Leavitt Touts Utah's Growth, Davis Vows to Prune Back Spending

DAVIS: (sound from convention) "I am not running against Mike Leavitt the friend and neighbor. But I am running against Mike Leavitt the governor because I believe he has abandoned the fundamental Republican principles." (drowned out by cheers and applause)

PEARSON: Glen Davis made a splash at the Republican convention, in part by appearing more conservative than Mike Leavitt. With his no-surrender position on gun rights, state's rights and lower taxes, the political unknown forced a primary against a popular two-term governor. But Davis says he wasn't surprised by the outcome. The Holladay business owner says Leavitt is out of touch with regular Utahns.

DAVIS: "Well, I want to be governor because I think it's time that the people of Utah have a voice. I'm not one who comes from the well-oiled machine of politics. I come from the people of Utah. And I know what they are thinking."

And what they're thinking, says Davis, is that after eight years in office Leavitt has become too slick and too willing to compromise on what he calls "core Republican values." For his part, Leavitt is playing up his experience, saying he's got the know-how to lead Utah into the future. He's guided the state through an historic period of growth, in the economy, in population and in revenue. He's pushed to boost school funding, rebuild Utah's aging highways, and wire public schools for the Internet. Crime is down 20 percent. And he notes Utah's household income has risen from 29th in the Nation, to eighth.

LEAVITT: "This has been a very prosperous time for the state, and I hope people will look back and say, things have gone very well. And I feel confident in the governor's leadership, and I am prepared to continue forward and I think Mike Leavitt can take us there."

But where Leavitt sees progress, Davis sees a government that's grown larger and more intrusive. And so, he's put reducing government and cutting taxes at the heart of his campaign. He paints Leavitt as a tax-and-spend governor, under whom the budget has doubled, even though the state population has grown just 16 percent. He is promising a tax cut worth a quarter billion dollars. And he promises that if he doesn't keep his pledge, he'll come up with $100,000 from somewhere and give it to schools.

DAVIS: "Yes, I have guaranteed, as a Republican governor, I will go in and the first year in office I will reduce government spending. I'll introduce a budget to the Legislature that is $250 million less than the previous year's budget."

Davis is suggesting cuts equal in size to the entire budget of the Department of Corrections. But when pushed for specifics, Davis can't offer them.

DAVIS: "Where those cuts are going to come from, I can't tell you, because that would be fiscally irresponsible. But I can assure you that my disposition is to reduce the growth of government."

Davis is correct that the budget's grown under Leavitt's leadership, from about $3.5 billion to nearly $7 billion. But Leavitt notes the economy, and the number of people paying taxes, have grown too. He says record spending on roads and education, coupled with 31 tax cuts, has placed no greater tax burden on workers.

LEAVITT: "The collective paycheck of Utah workers devotes 5 percent less than they did eight years ago to state government. And in terms of government employees, we have fewer government employees as a percentage of the total work force than we did eight years ago. That's because our state is growing. And so to say the number on our budget has grown, of course it's grown. We've grown as a state."

When Leavitt announced he was running for Governor, he said the number one reason he wanted the job again was to be able to take Utah into the future, and meet the challenges that lie ahead. Among Leavitt's top challenges are creating more jobs and improving education in Utah's colleges and public schools. He sums up his strategy in four simple words, "invest more, expect more."

LEAVITT: "In public education and in higher education, I'll be calling for additional funding. I'll also be calling for the systems of public and higher education to have a higher degree of accountability. That is to say, asking the question, what do students need to know, how well are they learning it and how can we improve."

Utah still spends less per pupil than any other state in the nation, although Leavitt has boosted public education spending by 56 percent since he took office. But it's another area where he's distanced himself from conservatives, relying on moderate Republicans and Democrats to get his education budgets through the Legislature. Davis also calls education a priority, but he takes a more traditional conservative tack. His philosophy might be summed up in these four words: cut back on administration.

DAVIS: "I believe we are funding our schools sufficiently. I'm saying let's reduce administration, give the administration responsibilities to the parents in these community councils, and make sure the money goes directly towards teachers in the class rooms."

While the two candidates differ on their approach to education, many political observers believe it was hot button issues like gun control and rural public lands that forced Leavitt into a primary. Leavitt has alienated the right wing of his party by his moderate approach to both issues. Davis has scored points for his no compromise stance. For example, Leavitt supports new restrictions on concealed weapons in schools and churches, and last year considered calling a special session to discuss more gun control laws. Davis opposes new gun laws, including the proposed ban on guns in schools and churches.

DAVIS: "I would veto that bill because it's a non-issue. Have we had any problems, do you know of any incident of gun violence because of concealed weapon permit holders taking a gun into schools? No."

On public lands, Leavitt is proud of efforts to solve problems through compromise with the federal government. Davis, who has criticized the governor for his West Desert Wilderness proposal and for not doing not doing more to resist the creation of the Grand Staircase Escalante National monument, says he'll vigorously oppose any new wilderness or monuments.

DAVIS: "I believe we need a governor to stand between the federal government and the people of Utah and say quit meddling in our affairs. Again this is a big government versus local control."

And on growth and urban space issues the candidates remain true to form. Davis favors local control over community growth and open space preservation. And believes there is no state role in land use planning. Leavitt believes state government should play a limited role in planning growth.

LEAVITT: "We did pass the quality growth act of 1999. It provided for the first time, for some state resources to go on a voluntary basis, with communities and local private groups to create local open space projects and there are trails, there are open space projects going on in almost every community in the state."

On each issue Leavitt focuses on his accomplishments and moving forward. Davis focuses on what to do differently. A common Glen Davis slogan says, "A real Republican for a change." A common Leavitt slogan says, "The Future--bring it on."

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