Donald K. Jarvis (Don Jarvis)
Candidate for: Utah House of Representatives District #63

Political party: Democratic
Birth date: 6 April 1939
Birth place: Ithaca, New York
Current city of residence:  Provo, Utah
Family members:  Janelle (wife), 6 grown children, 22 grandchildren
Current occupation: Consultant at Utah Valley University; Teacher supervisor in Provo City Schools Adult  English as a Second Language Program; Retired administrator/professor at BYU.
Education: Ph.D., Foreign Language Education, Ohio State University; B.A. Russian, BYU. 
Hobbies/Interests:  Gardening, reading history, guitar, family
Contact information:  Telephone:1-801-318-6274;  Mail: Box 7033 University Station, Provo UT 84602;  Email:  electdonjarvis@gmail.com  Website:  www.donjarvis.org/

1. Using 150 to 200 words, please state your reasons for running for office. What compels you to take on this responsibility? 
   
   I want my posterity and neighbors to be able to enjoy Utah’s traditional values of strong families, educational excellence, environmental stewardship, social justice, and ethical government.  All the above are under great threat at present.  Many Utahns struggle to cover basic necessities and health care--our bankruptcy rate is tenth highest in the nation, and medical emergencies appear to account for half of that.  Our eighth-graders rank dead last when compared with five other comparable states, 20% of our high school seniors do not pass the Utah Basic Skills Competency Test, we were short 400 K-12 teachers last fall.  Utah County ranks 12th worst in the nation for short-term air pollution and Salt Lake County is even worse.  Our highways are approaching gridlock as urban sprawl gobbles our open space and best farm land. Our campaign laws were recently graded F by an impartial group, and every major newspaper in the state has called for ethics reform in the legislature, but to no avail.  It is time for major change in Utah, and I am ready to work for it.
    
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) Education, 2) energy and growth issues, and 3) ethics reform in the legislature. 
   
   EDUCATION:  Several reasons for rating this as first priority are listed above.  Besides these, for the last twenty years our legislators have allowed Utah to remain last in the nation in per-pupil spending even when our economy was booming.  Our effort per $1,000 of personal income for public education ranks us in 22nd place, and education as a fraction of state spending keeps dropping.  We rank 45th in the nation in beginning teacher salaries, but highest in the nation in average number of students per teacher.  Problems also extend to higher education.  Utah Valley University has less money per student than any other higher education unit in the state and its departments are struggling to attract and keep faculty members:  seven professors left the UVU School of Business this year.
   Our strong families and many dedicated teachers together keep Utah pupils’ scores slightly above national averages.  But our children should do much better, and our teachers’ altruism is wearing thin:  to compound last fall’s shortage of 400 teachers, the number of university students studying to become teachers recently decreased 13% in three years. Our children will suffer greatly and our economy will falter if we continue to neglect education in our state.
   
   ENERGY & GROWTH ISSUES: These two key issues are closely linked as our population explodes. Utahns are only slowly becoming aware how bad our air has become. The American Lung Association recently ranked the Provo-Orem area as the 12th worst area in the USA in terms of short-term particle pollution.  Physicians tell us that breathing Wasatch Front air is like smoking 5 cigarettes a day: it shortens our lives by roughly two years and causes 2000 premature deaths per year in Utah. It is particularly dangerous for babies, being linked with several pediatric diseases, especially cancer. Most Utah air degradation is caused by the poor traffic management, lack of public transport, and gas-guzzling cars that clog our roads and make commuting miserable, but air quality in many Utah areas is also harmed by coal-fired power plants that spew huge quantities of mercury, lead, and other harmful chemicals.
   
   ETHICS REFORM:  Corruption in Utah’s one-party government is facilitated by the lack of ethical guidelines, which is at the root of many of our problems.  Utah has no limits on how much money an individual or special interest can contribute to candidates running for office in Utah, and donors do not have to list their employer as they must do in federal races.  The value of in-kind gifts that special interests and lobbyists can donate to each legislator is also unlimited and his/her name doesn’t have to be revealed if the benefits per day do not exceed $49.  Some conflicts of interest are inevitable because of our part-time legislature, but we must do better.  For instance, legislators with a conflict of interest presently cannot abstain from voting, even if they declare their conflict and wish to recuse themselves.  Furthermore, as the Salt Lake Tribune noted, “Legislators are also allowed to serve on committees that deal with their occupations, introduce legislation that would be to their benefit, and even hop over the committee table and testify on matters that serve their self-interest.”  Finally, Utah is one of only 15 states with no restrictions on personal use of campaign funds, while our neighboring states of  Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado all prohibit such use.  
     
