#plugintodevin - Your Mark on the World with Devin Thorpe

#plugintodevin Show - Devin Thorpe for Congress

Guest: Greg Skordas

Office Sought: Attorney General

Issue: Utahn's voted to expand medicaid in 2018 and the legislature overturned that vote by the people, and the Attorney General just stood by and didn't protect the peoples voice. The Attorney General should be the attorney for the people of Utah, not special interests and big donors.

Bio: I’m Greg Skordas, Democratic Candidate for Attorney General for the State of Utah. I've lived in Utah all of my life. I studied and received degrees in both Engineering and Law at the University of Utah. I raised three highly successful children here too. Nic, Annie and Bina— an Air Force medical doctor, an educator, and an environmental scientist. I also have five grandchildren. In addition to being a lawyer, I've worked for the past 35 years with the National Ski Patrol at resorts in Summit and Weber Counties and ski 25-30 days a year. My wife and I currently live in Eden, just east of Ogden in Weber County, and we have a small home in Torrey, adjacent to FishLake National Forest near Capitol Reef National Monument in Wayne County. I’ve practiced law for 38 years. Through that time, I’ve seen how the law applies to our everyday lives. I’ve seen how it protects people from crimes, delivers justice to victims, and ensures fair outcomes for those that are innocent or guilty. I’ve been on the front lines of Utah’s legal system. I’ve been a public defender, a prosecutor, and a private attorney building a successful business. I’ve appeared in every county in Utah, talked with jurors, prosecutors, police officers, judges, clients, and the families in every part of the state.

Website: www.skordasforag.com

Twitter: @SkordasGreg

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SkordasforAG

Instagram: @SkordasforAG

#plugintodevin #UtahValues #BoldSolutions #UTpol

#plugintodevin Show - Devin Thorpe for Congress

Guest: Chris Peterson

Office Sought: Utah Governor

Issue: Chris Peterson has spent his career fighting for working families. A professor of business law at the University of Utah, he has worked tirelessly to help industry to improve the lives of their employees and customers. When our neighbors were losing their homes and the economy was crashing before our eyes, Peterson took the fight to Wall Street greed helping build a team in Washington, D.C. that returned $12 billion to cheated American families. Chris knows Utahns need a fair marketplace that treats customers right and gives every business a chance to succeed.

Bio: Chris' government and policy experience include:

· Working as a Special Advisor in the U.S. Department of Defense where he helped lead the Pentagon’s efforts to protect military servicemembers from predatory lending. The Secretary of Defense awarded Peterson the Office of the Secretary of Defense Award for Excellence for his efforts on behalf of military families;

· Serving in the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau where Peterson’s team stopped deceptive and abusive practices by Wall Street banks, payday lenders, and debt collection agencies. His team won $12 billion in refunds and restitution for Americans who were victimized by illegal financial practices; and,

· Leading at the University of Utah where he worked as an Associate Dean for Academic Affairs with managerial responsibility for the educational mission of the University’s College of Law.

Peterson is a national leader and authority on consumer protection. He has published several books including a university textbook on consumer law and an award winning book on predatory lending. The National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators, an association of state and local consumer law enforcement agencies, gave Peterson its national consumer advocate of the year award for his public service. Chris lives in Salt Lake City with his amazing wife and three wonderful kids. He's a fifth generation Utahn with deep pioneer roots. Chris was born and raised in West Valley City and attended Utah’s public schools. A father of three, Chris is married to Tera Peterson who is also a practicing attorney. Tera is an Assistant Solicitor General in the Utah Attorney General Office’s Criminal Appeals Division where she works to protect crime victims including especially abused children. The Petersons enjoy skiing in Utah's mountains and hiking our state's majestic deserts.

Website: https://petersonforutah.com/

Twitter: @PetersonUtah

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PetersonforUtah/

#plugintodevin #UtahValues #BoldSolutions #UTpol

#plugintodevin Show - Devin Thorpe for Congress

Guest: Shannon Miller Cox

Issue: Trauma (ACE) Responsive and Informed Services

I am a survivor but I have white privilege, I come from having every opportunity to pick myself up and thrive! Private insurance, safe supportive family, never falling so far down that I suffered for very long. My women don't have this experience! We need to recognize the underlying Trauma issues inn this community if we are ever going to really deal with our Suicide rates and our addiction rates!

