I was so happy to have so much of my family be able come and support me at the County Convention. They stayed and stayed and stayed (these things take FOREVER!) so that they could hear my speech, and they were so encouraging and helpful. Pictured with me are my parents and five of my kids and their families. My husband, sadly, was at a work conference, and two of my children and their families live out of state. These amazing people have shaped my life in wonderful ways and I am so glad they were there! I ended up two votes away from avoiding a primary election, and so Republican voters will be deciding between Parl and me on June 26th. I am excited to talk to the people of House District 61 and get to know you better!
Here is the text of my speech, just in case you are interested. š
Running as a candidate through our caucus and convention system has been such a busy, but also such a fun 3 Ā½ weeks.Ā I would like to thank my family for being so supportive, and also Parl and Howard for being kind and generous opponents.
I also want to thank you for being delegates, for reading my literature, for telling me about the issues that are important to you, for asking me questions, for carefully considering my answers, and for the thought, time, and effort you have put in to vetting the candidates who are hoping to work for and represent you.
The first time I saw a map of our district, I thought, āHoly Cow! This is a huge area!ā but as I went through our district and knocked on your doors, a realization came to me: Our district isnāt huge, it is my neighborhood. Because I live in the west central part of our district, I travel these streets in west Orem and Provo every day. I have enjoyed visiting your homes and putting names and faces to the houses on these streets. Ā
I want to be your representative, and to do that effectively, I will continue to put in the effort to know you, your neighborhoods, and the issues and concerns important to your communities.
I ran for the Provo School Board because I wanted to advocate for parents, students and teachers. I am running to be your representative because I want to advocate for you. I donāt know everything, but I know people who do. Here in this room there are lawyers, farmers, doctors, parents, educators, social workers, realtors, dentists, business owners, blue collar workers, scientists and more–all with unique backgrounds, experiences, and ideas that can inform me in my decision making.
We arenāt going to agree on everything, but I can promise that I will be honest with you, listen to you respectfully, and thoughtfully consider what you say. I have a track record of being open, accessible, and accountable to a constituency, and I will be open, accessible, and accountable to you.
I believe in a well-run state that invests in an excellent educational system; produces well-educated, job-ready workers; has an easily accessible, well-planned transportation system; has low taxes; offers plentiful recreation and beautiful open spaces; has well-thought-out, sustainable housing solutions; and provides future-ready infrastructure.Ā
But don’t get me wrong, I’m a conservative. I raised my large family on a sometimes very tight budget, and I know how to prioritize spending and stretch a dollar.Ā I believe we can thoughtfully plan for the rapid growth our area is receiving, while also being respectful of the taxpayer, our neighborhoods, and the principles that have made our area a great place to live, work, and raise a family.Ā
I can promise you that everything I consider or vote on will be done with taxpayer return on investment in mind.Ā
Again, Iām Marsha, and I ask for your support and your vote so we can start working together for a great future. Thank you!
Bruce Ogden says:
I was wondering what your thoughts were about several issues that are important to me, my children and grandchildren. I’ll just list the issues and if you can find the time to answer in a sentence or two, I’d really appreciate it.
1. Count My Vote’s desire to supplant the Caucus/Convention system with a primary election.
2. The (Utah) Common Core standards, subsequent dedicated curricula and remote testing.
3. The Bus-Rapid Transit (BRT) development.
4. Federal lands in Utah.
5. The Second Amendment.
6. Illegal Immigration.
7. Obamacare in general, and Medicaid Expansion in particular.
8. The Bill of Rights in general and the preservation of religious and political freedom in particular.
9. Comprehensive Sex Education in elementary schools.
10. The Right of the Unborn to Life vs. The Right of a Woman to Choose What Happens to Her Own Body.
Marsha Judkins says:
Thank you so much for being involved and giving me the opportunity to answer your questions. These are some hot-button issuesāyou know how to pick them. š You probably won’t agree with me on everything, but I will always be open to discussing these or any other issues with you and will carefully consider your opinions.
1. Count My Voteās desire to supplant the Caucus/Convention system with a primary election.
I support the Caucus/Convention system. As a delegate, I have seen that candidates have the time and motivation to communicate with me and answer my questions. As a candidate, I have LOVED talking to delegates and getting to know them, and I have appreciated how seriously the delegates take their responsibility to represent their neighbors. However, there is not enough participation–we need to figure out how to get more people involved.
2. The (Utah) Common Core standards, subsequent dedicated curricula and remote testing.
The Utah/Common Core Standardsāthe way they were implemented was TERRIBLE! They were pushed through without adequate review, buy-in, preparation, etc. I have asked many teachers what they think about the standards and have gotten all kinds of answers. I have also read through most of the standards and have compared them to our previous standards. There is ALWAYS room to improve and adjust, and these decisions should be made as locally as possible. The federal government should never dictate education standards to states.
CurriculaāShould be and currently is decided by each local district. Parents and teachers should be a major part of this decision making.
Remote testingāI think you are asking about the SAGE test. It was a terrible waste of money, time, and resources.
3. The Bus-Rapid Transit (BRT) development.
I know there are a lot of strong opinions about this one, with smart, good people on both sides. I was probably not as involved in researching this as I should have been because I was focused more on public school issues at the time. I know it can be very easy to spend someone elseās money, and that the government and its agencies need to be extremely careful about committing public moniesāusing due diligence, research, and involving all stakeholders. Because of conversations I have had, I am skeptical about BRT working as advertised, but at this point, I really hope it does.
4. Federal lands in Utah.
The state has a real and compelling interest in the proper management of the resources in the state. Leadership at the state level is required to develop the needed policies and procedures to address these issues and to work with the federal government to promote the interests of all stakeholders. I do not support spending taxpayer dollars on unwinnable lawsuits.
5. The Second Amendment.
I support the 2nd Amendment and the right of law abiding citizens to keep and bear arms.
6. Illegal Immigration.
This is a federal issue and needs to be resolved at that level. However, I completely support securing our borders; it is vital that we know who is coming in to our country and who is here. Our legal immigration system needs to be fixed and I am frustrated that our federal government cannot get this one together.
7. Obamacare in general, and Medicaid Expansion in particular.
ObamacareāFederal over-reach at its worst. It did not solve the problem it set out to solveāsoaring medical costsāand caused many unintended consequences. Huge omnibus bills are not a good way to tackle problems.
Medicaid ExpansionāWhen individuals and families have access to health care, it saves the state money and improves the quality of life for everyone. I support Medicaid expansion for those in the gap. An example is HB 12, which directs the department of health to apply for a waiver in the Medicaid program to cover long-acting, easily reversible contraception (e.g. IUDs) for certain low-income women. This bill, which passed, will save taxpayers money and reduces the number of abortions. It provides choices and opportunities: with family planning, women and men have a greater opportunity to plan for the future, better their physical and mental health, and lift themselves out of poverty. The cost is $800,000 ongoing, but the return is projected to be about $3 for every $1 spent
8. The Bill of Rights in general and the preservation of religious and political freedom in particular.
I strongly support the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. I will work to uphold religious and political freedom. A few of the questions I will ask when considering legislation are Is it constitutional? Does it support and strengthen families? Does it infringe on local governance or is this an issue better resolved locally? Does is it infringe on personal freedoms?
9. Comprehensive Sex Education in elementary schools.
No. Definitely against.
10. The Right of the Unborn to Life vs. The Right of a Woman to Choose What Happens to Her Own Body.
I am 100% pro-life and will support policies that reduce the number of abortions.
Again, thank you for being involved, caring about our country, and reaching out to me. I would love to hear your ideas.