If you’re reading this, you’re doing your diligence to research candidates. Thank you for becoming an informed voter!
I’m Alan Wessman, and I’m running for the Utah County Commission in 2024.
I’ve lived in Utah County for nearly 30 years and, like many of you, I’ve seen the tremendous growth and change that the county has experienced over that time.
I bring a moderate, problem-solving, friendly approach to politics. I’m not here to make enemies or to fight silly battles. I want to help the county and its residents face the real-world challenges and opportunities with a rational, facts-based mindset.
I’m a member of the United Utah Party, which is a moderate party local to Utah that reflects these values of common-sense problem solving and cooperation.
We strongly believe in ethical government, and my personal commitment and assurance to you is that I do not have, and will not have, any financial or personal conflicts of interest for a county commissioner.
I welcome your support. Visit the Contribute page to help fund my campaign, or reach out via email to volunteer. Please also spread the word to any other Utah County voters who are looking for someone like me to serve as commissioner.
I’ve been interviewed about my campaign by several outlets. Here are some useful links to those interviews.
If you’re like me, you want to know a bit about the person on your ballot. Here’s what you should know about me.
I’ve lived in Utah for most of my life and I am a longtime resident (nearly twenty years) of Spanish Fork.
I came to Utah at the age of four when my dad ended his honorable service in the United States Navy submarine corps and took a job with Utah Power and Light as a power generation engineer. My family settled in West Valley City, where I attended Robert Frost Elementary and Valley Junior High.
My father had a job change that took our family to a rural part of western Washington state, and I spent my four years of high school there. Then another job change took the family back to West Valley City, Utah—but I headed off to college at Brigham Young University. I was honored to be a recipient of BYU’s highest scholarship award for incoming freshmen.
Aside from a two-year stint in Hokkaido, Japan, I’ve lived in Utah County ever since: Provo, Orem, and finally Spanish Fork. My wife Shannon and I are the parents of four delightful and highly amusing daughters.
I graduated from BYU with a bachelors in Computer Science and later earned a masters degree in the same field, also from BYU. I’ve worked as a software engineer for employers in fields ranging from higher education to mobile-app startups to cybersecurity firms. I love analyzing systems to understand what they do, identifying problems, and devising solutions—skills that I’m ready to apply to public service.
I’ve been involved in civic matters throughout my life. I was a Boy Scout as a teen and served as Scoutmaster for seven years for two different troops. I volunteered as a signature collector for an anti-gerrymandering ballot initiative (Prop 4) and for other candidates. I have attended numerous town hall and city council meetings and have frequently communicated with federal, state, and local representatives. I vote in every election and I have contributed as an unpaid volunteer to an open-source election management software project.
In 2022, I ran for my state House seat in Spanish Fork as a candidate for the United Utah Party. I greatly enjoyed being able to visit the homes of voters and talk with them about issues.
In preparation for this election, I have been attending city council meetings across the county to become informed about the issues that county residents and the various cities are concerned about. I’ve been able to meet some great community leaders and involved citizens! I’ve also met with the other county commissioners and other county personnel to understand their view from within county government. And I’ve studied the financial reports and budgets published by the county to see how the county has been receiving and spending its funds.
I’m an avid hiker, a recent first-time marathoner, a fan of Brandon Sanderson’s writing, a passable reader and speaker of Japanese, and a shameless punner. Don’t hold that last one against me!
I get this question a lot. It’s not a highly visible position like president, governor, or senator (thank goodness). So it’s one of those things that people hear about but don’t usually know the details about.
A county commission is one form of county government allowed under Utah state law. Another form is council-manager, where the manager is hired by the county council to administer the operations of the county; and another is council-mayor, where both the council and mayor are elected positions. There are pros and cons to each one, but let’s talk about the commission form here.
County commissions combine the powers of a council and executive. Utah County has three commission seats, all of which are at-large (serving the entire county, not just a district) and partisan. One of those seats is up for election in 2024.
Commissioners have many responsibilities. They include budgeting, planning, passing county ordinances, levying taxes, overseeing county operations, coordinating with city and state governments, serving on various boards, and meeting with residents.
What does county government do? Lots of things:
As you can see, overseeing such a broad array of responsibilities is a demanding job. It requires someone who can learn about, understand, and communicate about a wide variety of issues. It requires someone who cares about the facts on the ground and who can see clearly where the needs are, without the blinders of partisanship.
I am the candidate in this race who can meet those needs. I would be honored to have your vote!