Personal message from Nathan Caplin, Republican for Washington County Attorney: Where I stand

LETTER TO WASHINGTON COUNTY CITIZENS – I’ve enjoyed this campaign and the opportunity it has given me to personally meet so many of my fellow citizens in Washington County. I’ve been able to listen to your concerns and ideas about how best to safeguard our liberties, fight crime and defend the Constitution. I want to thank you for providing me with one of the best experiences of my life.

I believe we live in the best county in the whole of the United States and it’s our privilege to work together to make our community the best it can be. As a city prosecutor and past special function officer at the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, I support law enforcement and will prosecute crime vigorously. We must focus on protecting families, young children and seniors, as crimes against these citizens pose grave risks to our community.

I believe in the rule of law and the founding principles of the Constitution, which serves as a social contract between the states, the people and the national government. The Constitution belongs to all of us. My campaign slogan of “Return to the Constitution” is an invitation of friendship and cooperation that we can all embrace.

We must anticipate, prepare for and use current law and legal precedent to negotiate with federal agencies to improve outcomes and protect the rights of Utah citizens to use and enjoy our public lands. Preparation is the key. Preparation for issues will transform the nature of negotiations with federal agencies and reassert state sovereignty, restore local governance and establish freedom.

The second tool at our disposal is the political will of our people. There is a groundswell of support for this approach to restoring our constitutional rights. The county attorney’s office should be the tip of the spear in defending our constitutional rights and freedoms. The point is: A unified political will from local citizens and leaders, along with legal preparation by the county attorney’s office, makes a difference. Together, we can reassert local sovereignty.

I am a bridge builder. I will listen. When elected Washington County Attorney, I will create a volunteer Constitutional Council to share ideas with the County Attorney’s Office. This endeavor will cost nothing but will be of great benefit.

I am committed to protecting citizen’s rights. I am committed to you. Let us remember who is the ultimate boss of our elected officials: ­It is the people who vote them into office.

I would be honored to earn your support as the next Washington County Attorney on June 24.

Nathan G. Caplin

My priorities when elected

  • Fight crime
  • Listen to voters
  • Defend the Constitution
  • Safeguard traditional values

Supporters want Nate

Dennis Leavitt, St. George:

Now is the time to elect officials who will employ modern jurisprudence to reestablish constitutional processes, local governance, and individual rights. Nathan Caplin has that capacity. A vote for a new voice in government is an investment in the future, especially when that new voice has intelligence, wisdom and moral straightness. I have confidence in Nathan Caplin. He will be good for this county.

Mayor John Bramall, Hurricane:

I am looking forward to working with Nathan Caplin as the county attorney. Nathan has a great understanding of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution of the United States. Nathan is a skilled and experienced attorney who will stand up and fight hard to defend our individual rights and traditional values. With our law enforcement, he will help keep our communities safe from crime. Nathan Caplin is a voice of the People, and he is my choice for Washington County Attorney!

Mayor Jon Pike, St. George:

As the mayor of St. George, I often deal with federal overreach and bogged-down bureaucracy. Caplin has the expertise and knowledge to bring a new vision and approach where we need it most. He has packed in extraordinary experience into several years — ranging from criminal law to civil litigation, from behind the scenes court work to higher education. He is the most qualified candidate, and I support him wholeheartedly. He is the county attorney for our time.

Attorney Kimball A. Forbes, Esq.:

Nathan is a tireless representative of his clients. His intelligence, attention to detail, and persistence make him a particularly effective advocate. These same qualities make him the outstanding choice for Washington County Attorney. As county attorney, Nathan will be a courageous advocate for Washington County in the local, state, and federal arenas.

Brent Hall, CPA, St. George:

Nathan Caplin adds a critical Constitutional dimension to the Washington County Attorney race. He will take an energetic, proactive role to find out what federal attacks on our values and laws are coming and go on the offense to stop them. Reacting to renegade federal judges is not enough. We need Nate, because he will fight the battles in advance. These are the critical qualifications that we urgently need to preserve our freedom. Nate is the most experienced and energetic candidate in these most important qualifications for the elected office of county attorney.

A D V E R T O R I A L

This report is produced and paid for by the Nathan Caplin Campaign

Resources

Related posts

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2014, all rights reserved.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!

