Prof and Student Run in Local Elections

The Student Life section of Utah State Today highlights work written by the talented student journalists at Utah State University. Each week, the editor selects a story that has been published in The Utah Statesman or the Hard News Café or both for inclusion in Utah State Today.

Prof and Student Run in Local Elections

By Kyle Stubbs, in The Utah Statesman, Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Local municipal election campaigns are underway, city council seats are up for grabs and certain USU faculty and students are running for office. Assistant professor of political science Damon Cann and freshman political science student Daniel Eyre both submitted their names for candidacy.

"For years I've been telling my students how important it is to be involved," Cann said.

Now, he said, it's his turn to make a difference.

Cann is running for an open city council seat in North Logan. He said he wasn't planning on running for council until his neighbors approached him and urged him to run. They recruited him based on his political science background, he added.

"It is time for a new generation of leadership," he said.

The father of four children said it's important that he makes sure North Logan remains as good as it currently is.

Cann said he hopes to fill one of the three empty seats that will be vacated by retiring council members who are simultaneously resigning.

The North Logan primary election was held on Sept. 13 and the field of nine candidates was thinned to six, who will compete in the general election, in November.

According to North Logan's website, Cann finished fourth, with two votes separating him from third, and 19 votes between him and second place.

"This underscores the point I make to my students that every vote counts," Cann said. "The general election will be close, every vote will matter."

He said close races like these illustrate the importance of citizens participating elections.

Cann said he has enjoyed applying the political analysis he teaches at USU to his own race.

Eyre ran for Brigham City Council. He said he has wanted to run for public office since he was 11 years old.

"American history was my favorite subject growing up, I loved studying Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln," Eyre said.

While Eyre's family does not include any politicians, his father works for the Department of Defense. Eyre said this brought talk about government and national defense into family discussions.

"Government policy kind of affects his job," he said, regarding his father.

Eyre said while most candidates aim to change Brigham City, he ran on a platform to maintain it.

"People wanted to bring jobs to Brigham City and making Brigham City more job friendly. I said that things will work out, just be friendly with the job environment. USU's regional campus is going to bring a lot of jobs."

"It's not really about what you've done," he said. "It's about what you're going to do. The qualifications are being 18 years old and a resident of the city."

Even though he did not advance to the general election, Eyre said he was prepared for it.

"My age, still being a student and not being married were factors. The common question is ‘are you going to be here in 4 years?'"

Eyre said he's considering running again in the future, either for city council or something else.

"I'm not done with politics," he said.

Cann, who looks to the November general elections, said they will be held Nov. 8.

"Whether people vote for me or not, the political scientist in me says, ‘Go vote,'" he said.

– kstubbs88@gmail.com