Suzanne is a practicing attorney in Logan. She and her husband David Bigelow live on a dairy goat farm in Paradise. She is active in her profession and her community.
Why does Suzanne want to serve you?
Suzanne has a strong belief in open democracy and the power of informed voters. Cache Valley citizens are not well served by a one-party state that lacks adequate checks and balances in its legislative process. The Utah State Republican Party makes its decisions in closed caucus out of the view of media and constituents. This is not democracy in action. Utah needs a representative like Suzanne to help bring balance and openness to Utah state government.
Suzanne is committed to improving the quality of life for Cache Valley families. As your representative for House District 5, Suzanne Marychild will work to:
Provide needed resources to public education.
Utah ranks near the bottom in per pupil spending. Class sizes continue to be much too large. AP classes which should be in place to promote excellence exceed the number of recommended students. Utah students have less access to educational technology than students in other states. Funding for higher education has actually fallen in the past 10 years and salaries of professors at USU seriously lag behind others in the state and in the nation. The incumbent--Scott Wyatt--sits on the higher education committee, yet funding for USU was not made a priority. This is not acceptable in a year when the State of Utah had a billion-dollar surplus. Education, which is core to our family values, must be given more priority in this state.
Increase minimum wage rate.
Workers who earned minimum wage currently receive a before tax income of $893 per month. After tax, that amounts to about $700, which is barely enough to provide for housing and utilities. Many single mothers who have no assistance with daycare, cannot afford to work in jobs that pay minimum wage. In addition, state assisted daycare funds are insufficient to meet the needs of Utah families. Utah needs to increase the minimum wage rate so that people can afford to work!
Guarantee effective health care for all Utahns.
Over 200,000 Utahns have no health care insurance at all. In the last session, Utah legislators refused to continue dental and vision benefits for the poor and elderly. Those citizens who are able to afford health insurance are not getting quality care for their money. Utah legislators need to make quality health care insurance a priority for the state. There are now programs in Massachusetts and New York State which could serve as models. Some exisiting insurance programs may be willing to allow small business owners to piggyback on their programs so that cost-effective benefits can be extended to all of their employees.
Preserve farmland and open space to maintain balance in our communities.
The LeRay McAllister Fund--which provides for conservation easements--received less than one-third of the funds that were requested. Local planning efforts, especially Vision 2020+ need the support of the state legislative bodies.
Focus on long term solutions
The Utah Legislature is short-sighted and is not looking out for the long term interests of Utah families. Too much time has been spent in Republican infighting rather than in trying to cross the divide and serve the people of Utah. As a family lawyer and collaborator, Suzanne will be able to work with both sides of the aisle in crafting long term solutions for Utah’s problems and programs to achieve the promises of this great state.
Suzanne is committed to improving the quality of life for Cache Valley families. As your representative for House District 5, Suzanne Marychild will work to:
Provide needed resources to public education.
Utah ranks near the bottom in per pupil spending. Class sizes continue to be much too large. AP classes which should be in place to promote excellence exceed the number of recommended students. Utah students have less access to educational technology than students in other states. Funding for higher education has actually fallen in the past 10 years and salaries of professors at USU seriously lag behind others in the state and in the nation. The incumbent--Scott Wyatt--sits on the higher education committee, yet funding for USU was not made a priority. This is not acceptable in a year when the State of Utah had a billion-dollar surplus. Education, which is core to our family values, must be given more priority in this state.
Increase minimum wage rate.
Workers who earned minimum wage currently receive a before tax income of $893 per month. After tax, that amounts to about $700, which is barely enough to provide for housing and utilities. Many single mothers who have no assistance with daycare, cannot afford to work in jobs that pay minimum wage. In addition, state assisted daycare funds are insufficient to meet the needs of Utah families. Utah needs to increase the minimum wage rate so that people can afford to work!
Guarantee effective health care for all Utahns.
Over 200,000 Utahns have no health care insurance at all. In the last session, Utah legislators refused to continue dental and vision benefits for the poor and elderly. Those citizens who are able to afford health insurance are not getting quality care for their money. Utah legislators need to make quality health care insurance a priority for the state. There are now programs in Massachusetts and New York State which could serve as models. Some exisiting insurance programs may be willing to allow small business owners to piggyback on their programs so that cost-effective benefits can be extended to all of their employees.
Preserve farmland and open space to maintain balance in our communities.
The LeRay McAllister Fund--which provides for conservation easements--received less than one-third of the funds that were requested. Local planning efforts, especially Vision 2020+ need the support of the state legislative bodies.
Focus on long term solutions
The Utah Legislature is short-sighted and is not looking out for the long term interests of Utah families. Too much time has been spent in Republican infighting rather than in trying to cross the divide and serve the people of Utah. As a family lawyer and collaborator, Suzanne will be able to work with both sides of the aisle in crafting long term solutions for Utah’s problems and programs to achieve the promises of this great state.
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