41 Comments

  • Fred June 22, 2014 at 12:11 pm

    Nathan has my vote. Constitution comes first.

  • mike June 22, 2014 at 12:32 pm

    Now all he has to do is clean up the corrupt portion of the police force and get those wrongly fined their money back. That would show his support for the citizens not only the law enforcement.

  • Kalynn snow June 22, 2014 at 3:07 pm

    What kind of a campaign sticks a banner in the middle of an opponents article ? And what kind of an organization/newsroom allows this? It is very unprofessional. I am completely disappointed that this is how low people stoop for a vote.

    • Avatar photo Joyce Kuzmanic June 23, 2014 at 7:06 am

      It’s a fair question, Ms. Snow. Let me explain. Those are called banner ads. They are automated and at the request of the candidates campaigning, they key to all stories, news, opinion and advertorial, relative to the 2014 election. They cycle such that all ads appear in rotation through all the stories, so it’s the luck of the draw which plant midway through the stories on mobile where the place for ads to land is on the story itself. They will alternate with each person pulling the story up on a mobile device.
      THAT SAID, when it was brought to our attention Sunday, we were able to program a reverse code such that Mr. Caplin’s advertorial was free of Mr. Belnap’s ads for the day. They will resume automated rotation though, and equally so on all stories, including advertorials, going forward.
      I invite you to view the debate St. George News put on in collaboration with SouthernUtahLIVE.com, KCSG and Dixie State University, linked below – please see if you still feel that St. George News has been unprofessional in its approach to these candidates. It has been our determined effort to give them respect and voice equally. As I addressed them during the debate, we regard highly the willingness of both of them to serve in such a weighty capacity.
      http://southernutahlive.com/video/view/Meet-the-Candidates-LIVE-2014-06-20
      ST. GEORGE NEWS | STGnews.com
      Joyce Kuzmanic
      Editor in Chief

  • fred's dad June 22, 2014 at 3:24 pm

    I have no doubt that Mr. Caplin will win the election, after all, catchy political phrases like, “Return to the Constitution,”and “Hope and Change,” always seem to propel novices with no real experience or substance into office. That has worked well since 2008 right Caplin fans?
    It would be awesome for a guy to win this election who claims to be a Constitutional expert, would essentially advocate to use the executive branch, of which the county attorneys office is, to legislate policy changes best made by the legislative branch. It’s also comforting to know that a guy who’s dad is buying the election for him, who has ZERO experience in trial, to become the chief prosecutor for the county. It’s heartwarming to see the Caplin supporters, who curse the policies of a certain junior senator from Illinois now president, are so willing to buy into the rhetoric. I have hope for the political

  • fred's dad June 22, 2014 at 3:30 pm

    future of the county. I have no doubt that the office of the county attorney is just one small policical stepping stone for Nathan. After Nathan unites all the western counties a’la William Wallace and starts the second sagebrush rebellion, he’ll ride into D.C. on his charger and with his standard of liberty raised, clean up the cesspool of political favors, croniism, (think Mayor Pike and his political chips), and corruption. Look out D.C., the Caplin locomotive of “Change for Change Sake,” is on its way!

  • Zen June 22, 2014 at 6:47 pm

    Vote Belnap. He’s at least knowledgable enough to understand the duties of county attorney. Caplin sounds like he’s trying to get appointed to the Supreme Court.

  • OldVet June 22, 2014 at 7:07 pm

    Caplin’s perspective is interesting. He is running a campaign that suggests Belnap has not supported the Constitution, supported traditional values, or fought crime. To the contrary, the County Attorney’s office has operated efficiently and effectively, and supported these three tenants. Mr. Belnap was instrumental in bringing to justice the highest person responsible for abuse in the Colorado City/Hilldale area, yet Mr. Caplin suggests the residents of his city have not been served welll by the county. There is a disconnect there. Based on experience, Mr. Belnap is the choice. Based on good ole boy network, Mr. Belnap wins. And based on those who deal with these issues every day and who they endorse, Mr. Belnap wins. Mr. Caplin needs more experience and a better perspective to hold the office he seeks. Just my humble opinion.

