Campaign Phone
801-449-1005
Current Employment
Vice President, Education Strategy
Education
PhD, University of Utah
Campaign Website
www.wendydavisutah.com
Utah famously rebuffs federal power, yet it frequently exerts control over local municipalities. That is antithetical to local control.
Federalism isn't a layered cake; it's a marbled cake.
The ADU legislation is a perfect example; the state recognized a problem, opened a path to solutions, and empowered cities to implement. That's how it should work.
Statewide issues like the Great Salt Lake, drought, clean air, homelessness, and domestic violence require collaboration, not dictation. Local governments should control public safety, utilities, zoning, and business licensing.
Laws exerting unnecessary control over municipalities are often retaliatory. The flag ordinance is a perfect example. Let cities govern themselves.
When the legislature cuts state income tax, there is a direct consequence for education funding. Our income tax mostly funds public education by constitutional mandate. A performative tax cut only shifts the burden; local school boards must cut costs or raise property taxes. This disproportionately impacts seniors and disabled citizens on fixed incomes. It's not a cut; it's a shift in who gets taxed and how.
We underfund education in Utah. A voucher program has diverted millions from public education with questionable oversight. A district court found it unconstitutional, yet it remains funded as the case works through the courts.
The metric? Future tax cuts must include full transparency about how programs will be funded and by whom.
Addressing homelessness requires a housing-first approach; permanent options over shelters whenever possible.
The Sandy MVP shelter is a strong example of what coordinated support services can accomplish. We should fund more models like it, including shelters specifically designed for veterans and families.
We also need to close the financial and support gaps that leave vulnerable Utahns on the edge of homelessness in the first place. Prevention is as important as intervention.
Trust the experts; work with them. They have great ideas and know the community well. I've volunteered with Unsheltered Utah, and I'm amazed at those who work hard to serve the community.
We need a comprehensive water plan involving every level of government: federal, state, and local. It must address commercial, residential, governmental, and agricultural usage. We should incentivize conservation and penalize overuse. Structured pricing tiers with steep escalators for high consumers are necessary; I know that's unpopular, but collective action is required.
We must also invest in agricultural water infrastructure to identify and fix what we're losing to aging systems. We have options. We need the political will and collective action of the entire state to get this done.
Utah needs a balanced energy portfolio. In a state facing ecological crisis, extreme drought, rising temperatures, and shifting seasons, the rules are being rewritten. We need progress, but not at any cost.
We need sustainable energy sources like wind and solar while still keeping alternatives like nuclear as an option, which has operated safely in this country for decades. We must also make clean energy affordable for homeowners. That will take cooperation between the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
We have the opportunity in this state to engage the best and brightest as we plan for the future. We shouldn't let our energy future be governed by profit over ingenuity, sustainability, creativity, and long-term viability.
Current Employment
Attorney
Education
B.A. Psychology, J.D. Law
Campaign Website
voteandrewstoddard.com
When I introduced HB564-Pollution Standards Amendments this year, it aimed to address standards and add an annual emissions limit for the Wasatch Front because air pollution affects more than one municipality. These are the types of issues the state should set guidelines for. Though it wasn't considered for passage, this is the legislation that I prioritize and support. Local governments understand their communities best. They should have the purview in making decisions for our neighborhoods. One of my biggest frustrations in the Legislature is when bills override local decision-making. Providing standards at the state level does not extend into areas like zoning, library funding, or city services; those belong at the local level.
Utah has a strong fiscal foundation, and I believe we can be responsible stewards of our taxpayer dollars without sacrificing the services that our communities rely on. Education and essential government services should be prioritized before cuts to their funding. The metric I’d support is simple: ensure maintained per-capita investments in education, and funding for infrastructure and public safety, after accounting for growth and inflation. When we look at our budget, we must set priorities and evaluate sustainable cuts rather than just focusing on cutting costs to make ends meet. A budget cut is only sustainable when we can demonstrate that core services are still protected and adequately funded.
The core issue of housing affordability is supply. We need more units at more affordable price points, and that requires the state to partner with cities to reduce barriers to construction, focus on transit-oriented development, and find solutions beyond middle-density housing. On homelessness, what we’ve seen evidence support is coordinated access to mental health services, substance abuse treatment, and stable provisions. We can’t criminalize unhoused individuals or shuffle them between jurisdictions. The state needs to fund the infrastructure that works and coordinate with local leaders, community organizations, and service providers to meet our unhoused neighbors with solutions that will achieve reasonable outcomes.
The existential water issue we’re facing in Utah isn’t met with partisan opposition, but by a lack of urgency and reasonable, exhaustive measures. The specific solutions for reducing water include tiered pricing structures that incentivize conservation without punishing households, efficient irrigation technology, and limits for agricultural use. The state should use every tool available across grants, technology, and water markets because mandating conservation alone won’t address the dire state of the Great Salt Lake; we need a multifaceted approach.
Solar and wind are natural resources Utah already has and can expand upon with infrastructure investments to increase capacity and outcomes. Nuclear is worth consideration, particularly in the scalable and safer designs that have evolved. These investments are worth empirical study from the Legislature to understand what usages will maintain the sustainable energy infrastructure we need for the next 20-30 years. Understanding the best long-term investment is critical to ensure that what we’re prioritizing is actually reliable, affordable, and clean.
