LOGAN — Patrick Belmont is running as an independent candidate for Utah House District 3, that includes Logan, River Heights and Richmond.
On a recent KVNU For the People program, Belmont was asked about a report that the group of voters that has seen the largest increase is unaffiliated voters.
“I’m hearing that so much from going around the community knocking (on) doors and talking with people. I’ve been independent most of my life. I think a lot of people are just seeing that the parties are dysfunctional right now, they are pulling people to the edges, and we’re not talking.
“We cannot solve problems if we’re not talking with one another, if we’re not hearing one another, and I think people are just really tired of it. The polarization is very much getting in the way,” Belmont explained.
It’s been said that a divided house cannot stand, and Belmont said he believes that is true. He said there isn’t a problem that cannot be solved if people work together.
“So, that’s at the core of my campaign. It’s about coming back together and seeing each other as neighbors, as community members, having hard conversations. We don’t all have to agree, but we have to be able to talk about those disagreements in civil ways and in substantive ways and with a commitment to truth.”
On his website, belmont4utah.org, he lists some of his credentials that would serve him as a legislator. Such things as working as a scientist and educator, with over 20 years experience solving energy, water, air pollution, economic and housing problems. Also he has worked as a Community leader, but also as a dad.
“I’ve got this amazing, almost 15-year-old daughter. She was just a month old when we first moved to Utah. And I see everything through her eyes, and I’m trying to build a better future for her and all young people.
“We just have a lot of really concerning things that are happening right now, and the decisions we make right now are going to affect decades to come.”
Belmont said she is a huge motivator for him and was the first person he asked when he was considering running for office again, and she was all for it.