    • benlwilson June 23, 2014 at 10:36 am

      OLDVET, I love how you and and other Belnap supports point to the Warren Jeffs’ trial as evidence of Belnap’s trial expertise. The conviction that Belnap was able to get over Warren Jeffs was overturned 5-0 by the Utah Supreme Court. In their decision, the Supreme Court Justices commented extensively about how Belnap was trying to expand the definition of an accomplice so that it would apply to Warren Jeffs, and how doing so was wrong and an abuse of power. There were no Utah laws under which Warren Jeffs could be convicted, so Belnap came up with the great idea of trying to change/expand some laws way beyond what the legislature intended. The Utah Supreme Court chided Belnap and the prosecution for doing that, informing them that such actions where a blatant violation of the constitution. So, maybe Nate’s campaign slogan of “return to the constitution” is appropriate. And if Belnaps best example of his trial experience is a case in which his conviction was overturned 5-0 by the Utah Supreme Court, then perhaps people should be questioning Belnap’s experience as well.

  • Kay June 22, 2014 at 7:22 pm

    Anyone who has to speak under the alias Fred’s dad (Play off of earlier post) seems to not know his own identity. Slamming someone else’s campaign saying daddy bought his campaign is a right out lie. This is a young man who paid his way through law school and decided not to take money from outside sources who had political motives. Nathan is a man of his word and will pay his father back every last cent.
    P.s. No political chips were bargaining tools. Nathan stands in his merit alone

    • Bender June 22, 2014 at 8:14 pm

      Why didn’t Nathan take 5-10 years and save some money and get some actual relevant experience before he ran for an office he appears to have almost no qualifications for KAY?
      .
      You can try to paint it any way you want but the fact is the only reason Nathan Caplin is competitive in this race is because he has a wealthy and influential father who was willing to bankroll his son’s campaign and exert influence on his behalf.

    • Amicus June 24, 2014 at 12:31 pm

      The outright foolishness of some of the Caplin-detractors (does Belnap actually have any *positive* supporters anymore? I guess we shouldn’t expect to see them on an article titled “Personal message from Nathan Caplin” but still…) and their constant refrains of “his daddy bought the campaign!” (personally, I’d rather the campaign were funded “in house,” so to speak, than through some nameless interest groups) or “he’s a good ol’ boy!” (I thought one of the big concerns with Nate was his lack of being “ol’,” right?) are well beyond farce at this point.

      Nate’s ran a great campaign, he has support across the county, and by the closing bell tonight, I hope he’s the county attorney elect.

  • Bender June 22, 2014 at 7:32 pm

    This “advetorial” brought to you by Nathan’s father, Steve Caplin, who is using his money and influence to put his wet behind the ears son in charge of 13 attorneys and 13 additional staff members. Nathan has practiced law for a couple of years and has zero professional managerial experience.
    .
    The ONLY reason any of you have heard of Nathan is because his father has paid to blanket the county with campaign signs and used his influence to foist this kid into the limelight.
    .
    I wish you Caplin supporters who are constantly complaining about the Good Ole Boys running the county could see the irony in your support of a guy whose father is essentially buying his way into office.

  • kays dad June 22, 2014 at 8:37 pm

    Swell Kay (if that is your real name), what merits are you talking about? Oh yea, having NEVER tried a single case for a city that maybe sees five cases per month? A lot of lawyers pay their way through law school, in what way does that make Caplin competent to be county attorney? As far as political chips, Pike promised to remain neutral, until Caplin’s daddy with the deep pockets and IHC connections (Kay, Pike works for IHC too) intervenes and THEN he endorses Caplin. Nope, no chips or political favors cashed there. A weak understanding of the seperation of powers and no clue about the county attorneys role is? Yup, that’s the man for the job!

    • Amicus June 24, 2014 at 11:31 am

      Or maybe Pike decided Nate Caplin was his guy, based on Nate Caplin’s merits. I don’t get you people. County Attorney is not a civil service job; it is an elected public servant. If you think “you’re guy” is the best choice going forward, go ahead and vote for him. Nate Caplin has all the new ideas (anyone who has followed this campaign knows that Belnap has been playing catchup from the beginning), the enthusiasm and excitement of youth. Nate Caplin is the best choice for Washington County going forward. And hopefully, most of the people in Washington County recognize that.

