Dana Dmitrich (right) presents Blaine and Pam Miller with the Mike and Bo Dmitrich Lifetime Achievement Award

By Aidan Mortensen | KOAL News | Photo courtesy of the Carbon County Democratic Party

Continuing the trend of increased attendance at its events, the Carbon County Democratic Party gathered on Saturday, March 28, for its county convention.

“We have seen historic turnarounds in elections since last November with two major themes,” shared Party Chair Allan Sumnall. “First, the economy now indicates that we may enter a period of stagflation. In short, it’s not good! The economy has slowed. No net new jobs have been added since the president’s inauguration, while inflation continues unabated … Gas is up almost $1.00 in the last three weeks, and the president simply doesn’t care. Affordability is once again out of reach for many.”

He continued,” The second major theme is that the Democrat party is, indeed, a large tent. Elections in New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Texas, Louisiana, and other states attest to the varied forms of people running for and winning office on Democratic tickets. A big tent of candidates welcomes an even bigger tent of voters. We welcome Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who are literally exhausted by the nonstop drama emanating from Pennsylvania Avenue. It is time for our country to find itself again.”

In addition to Sumnall, attendees heard from Duchesne Democratic Party Chair Annie Glade.

“What kind of future are we building for the people who live here, their children, and for the land that sustains us?” Glade asked. “Because right now, too many of our challenges are being treated as separate problems. We have water here, air quality there, roads over here, jobs somewhere else. But on the ground, these issues are deeply connected.”

She went on to discuss water, air, and the economy, including speaking out against the Uinta Basin Railway. “The railway will not solve the boom-and-bust cycle, but instead will deepen it. It doesn’t protect our communities and will exacerbate the very pressures already straining them. Meanwhile, it will not reduce hauler traffic in our neighborhoods or communities, as they are stating, but increase it to meet the extractive demands that will be required once the railway reaches completion.”

On the candidate side, attendees heard from Kent Udell and Steven Merrill, the two candidates vying for the Democratic nomination in Utah’s Third Congressional District. Despite vying for the same spot, the two candidates vowed to support the other regardless of the primary election’s outcome.

On the state level, Carl Ingwell, the lone Democratic candidate for House District 67, addressed the crowd. 

“Right now, the economy is stacked against the working-class people of HD67. While we all work full-time or multiple jobs, we struggle to pay for basic needs. There are a lot of wealthy people in the state of Utah who are not paying their fair share, and it’s about time that their free ride stops coming at our expense,” expressed the candidate. “My campaign will always offer a hand to lift people, and walk arm in arm with them, rather than kick them when they are down. I will forever seek equity for marginalized communities, and I will work to make sure that all are fairly represented in state politics.”

The last candidate to speak was Oran Stainbrook, who is running for Carbon County Commission. Stainbrook used the metaphor of battling a Hydra with a sword and fire, representing the community’s strength and design.

In a social media post, Stainbrook shared,” I sincerely believe that in the fight against the crises we face, your neighbor who votes differently than you – who’s flying this or that flag off their front porch – is not the enemy. THE HYDRA IS THE ENEMY.”

Rounding out the affair, Dana Dmitrich, daughter of longtime state Sen. Mike Dmitrich, presented the Mike and Bo Dmitrich Lifetime Achievement Award to Blaine and Pam Miller.

For Ingwell and Stainbrook, the next electoral step comes after June’s primary election, which will decide who will be opposite them on the November ticket. For Udell and Merrill, both candidates will participate in the Utah Democratic Party Nominating convention on April 24 and 25, where they will seek the state party’s nod heading into the June primary.