ST. GEORGE — Though a primarily civil debate was had between the candidates vying for Washington County Commission Seat A during a county GOP-sponsored event, the contrast between incumbent Gil Almquist and challenger Allen Davis became apparent early on.

The two were hosted at a debate held Tuesday night by the Washington County Republican Party at the Dixie Convention Center in St. George. The commission race debate took the first half of an overall event that also featured primary candidates running for House Districts 72, 73 and 74.

The primary election, set for June 28, will determine which Republican candidates move on to the general election in November.

Davis, who is an electrical lineman for the city of St. George, forced Almquist into a primary when he secured 43.3% of the delegate vote during the party’s nominating convention in April. A candidate seeking the party’s nomination must gain 60% or more of the delegate vote to avoid a primary.

Almquist, who is serving his first term on the County Commission, is seeking reelection. Prior to joining the commission, he served on the St. George City Council and ran a landscaping business.

The differences in policy and approach between Almquist and Davis were on display as they exchanged words on water, the Dixie name, how big the County Commission should be and other issues.

Water

While both men agreed on a need for more water storage capacity in the county and the pursuit and use of a regional water reuse system to aid in water conservation, their opinions diverged concerning growth and the water district’s board of trustees.

The candidates were asked if they supported a moratorium on future growth in the county if the drought gets worse. Davis said he would while Almquist said no.

“Our growth is outpacing our ability to supply water – that’s got me a little concerned,” Davis said. “We cannot have a new home built in Washington County without having the ability to supply water.”

Davis also suggested that a way to help county residents conserve more water is by making them “pay the true cost of water” rather than continuing with low water rates that are subsidized through property taxes.

“You wouldn’t be watering the streets if your water bill was 3 or 4 times higher,” he said.

Almquist immediately shot down the idea of a development moratorium.

“Moratorium? No. That’s un-American,” he said.

The best way to solve Washington County’s water issue, he said, is through cooperation and collaboration between all involved. Working together would likely produce a better solution to the issue over the government telling someone, “You can’t move here,” Almquist said.

As for the water district’s board of trustees, Davis said he wants the board members to be elected by the people and not appointed by the Washington County Commission alone. He added he doesn’t feel represented on the board of trustees as he lives in an unincorporated part of the county. He then asked members of the audience if any of them felt the same.

“Do you like the way the water conservancy district runs right now?” he asked. “They pretty much do whatever they want. … They aren’t accountable to anyone.”

Almquist said it is a mistake to politicize water, as policy could be left to the whims of people who may be in office for just a short while. Longevity for board members is considered ideal as they became increasingly knowledgeable about the workings of the county’s water system. Board members with a “long view” are desired as individual water projects can take decades to complete, he added.

Four of the water board’s seven members are elected officials (primarily mayors), Almquist said, adding he believes those board members make decisions with their constituents in mind. This has been touted by water officials in the past as providing a level of citizen representation on the board, albeit somewhat indirect.

Supporting Dixie

When Davis first stood up to introduce himself, he asked how many of those gathered still supported Dixie as the name of the recently renamed Utah Tech University, which will become official July 1. A majority of the people there raised their hands.

Support for the Dixie name played into a question of whether or not the candidates support it still, and if they do, how they propose to preserve the name and its local heritage.

Almquist said he absolutely supports preserving Dixie’s heritage while also being a champion of explaining its significance to the community newcomers. However, when it came to people or groups that distort what Dixie means to people in Southern Utah, he vowed to fight back.

Ways Almquist said he has supported the Dixie name and its heritage involve resolutions passed by the County Commission. This includes renaming Old Highway 91 to Old Dixie Highway 91, as well as a general resolution supporting the original name of the university.

To that, Davis said, “I think that if you put as much effort into naming Dixie highway, you could have kept Dixie,” further stating he felt local officials on the municipal, county and state levels who supported the Dixie name didn’t do enough to protect it.

“If I were county commissioner, if I were to (have) beat Gil four years ago, Dixie would still be Dixie,” he said to a mixed, yet mild reception of clapping and groans from the audience. “At some point, we need to stand up for our heritage. There’s nothing racist about it.”

Almquist responded by saying he personally wrote the commission’s resolution to support the name of Dixie State University and that it be kept in perpetuity. That resolution was subsequently sent to the governor, Legislature and state board of higher education prior to the legislative vote approving the name change.

“I don’t know if I can say anything more about keeping the name Dixie – not only at the university but everywhere else,” Almquist said.

Bigger County Commission

“Ever since we’ve been a county we’ve had three county commissioners – I think we’ve outgrown that,” Davis said. “I feel like we need some more representation.”

Last year, Davis and others signed and submitted a petition to the Washington County Clerk/Auditor’s Office to allow them to gather signatures for a ballot initiative that would take the current commission from three to seven members. If successful, the initiative would have appeared on the November 2021 ballot for voters.

However, it was rejected by the county “over technicalities,” Davis said. A new initiative taking the commission to five members has since been submitted to the clerk/auditor’s office for review.

Davis expressed concerns that a single person could dominate the direction of the commission. All they need to do to get their way on a vote is to convince one of the other commissioners to support them. Doing this wouldn’t be so easy with a five-member commission.

Almquist spoke against the idea, saying the commission rotates who the commission chair is each year in order to avoid having one person gain overall control.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Almquist said, adding the current form of county government has endured for around 170 years. He also said Republicans are the party of small government, and adding new seats to the commission flew in the face of that.

The two new commissioners would also run the county an additional $759,000, according to a fiscal note shared by Almquist.

“I don’t want to ask the citizens of this county to come up with this in taxpayer dollars,” he said.

The two candidates also addressed other issues related to the economy, taxes and the housing crisis.

The full debate can be viewed on the Washington County Republican Party Facebook page.

The primary election takes place June 28, with mail-in ballots set to begin arriving the week of June 7. The winner of the Republican primary will go on to face Democratic candidate Robert Ford in the general election.

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