  • PP June 22, 2014 at 9:32 pm

    “Attention to detail” one of Nate Caplin’s strong points? Not hardly. Just click on his attorney information page under his present law firm, Barney, McKenna and Olmstead. He has listed his phone number as 435-628-17111

  • EL JEFE June 23, 2014 at 9:06 am

    Practicing law for 2-3 years?? No managerial experience?? Election being “bought” by daddy?? Never has tried a case?? Does Caplin even have
    a “win” record in ANY court??
    Alrighty now….what could go wrong? Look at what we have in the White House…THAT guy never even managed a 7-11 convenience store, let alone a Nation. Oh yeah….what could go wrong??

    • benlwilson June 23, 2014 at 10:50 am

      EL JEFE. You suggest that Nate does not have the experience to be a good county attorney. The fact of the matter is that Nate has more experience that Ron Thompson had when he became county attorney and more experience than Paul Graf when he became county attorney, and by all measures those two did an outstanding job as the county attorney. Also, Nate has one less criminal jury trial than Belnap had when he became county attorney. I am not sure what what Caplin’s win / loss record is. However, I am pretty sure that Belnap’s win/ loss on felony jury trials is 1 win 2 losses after appeals. Also, the way Brock at the county level does nothing to hold law enforcement accountable for violating our 4th amendment rights, is identical to the way the Barack in the White House does nothing about NSA and other government agencies spying on us.

      • Bender June 23, 2014 at 2:05 pm

        More experience than Ron Thompson? Dude that was back in the Jurassic Era. There were 2 dozen pioneers in the county at that point. Have you seen Thompson? He’s ancient. The Relief Society sisters were wearing hoop skirts and the Young Women were dancing the Jitterbug when Ron was prosecuting.

  • Tena June 23, 2014 at 10:20 am

    Nathan has inmpressed me with his knowledge and integrity.
    I have listened to him speak several times and he has never said anything negative about Belnap. To the contrary, he has stated Belnap has done a good job. from what I have seen, Nathan has run a clean campaign.
    For those saying his Dad has financed his campaign, I have seen Nathan out their beating the streets to get his message out. Unlike some of the other candidates Nathan stays for the entire program. I have yet to meet Belnap.
    Nathan is anti Common Core and has taken his time to help spread the word. He has my vote.

    • Bender June 23, 2014 at 1:09 pm

      “Nathan is anti Common Core”
      .
      Certainly a big must for any county attorney.
      .
      Tena’s comment really gets to the point of this race. Caplin’s appeal is his shared views with the nutty far right wing of the Republican party. It’s not about his experience or his qualifications. The Tea Party loons see a fellow crusader for their extreme views in Caplin. They want an activist county attorney; being competent in the role is not really important.

      • Nathan Caplin August 5, 2014 at 2:23 pm

        Bender, I would love to debate you publicly.

        Now that the campaign is over, I read a few comments for fun.
        Of all the commenters, yours seem the least factual.

        Seriously, message me here: [email protected], and let’s have a debate publicly on politics or philosophy in general.

        The only rules are you have to make statements based on truth.
        Actually, I won’t even require that from you.

        Waiting your reply….

        • Avatar photo Joyce Kuzmanic August 5, 2014 at 3:35 pm

          Please keep me in the loop on this challenge, Mr. Caplin and Bender – curious challenge indeed. 🙂
          ST. GEORGE NEWS | STGnews.com
          Joyce Kuzmanic
          Editor in Chief

        • Bender August 5, 2014 at 4:07 pm

          Nathan, Bender normally emerges to snipe anonymously in the stgeorgeutah.com comments when the guy typing at the keyboard for him is stressed because he is avoiding the mountain of work on his desk. These therapeutic ramblings are generally more hostile in tone and quick to judge than Bender’s typist would be in person (and non-anonymously).
          .
          You seem like a sober, ambitious kid from a good family. I have met your parents and they struck me as nice folk. However the best candidate, by a long shot, won the election.

          • Nathan Caplin August 6, 2014 at 8:27 pm

            Well, if a debate is off the table, and you seem to know a great deal about law, I’d like to meet you at least in person. My email is above.

          • Nathan Caplin August 6, 2014 at 8:32 pm

            Also, if you need your anonymity, at least seek me out sometime, and you don’t need to identify yourself as Bender. I’ve made myself available to friends and online foes alike. You might be surprised by your impression of me after our meeting. In any case, you would have greater sense of the realities you often comment on.

