Utah House of Representatives District 13 candidate surveys, 2022

Elections in Utah, 2022

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This article shows responses from candidates in the 2022 election for Utah House of Representatives District 13 who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

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• Click here to see Candidate Connection survey responses.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Utah House of Representatives District 13

Incumbent Karen Peterson defeated Tab Uno in the general election for Utah House of Representatives District 13 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Karen Peterson (R)	61.4	7,644
		Tab Uno (D)	38.6	4,806

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 12,450
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

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Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Tab Uno (D)

Excessive, out of control growth must be managed. Dangerous, congested roads, overcrowded schools and classrooms, soaring housing prices, and the degradation of our air and water cannot be allowed to continue.

I will bring my extensive experiences and qualifications to develop practical, long-term solutions to the State Legislature, not patchwork symbolic, nice-sounding fixes.

Our communities need healers not dividers, and I will work to build coalitions to work on common solutions to our societal problems, listening respectfully to broad segments of differing opinions.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Tab Uno (D)

854 residents in House District 13 (2021-22) are asking their state representative to address among other things:

Growth

Transportation

Housing

Environment

Government Reform

Health Care

Education

Taxes

Senior Citizens

Crime

In addition, I will be proactive in helping to develop compassionate, sensitive policies in our newly realized "pro-life" society.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Tab Uno (D)

Joshua L. Chamberlain as a Lt. Col. over the 20th Maine Regiment held off a Confederate regiment on Little Round Top at Gettysburg in one of the defining moments of the entire Civil War. Chamberlain's heroism and military maneuver that day may have turned the war in the Union's favor, at least, avoiding a major defeat of the entire Union Army by Lee's Confederates. Chamberlain's dedication to hard work as a boy, and his honesty and integrity as a man eventually earned him a Medal of Honor. He was appointed to oversee the surrender of Lee's Army and he did so with dignity befitting a man of principle and empathy for the enemy. Chamberlain is my example because of his ability to face the enemy, treat others with respect, and lead with perseverance, dignity, and intelligence.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Tab Uno (D)

Alice Rains Trulock, In The Hands of Providence Joshua L. Chamberlain & The American Civil War, The University of North Carolina Press (1992).

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Tab Uno (D)

An elected official must vote in the public interest while being responsive to the voters. Empathy and the willingness to listen are essential to an effective representative. Intelligence, integrity, honesty, and possession of an ethical value system is sorely missing in our current political system as a whole.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Tab Uno (D)

Perseverance. I have worn out seven pairs of Sketcher shoes, walking more than 3,000 miles since March 2018, knocking on every home in a 12,000+ Utah Legislative District nine times, and talking to thousands of residents about our community's concerns and issues.

Experience. I have more than thirty years of professional experience in the issues impacting our neighborhoods: community development, transportation, housing, environment, public health, senior citizen issues, and education.

Education. My Master's in Public Administration (1986) thesis focused on the communication of representation between legislators and their constituents.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Tab Uno (D)

Passing laws that will directly improve the lives of the voters in a way that responds to their worldviews. Constituency service is an often overlooked function of an elected official where they follow up personally with individual residents' requests and concerns and help direct them to the resources they need to solve their problems.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Tab Uno (D)

I was playing on the playground at Wasatch Elementary School when I learned about President John F. Kennedy's assassination. I was in first grade so I really did not understand what had happened.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Tab Uno (D)

My father was a partner in a small law firm in Salt Lake City located along 300 East below 200 South. He hired me for the summer between school academic years while I was going to Bryant Junior High School. I vacuumed carpets, took out the trash, and polished these huge office desks. I remember the burnt smell of rubber when the vacuum became clogged. I remember wondering about the spoiled legal documents that I never heard about after I had polished the lawyer's desks with polishing oil. I worked at my dad's law firm for the one summer.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Tab Uno (D)

Issac Asimov's Foundation trilogy series was voted the best all-time science fiction classic. It is about Sheldon, a psychohistorian, who using a sophisticated mathematical system predicted the fall of the empire that would last 10,000 years of struggle and chaos. He hoped however that using psychohistory he would reduce the time of societal chaos to one thousand years.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

Tab Uno (D)

The state legislature's primary responsibility is to pass laws and advise and consent to nominees that the Governor appoints to office. The governor's primary responsibility is to execute the laws that the legislature passes as well as propose a state budget and put forth nominees for various state positions including Cabinet members and judgeships. The legislative and executive branches work together in the public interest but avoid litigating issues that are the responsibility of the court system to hear disputes in a fair legal setting where both sides have an opportunity to be heard. The ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature is a balanced one, one that by working together results in better state government.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Tab Uno (D)

Planning and reducing the excessive, uncontrolled growth that is putting development over our quality of life in Utah. Too many people moving into Utah, population growth has outstripped our State's ability to build homes fast enough, creating intolerable dangerous congestion on our roads, over-crowding our classrooms and schools, polluting our air, and using up our scarce water that we need to survive and placing our Great Salt Lake at risk.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of a unicameral state legislature, in your opinion?

