Richard Watson's Recap of Davis County Democratic Convention: A Statement of Values

Last Saturday, the Davis County Democratic Party held their annual convention where delegates elected their executive officers and approved a new party platform. In addition, guests, visitors and delegates were welcomed with an agenda of hope and optimism. In years past, the Party often has relied on keynote speakers to draw in delegates and guests.

This convention, however, offered something different to coincide with the theme of “Davis Democrats: Grass Roots In Action”. In an effort to reach our roots, the Davis County Democratic Party (DCD), invited special guest, Jackie Thompson with her presentation of Rosa Parks and footage of Dr. Martin Luther King’s various speeches.
Afterwards, delegates and guests heard comments from State Party Chair, Wayne Holland as well as comments from the DCD Executive officers.

Delegates were also presented with a new party platform. The party has decided to move away from the traditional type of platform and has adopted a “Statement of Values”.

The values are:

We Value Families

We believe that strong family units are the basis of successful societies and that families, especially those who serve in our Armed Forces, should have the opportunities necessary to prosper.

We Value Education

Teachers that inspire and motivate students should be compensated competitively with surrounding states. We also believe it is bad public policy to support private schools with taxes.

We Value Good Health

We believe that basic health care should be available to all Utahns.

We Value Security

We appreciate the service of military, fire and police personnel and believe that they should be fairly compensated for the hazardous service throughout their lives.

We Value Honesty and Integrity

We support open government and oppose efforts to close government from scrutiny. We believe that ethics laws covering Utah legislators and lobbyists need to be further strengthened.

We Value Sustainability

We favor cost-effective, energy-effective options for transportation, energy, and government which enhances Davis County neighborhoods.

We Value Diversity

We believe that the community is better when everyone is included and involved in making Davis County a great place to live.

We Appreciate Service

We are grateful for the many willing individuals who give freely of their time and energy to make Davis County a great place to live.

With our Statement of Values in place and as our Democratic base grows, Democrats will be questioning the 30-plus-years of Republican accountability. Last week, Todd Weiler stated that the national Democratic Platform does not resonate with the voters of Davis County. Since when did national platforms and parties govern our county? No wonder our local governments have been inferior for so many years. Elected Republicans have depended on national party sound bites and have forgotten the needs of Davis County residents. It is time for our neighborhoods to demand better representation. It is time for the Republican Party to stop making ridiculous statements about Democrats. The Democratic Party, the party of the people and for the people, believes that neighborhoods should stand up and demand the Republican Party to get off our backs.

Richard Watson,
Chair, Davis County Democratic Party