3. What do you plan to do to address your top three issues?
   
   EDUCATION:  I will propose that we invest more in education by reassessing our priorities rather than raising taxes.  That may mean less money for soccer stadiums and voucher experiments.  Our legislators proudly point to their recent investments in education, but most of that has been for very specific programs like raises for certain math & science teachers and new computers only for technical education.  But this micro-management of local education from the legislature does not work:  we should return more control to local school districts and their employees as we support them better.  That also calls for more local accountability, not more legislative micromanagement or more testing of students.  We have plenty of data on K-12 students, but it is time to use that information more intelligently, focusing on individual improvement.  Local principals should be empowered to reward teaching that results in value added.  Focusing on the quality of individual student learning, principals should have funding and authority to provide substantial incentives to reward and attract effective teachers.  Of course teachers must play important roles in designing and implementing this process.
   
   ENERGY & GROWTH:  I will propose that we convene a special air task force to investigate all solutions to pollution. Working for clean air will help us solve other problems with transportation, energy and urban sprawl.  One ‘pollution solution’ is to support public transportation more vigorously, including commuter rail and energy-efficient public busses.  Municipalities should be encouraged to consider providing free public transit in congested areas as Salt Lake City has done for years.  Larger tax deductions would encourage citizens to buy more fuel-efficient vehicles, and government units should be required to do the same.  Those tax deductions and public-vehicle mandates could be offset by higher taxes on gas guzzlers.  For very little investment, our cities chould be more bicycle-friendly with more bike lanes and parking racks. 
   Luckily, we are rich in sunshine, wind, and geo-thermal potential, but we lag behind neighboring states in tapping these clean, renewable energy sources.  If we provide incentives to attract developmental capital and help entrepreneurs with start-up costs, that could produce thousands of new jobs.  Even more effective is conservation: one idea is to provide incentives for builders to construct more energy-efficient homes and buildings and to remodel existing ones for greater efficiency. Nuclear power might be considered, but is dauntingly expensive, requires years for permits, and produces radioactive waste.  Coal-fired power plants seem cheap only if their terrible health costs from lead, mercury and other dangerous emissions are not included.  Both coal and nuclear plants require unbelievable quantities of water. As any financial analyst will tell you, a diversified investment is best suited for long-term prosperity, so I intend to work for a greater variety of energy choices. 
   Sensible land-use planning can allow for reasonable growth yet still preserve some green space for recreation and food production near our cities, providing us fresher, cheaper local produce.  State guidelines could encourage local governments to reduce sprawl by adopting standards for growth that are more cost-effective in the long run and facilitate public transport.
   
   ETHICS REFORM:  I will propose legislation to establish an advisory board or commission to recommend ethics reforms for the Utah Legislature.  Such commissions exist in 39 states and have authority over the legislature in 33.
    
4. What are your most important accomplishments that would make you the most qualified  candidate for office?
    
   ADMINISTRATOR AND EDUCATOR:  I am an experienced consultant on higher education now employed at Utah Valley University. Before retiring from Brigham Young University in 2004, I taught foreign language classes there for over thirty years, founded the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning, established the Foreign Language House, directed General Education, and chaired two departments.  I have written many publications on improving teaching, have been active in national professional organizations and have consulted for many government agencies and universities.  Early in my career I taught high school in Beaver and in Salt Lake City.
   
   COMMUNITY ACTIVIST:  I am member of the Provo Rotary Club and also volunteer as a supervisor for Provo School District’s adult English as a second language program.  My family has contributed lunches to the Provo Food & Shelter Coalition for twenty years, and I have served as Wasatch Neighborhood Chair in Provo.  I have served three missions for my church, one as mission president, and have filled many church assignments from bishop to home teacher.
   
   PROVOAN:  My wife and I have deep roots in Provo. We have lived here for thirty-eight years and  raised six children. We now have twenty-two grandchildren, thirteen of whom live in Provo. 
     
5. What skills, talents, and strengths do you have that enhance your ability to be an effective office holder?
   
   My professional and community/church experience has allowed me to innovate while dealing with bureaucracies, difficult opponents and people from different cultural backgrounds.  I enjoy searching for common goals and finding allies.  I am insatiably curious, know that I don’t have all the answers and enjoy learning from all kinds of people.  I enjoy problem solving and new challenges and am tenacious in working on important projects.  I read widely in history and politics.  Raising my large family polished my skills in conflict resolution and drastically limited my sense of omniscience. 
     
6. Why do you belong to your political party? 
   
   No political party reflects one’s beliefs perfectly.  I am more socially conservative than the Democratic Party is generally seen to be at the state and national level.  However, that party’s support for the environment, education, and social justice fits my sense of values and I believe that many Utahns will eventually realize that more deep Utah values are supported by that party than by any other.