Election 2018: Utah House District 74 candidates share goals for cutting taxes, supporting teachers

Libertarian Danial Holloway is facing off against Republican Rep. V. Lowry Snow in the election for House District 74 | Photos courtesy of HollowayforUtah.com and Utah.gov, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Voters in House District 74 will have the opportunity to choose between political newcomer and Libertarian Party candidate Daniel Holloway or incumbent Republican Rep. V. Lowry Snow this election day.

House District 74 covers Santa Clara, Ivins, the Bloomington area of St. George, and much of the western side of Washington County.

In order to help voters get to know who’s running and what they intend to do if elected, St. George News presented the candidates with a short series of questions. From sharing what they believe may an interesting fact about themselves to what their big legislative push may be if elected, the answers are listed below.


Republican V. Lowry Snow, of Santa Clara, is running for reelection as Utah House District 74 representative | Photo courtesy of Utah.gov, St. George News

Republican Rep. V. Lowry Snow is an attorney from Santa Clara and has been a lawmaker in the Utah Legislature since 2012.

If elected, what will be the first piece of legislation you’ll introduce, or what current legislation would you would like to see amended or repealed?

“I have a piece of legislation that will work on improving the recruiting of our college and university students to teaching careers in the state,” Snow said.

As a member of the House Education Committee, Snow said he hopes to evaluate what incentives are available for young people to stay in Utah after receiving a degree for teaching.

“I’d like to see if there is a way to improve (the incentives), including seeing if we can work with the colleges and universities to help them do a better job of recruiting young people to start careers in education,” he said.

Which one of these issues do you think matters most to Utah voters: education, housing or water?

“For those living in this area, water is of critical importance,” Snow said. “Planning for water for our future here is really important.”

Because of how fast areas in the desert like Washington County are growing, water will be something that legislators will need to come together with communities to find solutions, he said.

Snow serves on the Utah Legislative Water Development Commission with other lawmakers and community leaders, which he said gives him an opportunity to represent Southern Utah when decisions are made about water conservation and development in Utah.

What’s something interesting about yourself?

Snow said his first stint into politics included being part of the planning commission in Santa Clara at a time when they met in a “remodeled home that didn’t have very good heating, so we huddled around a floor heater while we made long-term planning decisions for the town.”

Snow said he’s had a “wonderful history” in Washington County.

“Almost 40 years,” he said, “where I’ve been able to see this remarkable growth occur.”


Daniel Holloway, of Ivins, is the Libertarian Party candidate for Utah House District 74 | Photo courtesy of HollowayforUtah.com, St. George News

Libertarian Daniel Holloway, vice president of American Management Services, hails from Ivins and would hold his first political office if he’s voted into the Legislature.

If elected, what will be the first piece of legislation you’ll introduce, or what current legislation would you would like to see amended or repealed?

“One of the first things I’d like to do is look at a zero-balance budget, which is passing legislation that would require the state budget to start at zero every single year and all spending be reapproved every year,” Holloway said.

A bill that requires the state budget to be re-examined each year would help cut wasteful spending and reduce taxes, he said. High taxes are a problem Holloway said he hopes to address in the Legislature if elected.

“I feel like here in Utah, we’re overtaxed at the moment.”

Which one of these issues do you think matters most to Utah voters: education, housing or water?

“The most important to Utah voters is definitely education,” Holloway said. “We hear all the time about how Utah schools are some of the least-funded schools in the nation and also where we are academically with our students.”

Many Utah voters are tired of being taxed too much for education, he said. The problem is not a lack of funding, but rather a money allocation problem.

“We need to cut some spending so we can apply some of that money back into education,” Holloway said.

What’s something interesting about yourself?

“I am an 8-5 worker living paycheck to paycheck,” he said. “I have a family and I’m not independently wealthy.”

For that reason, Holloway said he is an optimist who has a chance to make some positive change if he’s elected because he’s not a “career politician.”

Later, in a text message to St. George News, Holloway shared another, less political tidbit that he said makes him interesting.

“I love to cook, and I do all the cooking in my family.”

Resources

Candidate websites and Facebook pages

For other Election 2018 stories, click here.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter:  @STGnews | @SpencerRicks

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.

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