by Haley Sotelo Capital West News Service SLC, Utah–The 26th of January marked this year’s beginning of another legislative session where politicians from across the state will gather to debate and assess the needs of the people they represent.
Brad King, D-Price, was recently elected as a member of the Utah House of Representatives. He has the unique distinction, however, of having previously represented District 69 (Carbon, Duchesne, Emery, and Grand counties) once before from 1997 to 2009. Currently, he is serving on multiple committees, including the House Business and Labor Committee and the House Transportation Committee.
“My family influences every part of my life,” King said. He and his wife, Tami, have three grown sons and a grandson. “Part of the reason I want to serve is to make sure that we do things that are good for all of Utah’s families. I’m especially concerned about education and public health and those kinds of things that are, I guess, a direct reflection of the concern that I have for my family and for my grandchildren as they come along.”
In his recent campaign, King identified three priorities that he plans to focus on during this session: education, rural jobs development, and rural highway safety. Concerning education, District 69 ranks 12th of 75 districts in population without high school diplomas at 15 percent and 69th for those whose highest educational attainment is a bachelor’s degree at 11 percent. “I did this before and I found it a great way to be involved and make a difference in those things that I think are important for the state and for, like I said, our families, so I decided that it was time to run again and try to further those things and see if I could finish those things that I didn’t finish before,” King said as he recalled his recent election.
During his previous experience at the Legislature, King worked alongside Patrice Arent and Carol Moss, both Democrats, who continue to serve their Salt Lake County constituencies in the House Representatives. “He is an excellent legislator and truly works unbelievably hard to represent his constituents. He is one of the smartest people I have ever worked with and has a great sense of humor,” Arent said of King and their four years together in the House democratic leadership.
Rep. Moss was likewise complimentary of King. “He works hard, but gives others credit. He is a work horse, not a show horse. His years in higher education, as both a teacher and administrator, give him a unique perspective of the need to fund education and shape policies that will give young people opportunities for success,” Moss said in a prepared statement issued to Capital West News.
