Candidate Question – US Constitution
Posted By Mike Kieffer on October 14, 2009
Question 9: What do you believe the place of the US Constitution is in local government?
Jeff Francom – Mayor
The US Constititution is the guiding document for governement on all levels.
Mia Love – Mayor
It is a model for all local government decisions. While municipal government is limited in power by the state constitution, the same constitutional principles should apply. Individual property rights are especially significant in local government. The sacred rights and freedoms entailed in the constitution must be recognized and upheld in any municipal decision.
Michael McOmber – City Council Member
The US Constitution is the founding document of our great nation. All state governments are an extension of it and I believe that the local city government should follow the same principles in it’s governing as well.
Jim Miller – City Council Member
The United States Constitution is the platform for America and from the Federal government down to the local city government; it should be used to protect the our fundamental rights as citizens of the United States of America. It is more than a piece of paper in a museum. In my opinion, it is the cornerstone of our society as a whole.
Michael Simpson – City Council Member
When local government officials are sworn in they swear to uphold, obey and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Utah. Both documents were written with the intent to protect the individual rights of citizens from an over-reaching government. Our local government officials should become intimately familiar with both Constitutions so they can fulfill their oath of office and serve the people as our founders intended.
This over-reaching tendency of government powers is evident at the Federal level. This country was founded with the idea that government powers should be held as close to the people as possible. It was the states/colonies that created a federal government; it was the states that held a majority of the powers. Over time the Federal Government has taken more and more power upon itself, thus pulling these powers further away from the citizens. It is my opinion that we as citizens, cities, and states need to begin to bring governmental powers back to where they belong.
Cecil Tuley – City Council Member
The principles of the constitution are not separated into “regional” or tiered categories. Any discussion otherwise would be incorrect.
NOTE: Next question: What other question should of been asked, and what is your response?
I am not editing any of the responses. They are being posted as I received them from the candidates.
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