution," Millburn said.

If elected, Millburn would urge businesses to locate in Davis County to keep residents closer to home.