As our election is drawing very close, I hope to draw attention to the amount of money going into the campaigns and where it is coming from. We have many races in which one candidate is receiving small contributions from literally hundreds of people. We have many other races that are primarily funded by large donations from groups and organizations. It is not clear where that money originates.

This example is regarding the race for Weber County Commissioner seat C, in the pre-general (and most recent report) due to Weber County Elections October 8th. The reports are available to the public to review.

Incumbent Jim Harvey reports eight contributions totaling $24,300. His largest donations: $9,000 came from the owner of Powder Mountain; Wolf Creek Properties and Northern Wasatch Association of Realtors each contributed $5,000. His total contributions (all reports) equals $55,610. He has spent a total of $38,692.00. (Here is a link to the report: https://tinyurl.com/2dtnbe6x)

Over 200 individual donors helped candidate Steve Van Wagoner raise $45,715. His largest donations; $3,500 from Silverline Finishing and $2,000 from the Ogden Firefighters Local 552. He has raised a total of $49,589 (all reports) and spent a total of $35,814.

(Here is the link to this report: https://tinyurl.com/34hrkjnf)

Due to the amounts of money involved and the lack of any meaningful regulation, it is becoming increasingly difficult to get candidates that are representative of the communities we live in. In many races in Utah, seats are not being contested at all. This means fewer choices in the future. As voters, we can’t expect the accountability we deserve if we never hold office holders accountable. When there is a good opportunity for change, voters should seize it.

Returning to the Weber County Commissioners’ race, Steve Van Wagoner is an excellent candidate and has been very visibly engaged with our communities and soliciting the concerns of the citizens in our area. Please consider learning about his campaign and giving him your vote.

Gina Timmerman

Ogden