Bio: I am the Executive Director and Founder of Journey of Hope started 6 years ago after retiring from Law Enforcement. A survivor of sexual assault, I believed wearing a gun would protect me from further harm; what I found were thousands of victims suffering in Poverty, Addiction, Mental Illness, and anv intersection of crushing systems of oppression. In this space I found my calling on this Earth, to use my privilege, my survival to help others find their Journey of Hope!

Website: www.JourneyOfHopeUtah.org

Facebook: @JourneyOfHopeUtah

Linkedin: LinkedIn.com/in/ShannonCox

Photo credit: Journey of Hope

#plugintodevin #UtahValues #BoldSolutions #UTpol

#plugintodevin Show - Devin Thorpe for Congress

Guest: Heidi Totten

Issue: Helping solve global hunger through economic development and self-reliance. I work with families that live below the poverty line in Kenya. It's quite ridiculous that we live in a world where people go hungry. Period.

Bio: Heidi Totten is an eclectic wife and mother of two relatively normal children. She spent her early career building technical teams around the world during the dot com era, and ten years ago launched her own business helping entrepreneurs and small businesses go global by embracing social media and online marketing. Her focus is connection and collaboration, and her personal business motto is “Content is king, but community builds the kingdom.” Heidi has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs over the past 3 years. She runs Heidi Totten Consulting (www.heiditotten.com) and The Eclectic Entrepreneurs (www.eclecticentrepreneurs.com) as a way to help the most people possible during her one crazy life. In her spare time, she is the Executive Director of 100 Humanitarians International, (www.100humanitarians.com) a grassroots non-profit that focuses on mentoring families in economic development in Kenya, Africa. She has taken over 200 people on 18 expeditions. Her happy place is hauling down roads in Kenya in dusty jeeps, but she is also known for her love of tacos, guacamole, and chocolate.

Website: www.100humanitarians.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100humanitarians/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heiditotten/

#plugintodevin #UtahValues #BoldSolutions #UTpol

#plugintodevin Show - Devin Thorpe for Congress

#plugintodevin Show - Devin Thorpe for Congress

Guest: Howard Leonhardt

Bio: Inventor with 21 Issued U.S. patents and dozens more pending mostly focused on organ repair and regeneration. Invented leading stent graft system and first percutaneous heart valve. Led team to complete first ever in man non-surgical repair of an aneurysm and first stem cell repair of a heart. Founder of over 33 startups. Operates incubators/accelerators in California and Utah. Founded a number of social good impact startups including The California Stock Exchange TM and The Kindheart Lionheart TV Network. Leonhardt Vineyards a California wine making operation was founded in 2000.

Website: http://www.leonhardtventures.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/howardleonhardt

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeonhardtVentures/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/howard-leonhardt-6694185/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hleonhardt/

#plugintodevin #UtahValues #BoldSolutions #UTpol

#plugintodevin Show - Devin Thorpe for Congress

Guest: Isaac Nuttall.

Issue: Making government more of, for, and by the people (i.e Campaign Finance Reform, Improving Voter Participation, etc.) I see many people at my school (Timpanogos), and community abroad, who are affected heavily by voter apathy, seeing no feasible way to improve politics at all level. This has led to depressingly low voter turnout levels for young people in my community, leading to one party holding a monopoly on state and local politics. I know that if young people, my friends, classmates, and neighbors were to engage in the political process, state and local politics would be far more reflective of their, as well as my, pressing issues. This issue of making government more of for and by the people, particularly among traditionally silent voting groups, is paramount above all other issues. I believe that we need extensive campaign finance reform to make our leaders more beholden to their constituents and less to wealthy donors. A solution I support is Seattle's method, in which we give every eligible voter $100 in public money to donate to whatever candidate they want; candidates who accept these donations agree not to accept any donations above $250. As for improving accessibility to voting and decreasing voter apathy, I support measures such as same-day registration, making Election Day a Federal Holiday, and Automatic Voter Registration. However, as long as they are fully accessible to all U.S Citizens, I am not neccessarily worried by Photo-ID Requirements.