  • Kay's nemesis (apparently) June 23, 2014 at 10:47 am

    Tena, Tena, Tena . . .. his dad HAS financed his campaign . .the Spectrum ran an article about it last week . . . .he admits it! I’m sure Nathan is going to stop common core AS A COUNTY ATTORNEY WITH NO POLICY MAKING POWER!!!! Wow, . .. did the mothership drop you off recently? Nathan will also stop all wars, raise the dead, walk on water, rule the galaxy as father and son with his pappy a’la Darth Vader and Luke, ensure cannonization for John Birch, coin currency in the image of Bo Gritz.

    • Bender June 23, 2014 at 12:13 pm

      Bo Gritz. Now, that’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time. A long time.

      • EL JEFE June 23, 2014 at 1:10 pm

        Haha….Bo Gritz for Washington County Attorney. Would be interesting.

  • Caroline June 23, 2014 at 1:28 pm

    Nathan is a great guy. He is ready for this. He has run a clean campaign. Who cares if his parents have money, they are saints. Good old boy network? Sorry I’m from the good old boy network and never and never heard of them. I vote Nathan.

  • Mark Sandberg June 23, 2014 at 2:11 pm

    Caroline: No one is disputing the fact that he’s a great guy. Just that he’s unqualified to be county attorney. That’s not a personal attack, simply a statement based on his record or lack thereof. Also, his parents may be saints, but even then, there are many saints involved in questionable activities. John Swallow, Mark Shurtleff ring a bell? I assume those who are supporting Nate will continue to support him regardless of his qualifications. I assume the facts that have been presented will not sway them. I assume rich parents paying for an entire campaign is not a big deal. In either case, If Nathan and his supporters are so thinned skinned that to comment negatively on their golden boy is tantamount to blasphemy, then maybe the county deserves what it gets with him.

  • Pennie June 23, 2014 at 2:14 pm

    I am a little confused at Caroline’s post. She says she has never heard of “them” even though she is part of the “good old boy network”, but “they” (referring to Caplin’s parents) are “saints” and Nathan is a “great guy”. If she really doesn’t know them, how can she attest to their character? This election is about who will be able to handle a very high-level position in our community that will affect every person in Washington County. Are these reasons to vote someone into such an office? Both men have ran clean campaigns, but this is not a contest for Mr. Congeniality!

    • Caroline June 24, 2014 at 1:56 pm

      I didn’t know about them until the campaign

  • Bender June 23, 2014 at 2:20 pm

    I find it telling that the only local attorney in the section above titled “Supporters want Nate” is Kimball Forbes, another wet behind the ears lawyer who grew up in the same Santa Clara ward with Nathan Caplin.
    .
    Caplin supporters, where is the support from from Nathan’s colleagues in the legal profession?

    • EL JEFE June 24, 2014 at 9:53 am

      Bender…..Caplin hasn’t practiced law long enough to cultivate “colleagues in the legal profession”. Gee…I wonder if Forbes and Caplin were mission partners.

    • Amicus June 24, 2014 at 11:23 am

      I find it telling that you haven’t taken the time to look at all of Nate’s endorsements. Here’s a link: http://caplin.us/supporters/

      It’s true, with all of the scores of citizens in Washington County that have endorsed Nate, he probably couldn’t include them all in this open letter. He probably wanted more of a cross-section of supporters for the article. Still, I’m sure that if you’ll actually take a look at the link, you’ll find several attorneys, along with many other civic leaders, listed there.

      • Bender June 24, 2014 at 12:52 pm

        I see a handful of attorneys on the supporters page, but not nearly enough to claim strong support by the local legal community. I don’t see Daren Barney, Jeff McKenna or Eric Olmstead listed. Makes me wonder what his employers know that you don’t.
        .
        What really strikes me though, being casually acquainted with the Caplin family is that this list is top heavy with personal, church and business acquaintances of Steve Caplin.

        • Bob August 5, 2014 at 2:12 pm

          Wait, Bender, you know the Caplin family?

          I seriously doubt it.

          • Bender August 5, 2014 at 3:37 pm

            I dare say, you’re quite free with your opinions young man!

  • Jon R. Cocktoasten June 24, 2014 at 12:37 pm

    When it takes someone to “cash in political chips” to get an endorsement, that’s corrupt!!! Plain and simple. If this is the kind of county government you want to have then vote Caplan… If you want honesty and integrity, then vote Belnap!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.