Steve Lund announces run for Legislature
By Robert Stevens
Managing editor
1-30-2020
A Sanpete County Commissioner has his sights set on a seat in the Utah House of Representatives.
Steve Lund, now serving on his fourth year as a commissioner, is throwing his hat in the ring for the District 58 seat, which is currently occupied by Derrin Owens.
“I have served as a county commissioner now for four years and I have had a great experience doing that, but I am starting to feel that I can make a bigger impact than that,” Lund said. “Not only for Sanpete County, but for Juab County as well. “
Lund says his time as county commissioner has shown him there is more he can accomplish for rural Utah, but it needs to be on bigger arena.
“I have thought about it for a year or two on how I can be a better influence and help push things in a different direction,” he says. “As county commissioners we have a great deal of influence with our elected officials, but I want to be able to get the input from counties all over, so a legislative position is probably best. “
Owens has filed a notice of intent to run for a senatorial position that will open up with the retirement of Sen. Ralph Okerlund, leaving Lund to run for the District 58 spot without directly challenging Owens.
“It’s a tremendous honor to serve as one of the rural voices and I’m committed to continue this service in the senate,” Owens told the Messenger.
Lund says he will be trying to get on the ballot by both caucus and signature gathering. With Owens shooting for Okerlund’s spot on the Senate, Lund is currently facing a challenge from two Juab County candidates: Clinton Painter and Mary Denton-Nielson. Lund says both are excellent candidates, but he hopes to edge them out.
Lund says he has several items that will form a sort of platform foundation for him: agriculture, water and natural resources/public lands.
“Agriculture is the mother industry of this state,” Lund says, “and every other industry either relies on it or supports it. From those industries we find the funding for schools, roads and correctional facilities. We have to increase our ability to utilize our natural resources. If we don’t, the education will suffer, and then we will suffer as a community.”
Proper management of and access to our public lands and natural resources will become a linchpin to the success of rural Utah, Lund says.
Lund also says he has hopes of finding a way to help District 58 better utilize valuable local resources such as Snow College and the Farm Bureau.
“A part of me wants to be a disrupter,” Lund says. He suggests anyone curious to know what he means by that should look into, “When Giants Fail” by Clayton Christensen.
