SOUTHERN UTAH – Newly appointed State Senator Casey Anderson (R-Cedar City) is putting an end to concerns that his position violates the Hatch Act.
Anderson ran for Senator after the passing of Senator Dennis Stowell. Before officially filing, Anderson said he checked with the Tribal Attorney, the Senate Office of Legal Council and the Governing Office of Legal Council to ensure that he was cleared to run for office.
“The Governor won’t sign someone into law unless he is certain they can actually serve,” Anderson said.
Anderon is employed by the Paiute Indian Tribe as a caseworker. The Hatch Act forbids federal employees from running for local office as a candidate. However, the U.S. Office of Special Council states that tribal nations are sovereign nations; therefore he is not considered a federal employee. Anderson also pointed out that he was appointed and not elected into office. His position would not go up for election until next year, he said.
“If I was a federal employee and if this was an election, I would be prohibited,” Anderson said. “I could still run. To say I am ineligible to run is incorrect. I would have to quit (my job).”
However, Anderson is not considered a federal employee, he said.
Anderson has been a delegate since 2008 and served as the Iron County Republican Party Chairman. He was elected to the State Central Committee as an at-large member in 2009. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from Southern Utah University and is currently working on a PhD.
As State Senator, he serves Kane, Garfield, Beaver, Millard and Iron Counties, as well as portions of Hurricane and Eastern Washington County. He said his goal is to reduce the size of government, although he has not yet been assigned to any committees.
“Utah is currently the 20th highest taxed state in the country, and that needs to be addressed so our economy can grow and people can get back to work,” he said. “Since 1990, spending in Utah has increased 261 percent while the population has only increased 62 percent. We need to get spending under control. I believe that the best way to create prosperity is to allow people to keep as much as their earnings as possible. When you have the voluntary exchange of goods, the economy prospers and drives down unemployment and reduces the cost of welfare.”
Anderson will be appearing live on the Fox News KZNU Perspectives Morning Show on Thursday, June 2, from 7 to 8 a.m. on 96.7 FM or 1450 AM. Listeners are encouraged to call and ask questions during the show. He can also be reached by email at [email protected].
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