LOGAN – With about six months under his belt as county executive, George Daines delivered a rather wry assessment of his hopes and goals for Cache County on Tuesday, Feb. 10 at the Greater Cache Valley Economic Summit.
Noting that he faces no opposition for re-election in November 2026, Daines said that’s probably proof of one of two alternatives.
“Either I’m a splendid candidate,” he quipped, “or no one else wants the job. My wife has her opinion about that and it’s not flattering.”
Over the next few years, Daines said one of his goals is to operate efficiently as county executive by recognizing what government can and cannot do, achieving consensus with other elected officials, cooperating with local mayors and streamlining county government with best practices.
His other goals include maintaining public access to county roads and trails; helping to create affordable housing consistent with economic growth and preserving open space; and maintaining Cache Valley’s quality of life.
The challenge associated with those goals, he admitted, will be achieving them within the “web of rules” created by the state and federal governments.
“As we look at government,” according to Daines, “federalism and its web of rules is only one problem. The status quo is another. Opposition by small groups via social media and the limited terms of office of elected officials also limit what you can really accomplish.”
Daines served as county attorney more than 20 years ago and he said the local political landscape has changed almost completely since then.
“People don’t like change …” he acknowledges. “The status quo feels safe, so you have to respect the way things were done in the past while finding a compelling reason to make changes.”
Handling political opposition is also more challenging today, Daines observed.
“My father (Newel Daines) served as mayor of Logan for eight years,” the county executive noted. “He had a saying that: ‘Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate’.”
That’s especially true nowadays when anyone can get on the Internet and spread their contrarian ideas countywide without ever leaving his or her basement.
“I am impressed by the people in county government,” Daines concluded. “The elected officials on the County Council are exceptionally devoted public servants and really care about doing the right thing.
“The same is true of the other elected officials in the county,” he added. “We have a very good group of people who render public service.”
The Greater Cache Valley Economic Summit, jointly hosted by the Cache Valley Chamber of Commerce and Cache Valley Bank, was held at the Riverwoods Conference Center in Logan.