Democrat Springmeyer files to become candidate for governor

SALT LAKE CITY – Bob Springmeyer filed today to run for Utah governor.

“I am running for governor because I know that Utah can and must do better,” said Springmeyer, a lifelong Democrat. “This is a great state. But it must be an even greater state.”

Specifically, Springmeyer said:

“I’m not satisfied that more than 400,000 Utahns, including 135,000 children, have no health insurance, and many more families are struggling to keep up with rising insurance costs.”

“I’m not satisfied that one-third of Salt Lake District students and almost half of Ogden students dropout, and far too many of our Hispanic students end up dropping out. Pretty good is just not good enough anymore.”

“I’m not satisfied that Utah wages as a percentage of national averages have been falling steeply since the early 1980s under Republican administrations – 80 percent of Utah workers have suffered real wage loss since 1979.”

“I’m not satisfied that when my 87-year-old mother tries to call the state she can’t get a real human – just a complicated stream of clicks, beeps and frustration.”

Springmeyer said middle class families are being squeezed by higher health-care costs, energy and tuition prices. “The only thing that is absolutely certain is that we cannot wait to act – We Must Do Better,” he said.

Springmeyer is a Utah native long active in the community. His accomplishments include:

He and his wife, Gwen, chaired the efforts to build the Ronald McDonald House of Utah – serving the families of hospitalized children of Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Nevada.

He helped form and is the first president of the “Utah Wildlife and Conservation Foundation” to improve the habitat of non-game wildlife in Utah and to educate students of the importance of the Great Salt Lake.

He is the father of four adult children and grandfather to four grandsons.

He is the president of Bonneville Research, a regional economic and management consulting firm.

An avid cyclist and advocate for bicycle safety, Springmeyer helped form and plan for the annual Josie Johnson Memorial Bicycle Ride.

He and his wife Gwen were born in Provo, and now live in Salt Lake City.