Bob Stevenson (right), a GOP candidate to replace outgoing U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, has a political reputation of being fiscally tight-fisted.
LAYTON – In the race to replace outgoing U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop in Congress, GOP candidate Bob Stevenson of Layton has a reputation as a penny-pincher.
“I just believe strongly,” Stevenson says, “that the responsibilities of public office holders must include carefully guarding and spending taxpayer dollars.”
A native of Layton, Stevenson is now a first-term member of the Davis County Commission. His prior political experience includes two terms as mayor of Layton as well as service on the Layton City Council.
Stevenson points to his record in those positions as proving that he practices what he preaches about protecting the interests of his taxpaying constituents.
He says that Layton City cut taxes twice during his tenure as its mayor and that Davis is one of only three Utah counties that have continued to resist imposing tax increase on residents.
Stevenson also serves on the board of directors of the Utah Defense Alliance, an ad hoc coalition of Northern Utah officials and business leaders formed to protect the state’s military infrastructure and develop future projects.
If he wins the 1st Congressional District seat in Congress, Stevenson says that protecting and supporting Hill Air Force Base will be another of his top priorities.
“Hill is the U.S. Air Force’s second-largest base in terms of both population and geography,” Stevenson explains. “With more than 21,000 workers, the base is the largest single-site employer in Utah. It generates $3 billion a year for Utah economy.
“We’ve got to make sure that we have someone (in Congress) who is very involved with Hill Air Force Base,” he adds. “We need someone there who really understands the military, not someone who just says they support the base.”
Stevenson describes himself as a social as well as a fiscal conservative who believes that office holders must listen to their people and represent their desires.
“Growth and proper planning for…growth will be of huge importance to Northern and Eastern Utah in the years ahead,” he emphasizes. “Just a few of the issues we must deal with include job opportunities, transportation planning, promoting small business development, water conservation and housing.”
Stevenson added that his years of public service have taught him how critical it is to obtain federal funding from Congress when dealing with such issues.
Like other Republicans vying for Bishop’s seat in Congress, Stevenson advocates for local management and protection of Utah’s public lands.
“This is an amazing state,” he says. “You can be fighting traffic on Interstate-15 one minute and then be in the middle of so much rural beauty an hour later. We have to protect that.”
On the other hand, Stevenson says, energy development in the Uintah Basin of eastern Utah is important not only to the economy of that region itself, but also to satisfying the nation’s energy needs.
“I will work with government and community leaders in the basin to promote that development,” Stevenson pledges.