Provo » Utah County Commissioner Steve White is facing challenges from within and without.
Last week, former American Fork Mayor Ted Barratt announced he would run against White as a Democrat.
Now Republican Leon Frazier is mounting a challenge to White, who announced his intention to seek another four-year term on March 2.
Barratt said he would work with county employees to find the best way to get government working efficiently. He said employees are a resource the commission needs to tap regularly.
"We need to be better acquainted with these people who have walked the trail," Barratt said.
He said the county also needs to improve the plight of families. He pledged to use his influence as a commissioner to lobby the Legislature for more support for education.
Former Lehi Mayor Ken Greenwood said Barratt can build understanding and cooperation between various parties. He pointed to how Barratt worked with him as mayor to take care of areas of concern for both cities. "Ted is not a partisan. He stands up for what he believes in," he said.
Frazier, owner of Frazier Park in Provo Canyon, said the county is harassing small business owners through high taxes and regulation. He points to his own experience, with the county closing his campground and trailer park two years ago, as an example.
The county fire marshal ordered the camp closed after a fire destroyed the rest rooms. Residents in the area also complained about garbage and sewage from the park ending up in the Provo River, and the Utah County Sheriff's Office had dealt with drugs and other crimes in the park. Frazier now rents inner tubes to people who want to float down the river.
"That is a reflection to me of what is happening in the county," Frazier said, noting the county has gone after another campground owner in Spanish Fork Canyon.
He vowed to bring the county back to a more libertarian and conservative philosophy by cutting bureaucracy and taxes. He said commissioners need to cut their own salaries by 10 percent.
White said Wednesday that removing him isn't going to get commissioners' salaries lowered.
"He's not going to get a second vote by getting rid of the only no vote," White said. He was the only commissioner to vote no on the pay increase recommended after a salary study.
White said he welcomed the challenges, as they provide a better idea marketplace for voters.