Bio: My name is Isaac Nuttall. I have lived in seven different places including India, Texas, Philadelphia, Utah, etc... I moved to Lindon Utah from Keller Texas two years ago, having gone to the National Finals of the National History Bee three years in a row, but my interests were rapidly shifting from history to politics, having been shocked along with the rest of the country by the election of Donald Trump. I have volunteered for a handful of political campaigns including Daniel Friend, Luz Escamilla, James Singer, etc... I now love politics and speech and debate, with my main events being Student Congress and Extemporaneous Speaking, which has opened a love within me for the many issues facing our country, and how we as Americans must recognize and work towards the common good. I am most passionate about how we can make politicians more beholden to their constituents and less to wealthy donors, improve access to voting and improve voter participation and in essence, make government more of for and by the people, the issue I hope to speak on in the podcast.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/isaac.nuttall.52

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaac-nuttall-9b7928185/

Photo credit: Bell Photography.

#plugintodevin #UtahValues #BoldSolutions #UTpol

#plugintodevin Show - Devin Thorpe for Congress

Guest: Wendy Davis

Office Sought: Utah House District 45

Issue: So many...but I'll go with affordable, liveable communities

My own kids are looking for affordable housing and finding it challenging to find it. They are also challenged to find jobs with adequate wages that lead them to economic prosperity. We need to work collectively to provide options for more affordable housing, increase wages and ensure it is not only big business that prospers in good economic times.

Bio: Wendy Davis was raised by a single mother and is the daughter of a Vietnam War Vet and a union steward. Originally hailing from the Midwest, Wendy has proudly called Utah her home for 25 years. Wendy Davis has a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Utah and has spent her career as a higher education technology expert. Wendy has served on the Mount Jordan Middle School Community Council, on PTA in the Canyons School District, and has been an advocate for refugees. As a mother of four children and grandmother to seven with her husband Dean, Wendy is passionate about family-focused values. Wendy understands the struggles many families face today and is running to stand up for Utah families.

Website: www.wendydavisutah.com

Twitter: @wendydavisutah

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wdanleydavis

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wdanley/

Instagram: @wendydavisutah

Photo credit: Wendy Davis owns all rights to the photo

#plugintodevin #UtahValues #BoldSolutions #UTpol

#plugintodevin Show - Devin Thorpe for Congress

Guest: Nate Blouin

Issue: Expanding regional markets for continued growth of renewable energy.

Utah is still largely dependent on coal for electricity. Coal is becoming uneconomic and has always been a large source of pollution. As an outdoor athlete, burning fossil fuels is dangerous to my health through reduced air quality and endangers everyone along the Wasatch Front and throughout the Uinta Basin. Mineral leases risk destroying the lands we recreate on and that are sacred to indigenous tribes. Expanding regional energy markets will help renewable energy proliferate and will coordinate entities including utilities and other energy producers, ensuring a reliable an efficient grid. Regional markets exist in most of the United States, but the west's wide open spaces developed differently than other areas. Coordination will ensure prudent land use and will allow for a smaller footprint of energy infrastructure, protecting viewsheds, public lands and our environment.

Bio: Nate Blouin is the Interwest Energy Alliance’s Policy Manager. Nate joined Interwest in February 2020 and comes from a background in political campaigns, working for candidates in Utah at the city, state and federal levels. He most recently worked for Erin Mendenhall, Salt Lake City’s newly-elected mayor, shaping policy in areas including air quality, transportation, and homelessness. Nate graduated from Brown University with an MPA in 2019 and is also a proud alum of the University of Utah and Salt Lake Community College. His passion for civic engagement and renewable energy stem from his love of the outdoors: Nate is a competitive runner and avid backcountry skier. Additionally, Nate serves as a member of Salt Lake County’s Open Space Trust Committee and Salt Lake Community College’s Alumni Leadership Council.

Twitter: @natefromutah

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nablouin

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nate-blouin-b195a713/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nb.runsteep/

#plugintodevin #UtahValues #BoldSolutions #UTpol

#plugintodevin Show - Devin Thorpe for Congress

Guest: Jeff Silvestrini

Office Held: Mayor of Millcreek

Issue: Growth and redevelopment

Bio: I am the best mayor Millcreek, Utah, has ever had—and also its worst!

