Reader comments
Herriman residents want suit kept alive

Good for Herriman. I'm ashamed that my own hometown, South Jordan, hasn't stood up and joined them in this fight.

I hope the east side people have the courage to step up and help the West build out its growth in public schools, as the West side has done for them over the past 30 years.

South Jordan is looking into doing the exact same thing the east side and West Jordan are doing. WHY? One overriding reason - local control and a larger/more important voice in the education of their children. Riverton is yet another city on the west side considering the issue further. Not a single one of those entities feels that Herriman (or anyone else) should have to give them permission to leave - THAT'S NOT FAIR. They all firmly beleive in the foremost right of self-determination and local governance.
Remember - one (of many) reasons the injuction was denied was that the case was UNLIKELY TO SUCCEED ON THE MERITS. The contentions of Mayor Crane and the citizens that want this pursued are simply not likely to succeed as they are NOT supported by constitutional law.

BTW

As a resident of West Jordan, I say good on Mayor Crane and the City of Herriman. I don't know if they have a chance to prevail in the District Court, but I believe the city is acting responsibly on behalf of its residents to persue the matter with whatever avenues are open to them.

This district split issue is a debacle. The whole scheme is disturbing both ethically and in practice. That the legislature allows such upheaval to occur in this manner is shameful. That the east side cities seek the selfish path is unfortunate. That West Jordan City follows a myopic path is distressing. That Herriman is not fully supported by the other remaining cities is just sad.

At this point, I guess all we can do is work hard to make the very best of whatever the final outcome may be. It's just too bad that the majority of our government officials, from top to bottom, are so heck-bent on tossing common sense out the window. When is this state ever going to do something that is fully thought out and free from political power manipulations?

If it effects both sides of the freeway then shouldn't everyone effected have a say? Yet another way the legislature is throwing their weight around without seeing the big picture.

I'm tired of all our money going to build schools on the west side, when our schools on the east side need updates and renovations. If we live on the east side and our schools are in poor condition, why should our money continue to fund new schools that have all the amenities that our schools desperately need?

I'm all for the district split and for some of our money actually being used at the school my children attend! Of course the residents on the west want the east side tax base, but I say let those on the west side keep their money and we'll keep ours!

In addition, Jordan district is just getting less and less effective the larger it becomes. A district split would be a good thing as Jordan appears to have more and more problems functioning each year!

Firstly let me say I completely support the East side argument.

I recognize and respect however the actions that Herriman is pursuing as clearly they feel that the voting issue is detrimental to their future(educationally).

The argument put forth earlier concerning alleged historical support 'over the last 30 years' is simply not true when one considers the tax contributions of overall funding for the district (East and West). A rash statement that simply obscures true and honest debate.

In terms of whether the district split is 'ethical' or not, it would seem a tad premature to lay the claim of unethical or disturbing behavior. It is a democratic process that is being followed and managed by people that we, the population, voted for.

People need to consider both sides of the argument from various viewpoints; fiscal management, demographic control trends, growth estimations, tax contributions, etc. Once this information has been digested (available from multiple sources if you choose to actually educate yourself rather than espouse information as 'facts' when they are in fact quite the opposite) it will become clear that the East side argument has considerable merit and one that I wholeheartedly support.

To FedUp: The West side did not help the east side "build out its growth in public schools over the past 30 years" because, for the most part, the west side was empty fields and vacant land. The east side residents built their own schools with their own tax dollars.

I have the greatest respect for Mayor Crane but I feel the residents of Herriman are throwing good money after bad. I have read the judge's opinion and to obtain an injunction to stop the vote Herriman needed to show a substantial likelihood of success on the merits of their claim (i.e. that the statute they are contesting violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment). The judge determined that Herriman did not satisfy this requirement which will now (again) be the basis of their law suit. This opinion is consistent with legal opinions from the Attorney General's Office, the Office of Legislative Research, and an unbiased opinion from a BYU law professor that specializes in constitutional law.