Tab Uno (D)

A unicameral state legislature is able to pass laws more efficiently and more rapidly. But at the same time, a unicameral state legislature may pass laws too quickly without due deliberation and make mistakes, rush bills into laws based on emotion and public pressure instead of passing laws in the public interest. A unicameral state legislature can become a strong, authoritarian form of government without a check and balance and a strong executive governor.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Tab Uno (D)

Yes. It takes, on average, three years to pass a new law. As a former Salt Lake City Board of Education member, it took me a year to begin to understand the arcane procedures, the political players, the behind the scene moves by special interests, and become familiar with the complex topics of taxes, eminent domain, employee unions, negotiated bargaining, capital budgets, and construction bids. With a Masters in Public Administration as well as my Master's thesis that focused on state legislatures, I discovered that there is more to being a state legislator than what the mass media presents to the public. The role of legislative staff is also crucial to the informed work of the state legislature. Being able to work respectfully from the clerks to the executive staff and keeping in touch with the public are vital to being a well-informed and effective state legislator.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Tab Uno (D)

Absolutely. Without the support of other state legislators, one's ability to work in the public interest would be dead in the water. During my research and survey of state legislators as part of my Master's thesis, I interviewed numerous legislators and found most of them very hospitable, open, and gracious. I even had an opportunity to share a lunch sandwich with one of them. I worked with one of the most conservative State Senators who helped me pass amendments to the School Community Council law through both the Utah Senate and House of Representatives to be signed by the Governor. It takes 38 Utah House members to agree to form a majority to pass any law.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

Tab Uno (D)

Use of an Independent Redistricting Commission.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Tab Uno (D)

Yes. There are many, but the actual appointments will depend on the party leadership. So I will focus on providing multiple assignments and hopefully because of the Democratic Party's fewer members will provide me a better opportunity to obtain more appointments to selected committees of importance.

Business, Economic Development, and Labor Appropriations Subcommittee Health and Human Services Interim Committee House Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee House Education Committee House Health and Human Services Committee House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee House Revenue and Taxation Committee House Transportation Committee Infrastructure and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environmental Quality Appropriations Subcommittee Revenue and Taxation Interim Committee Transportation Interim Committee

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Tab Uno (D)

Utah House of Representative Olene Walker who became Utah's first female Governor.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

Tab Uno (D)

Never. The Utah House of Representatives is a perfect fit for me. It is just the right size for me to be able to stay in direct contact with residents and allows me to go door-to-door to every home once each term while I am in office. The issues of community development, education, environment, and health can be addressed by the State government and have a direct and immediate impact for good or bad on the people living in Utah.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Tab Uno (D)

There were several instances where while campaigning I would find myself listening to the sad grief-stricken event of the recent passing, maybe just days past, of a loved one's spouse. All the mourners would have left and these people would be alone in their misery. I would just sit there with the resident and listen and offer my own experiences with death. These were the most touching and heart-wrenching experiences I came across. I have learned over the years that listening and being empathetic were the most important abilities I have carried with me to cope with the wide variety of explosive, reactive, and emotionally laden residents I come across. Today (May 6, 2022) I came across an attached home where I met an elderly woman last year. We talked at length. She was from Britain and had a vibrant personality. Even during the time I spoke with her, it became apparent that she was losing her short-term memory. Today, the woman was late answering her door while her grandson was driving up. The elderly lady looked frail and disoriented. The grandson waved me off and told me in a polite way that she did not need a campaign flyer and not to bother her in the future. The sad loss of the personal history of so many residents is a tragedy, something I encourage more of the elderly to write down their history to preserve the past for future generations.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Tab Uno (D)

Grant. The State legislature should pass laws that effectively govern a state Governor's emergency powers. The process of the legislature is too slow and cumbersome as well as too politicized for efficient or practical use of legislative powers to address unforeseen or unpredictable emergencies that may arise in the future. Of course, should the emergency event linger for years, then the State Legislature should have the authority to adjust the laws to address important policy issues that have likely arisen during the state of emergency and the sole use of Executive Powers.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Tab Uno (D)

Absolutely! Today's polarized environment with the extreme left and extreme right views and intransigent politicians results in DO-NOTHING politics. Voters demand and need result-oriented action not just idealistic words from their legislators. Our problems are not just going to go away just because our politicians just shout louder. As a Democrat, I will work with Republican legislators who are sponsoring bills that will address the concerns of northern Davis County residents. We need to compromise and the voters demand that we work together for the common good.

See also

More about these elections:

• Utah House of Representatives elections, 2022

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