As the first and only mayor of this city of 63,000, settled in 1848 but not incorporated until 2017, I have had the rare opportunity to create a city government from scratch. Millcreek is an “inner-ring” suburb south of and adjacent to Salt Lake City. It is part of a metropolis home to over two million Utahns. Millcreek is namesake of the mountain stream which flows through our town. Our boundary extends from the alluvial fan of Mt. Olympus in the Wasatch Range on the east to the Jordan River bisecting the Valley of the Great Salt Lake on the west. Our residents include wealthy, educated east siders and a substantial immigrant and refugee population who are far less affluent, living predominantly our west side. We have some of the best performing schools in our state. We also have elementary schools in which 27 languages are spoken.

In Millcreek’s first years, I led our effort to form a lean, transparent and collaborative city government. I was re-elected by a 75% majority in 2019, to a new four year term. Since incorporation, we have launched comprehensive urban-planning efforts using innovative strategies to engage our entire community in envisioning its future. We are planning new town and neighborhood centers to address a housing shortage and to accommodate a population expected to double state-wide in 40 years. Consistent with the Wasatch Choice 2050 Plan, we are creating nodes of population density, which we hope will support rail or bus transit, reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality. We have incorporated active transportation plans for everyone in our city, embracing “disruptive technologies” like Bird and Lime bikes and scooters. We are encouraging renewable energy: solar, wind and geothermal with incentives to builders and by keeping our new city green from inception. We have launched an ambitious effort called “Millcreek Promise," a data driven, collective-impact program which sponsors and coordinates after-school programs, job skills trainings and public health initiatives designed to improve our residents’ lives and to solve social problems of underachievement, intergenerational poverty, crime and addiction. Our goal is for every child in Millcreek to have the opportunity to attend college or trade school. We are doing this on a balanced budget, without raising taxes and looking for grants like crazy. We have achieved a high degree of “customer satisfaction” with Millcreek residents, which has catalyzed volunteerism and activism toward achieving our common goals of bridging divides, building community and lifting all boats. Particularly given the dysfunction of government at the national level, local government is where differences can still be made by individuals.

About: I am at the epicenter of planning and approvals in my city. I also serve on the Central Wasatch Commission, a key to preserving our watershed and natural heritage. We need to properly plan to handle growth and keep Utah the sustainable place we have come to enjoy. I was born in Battle Creek, MI and grew up there and in Tiffin, OH. I attended the University of Michigan from 1972-1976. I moved to Salt Lake City to attend the University of Utah College of Law, graduating in 1979. I applied here on a whim to live in the mountains- never thought I would stay long- but ended up loving Utah, getting a law job and making it a career, marrying a Utah woman, raising two amazing daughters and finally deciding to run for mayor of my then yet-to-be formed new city.

Experience:

- Mayor of Millcreek, a Utah municipal corporation, Jan. 2017-present;

- Board Member, Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake, Jan. 2017-present;

- Board Member, Unified Fire Service Area, Jan. 2017-present;

- Board Memb(continued)

#plugintodevin Show - Devin Thorpe for Congress

Guest: Misty Frost

Issue: I think our community of learners is really focused on the impact to healthcare workers and what that means for their future job prospects.

I've always been passionate about giving people opportunities to improve their economic state. With the pandemic, and it's impact on our healthcare system, it's becoming clear that there are going to be more even more jobs in healthcare than we anticipated. Not only will there be jobs, but we're going to need to rethink those jobs in ways that provide even more opportunity for people in the field. I don't think anyone can say for sure yet how our lives will be changed post-pandemic, but we do know that with any cultural shift of this magnitude things will change. There are so many who are being negatively impacted right now, I'm really hoping that this can be an opportunity for people to find meaningful work in the areas we desperately need good people.

Bio: As CEO of Carrus, Misty drives the vision and strategy behind the company mission. Misty’s 25-year career includes extensive global experience at a senior executive level, including serving as SVP of global marketing at Instructure, where she led the global growth strategy and drove value from a private startup to a publicly traded business valued at over $1 billion. Prior to this role, she served as VP of delivery services for Datamark and worked with various global brands, including Intel, Nortel Networks, Hyatt Hotels, and Disney. In addition to leading the charge at Carrus, Misty serves on the board of directors for Marketware and Equality Utah. She’s also an active member in the Women’s Tech Council and Utah Wonder Women, a group dedicated to developing women’s executive leadership.

Website: www.carruslearn.com

#plugintodevin #UtahValues #BoldSolutions #UTpol