D. Edgar (Ed) Allen       
Candidate for:  Utah State House of Representatives District 10

Political party: Democrat  
Birth date: April 11, 1945
Birth place: Ogden, Utah
Current city of residence: Ogden, Utah
Family members: Wife: Patricia More Allen (married 1967)
Children: five sons and one daughter: David (Janine) Allen of Ogden, Utah; Daniel (Erin) Allen, El Paso, Texas; Monica (Matthew) Godfrey, Ogden, Utah; Andrew (Heidi) Allen, San Antonio, Texas; Christian (Suzann) Allen, Clinton, Utah; Adam Allen, Ogden, Utah - Twenty Grandchildren     
Current occupation: Physician/Dermatologist   
Education: Ogden High School (graduated in 1963)
Weber State University (Bachelor of Science)
University of Utah College of Medicine (Doctor of Medicine- 1972)
Duke University (Medical Internship- 1973)
Duke University (Residency in Dermatology- 1976)  
Hobbies/Interests: Family, community and church service, reading, gardening, hiking, skiing, fishing, writing

1. Using 150 to 200 words, please state your reasons for running for office. What compels you to take on this responsibility?
   
   1- I enjoy serving. My experience serving previously in the Utah State Senate was invigorating and enlightening. I enjoyed the challenge and felt it a great privilege to represent the people in this area.
   2- I feel it is important to carry on the remarkable legacy of Representative LaWanna Shurtliff who has served in this seat for the past ten years. She has served courageously and with great integrity. Her cooperative spirit and intelligence and reputation for fairness and hard work have given her an impressive voice in the Utah Legislature.
   3- I am concerned about many issues that affect the people in this part of the state. Of particular importance is Weber State University. I am committed to the continued strength and growth of this remarkable institution. I also appreciate the fine contributions which are made by the Applied Technology College in Ogden. It has done an excellent job of providing relatively inexpensive, rapid, frequently job-fit training. This has helped both its students and our community. The vitality and strength of both South Ogden and Ogden City are also of great importance as are tax and transportation issues relative to these dynamic communities. My family has been greatly blessed by a wonderful public education system. It has performed well despite Utah’s consistent position nationally as the lowest per pupil expenditure. A huge increase in K-12 student population is expected and a qualified teacher shortage is already apparent. The state has formed a health care task force which is most appropriate. There are 300,000 uninsured Utahns and another 300,000 are underinsured. Too many of our children are uninsured. I am also concerned about fiscal responsibility, the energy crisis including the critical need for our nation to become energy independent. I am concerned about special problems faced by the disadvantaged and even the middle class. I am also concerned about the problems related to the severe political imbalance which exists in our state.
    
2. What do you consider to be the top three issues currently facing Utah? Please list them in order of priority to you (with #1 the most important) and explain why they are important to you and to Utah.
   
   1. Challenges even threats to our middle class including exploding energy costs, health care concerns, including far too many uninsured and underinsured people and other sources of financial instability including difficult mortgages and debt especially among the younger adults. Also tax policies must not jeopardize our middle class.
   2. Education including K-12 and Higher Education. Excellence in both is critical to the futures of our youth as well as for the strength and vitality of our state.  I believe that the forefathers of our nation especially Thomas Jefferson showed great wisdom in making free public education available to all. I believe this has had much to do with the strength of our democracy and the greatness of our nation. I agree with the citizens of Utah when they overturned legislation that would have put public, taxpayer money into private schools.
   3. Health Care issues in the State of Utah are being evaluated in a legislative task
   force. Far too many Utahns including many children are either uninsured or underinsured.
     
3. What do you plan to do to address your top three issues?
   
   1. Those with the highest income levels are relatively immune from the ravages of exploding energy costs and health care catastrophic expenses and even unfavorable mortgage situations. In general they have safety nets and good insurance to allow them to take advantage of the remarkable developments in medicine and other technologies.
   Efforts need to be focused on shoring up our middle class through working toward energy independence and efficiency and through making sure health care crises do not shift them out of the middle class. We must be careful that governmental policies do not threaten the strength of our middle class families and individuals. I believe that transparency and openness in government are critical for avoiding placing special interests above the needs of the citizens. I believe that under current conditions the only way to ensure this would be through a broad based citizen initiative. I would support such an action which would mandate increased transparency and openness no matter which party was in power.
   2  It likely is possible to meet the challenge of the dramatically increasing K-12
   Student population and accompanying teacher shortage without a tax increase which of course would be much preferred by carefully guarding the state income tax fund which is supposed to be used for covering the needs of public education. Utah’s high birth rate is both a challenge and a tremendous opportunity. Our large and growing and relatively young and hard working work force is a great economic asset as long as the work force receives a high quality education. The state of Montana has succeeded in dramatically increasing funding in education while repeatedly lowering taxes.
   3. I support the creation of a legislative task force to study health care challenges in the state. The “Guiding Statement” of the Utah Medical Association’s task force on coverage for the uninsured and underinsured is: “The Utah Medical Association believes that all people in Utah must have equitable access to needed healthcare that is affordable and of high quality.” I believe there are six things that would make a huge difference in this crisis situation: 1. Seek to achieve community wide rating to spread the risk experienced by providers of insurance, 2. Create a system that mandates at least minimum but sufficient coverage, 3. Provide for assistance for those not able to pay. This would create a much more cost effective system than the current system which all too often involves visits to emergency rooms. This is expensive, does not provide for effective follow-up or preventive measures and creates problems for our emergency rooms which are not intended for this purpose. 4. Provide for public/private competition in providing the insurance programs. 5. Increase programs for pro-active health measures and prevention. 6. Consider ways to better manage end of life challenges which represent a very large percentage of our health care expenditures. There currently are no physicians among the 104 legislators. While it is important to have input from multiple vantage points, I believe my experience in providing care in both the private and university setting provides useful perspective and insight.
     
4. What are your most important accomplishments that would make you the most qualified candidate for office?
   
   I am a good listener and have extensive positive leadership experience in civic, educational, public, private and volunteer settings. This experience includes: Utah State Senate 1999-2003, Utah State Retirement Board,  received the Distinguished Legislative Service Award in 2000 from the UMA,  clinical professor University of Utah College of Medicine- Department of Dermatology, member and former chairman of the Weber-Morgan Human Services Policy Board,  member of the Weber County Drug and Alcohol Board, Weber County Mental Health Board, Ogden Regional Hospital Board of Trustees, Weber State University Emeriti Alumni Council (President Elect), former President of the Weber County Medical Society and the Weber District of the American Cancer Society, selected as a father of the year for the state of Utah by the American Diabetes Association (2005), varied leadership responsibilities in my church including bishop and stake president, Governor of Boys’ State-1963.
     
5. What skills, talents, and strengths do you have that enhance your ability to be an effective office holder? 
   
   My life experience has taught me to work hard, and it has given me extensive and wide leadership experience in educational, civic, business and volunteer settings. I have managed a successful small business for over thirty years. I have had success working “across the isle” in carrying important legislation through the legislative process. I am a consensus builder and problem solver.
     
6. Why do you belong to your political party? 
   
   While I do not agree with everything in the platforms of either party, I believe the simple caricature expressed by the phrase: “Democrats love people and use money” as opposed to the other way around fits with my feelings of human values. Democrats, in Utah are generally committed to fiscal responsibility, individual responsibility, strong families, a strong middle class, fairness and opportunity, and a strong national defense system with adequate resources for our service persons and veterans. Democrats tend to recognize the critical role strong public education and higher education systems play in individual opportunity as well as for the strength and progress of our economy. I believe that my view that the general interest should trump special interests best fits in the Democratic Party.