Fall brings cooler weather, colorful leaves, pumpkins, and election signs. Please make note that Utah has different election dates this year.
Council member Aston and I attended the Naturalization ceremony for 80 people from 37 countries last month. As they all stood together with their American flag in their left hand and their right hand raised to take their oath as a new American, I listened carefully to the words.
"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God."
Civic duty plays a vital role in maintaining a thriving community. Voting is one of the most important civic roles we have. After the ceremony, and receiving their citizenship certificate, many took the opportunity to speak. There were tears as they took the microphone and shared their gratitude of becoming a citizen of the United States of America. Most of them said that they left their country because they had lost their right to vote. Sometimes, we just need to talk to another person who has lost that right to be reminded of the gift we have been given.
In Bluffdale, we have about 20,000 residents. Of those, 9,389 are registered to vote. In the primary election we had 1,916 ballots returned. I know it is hard to understand all the issues or to know who to vote for. Please come (or watch) meet the candidates on November 2nd at City Hall hosted by the Bluffdale Lions Club. Please reach out to the City Council or city staff to ask questions. You can visit https://vote.utah.gov/ to access the candidates’ websites or emails. There is another important issue on the Bluffdale ballot. Proposition #13 can also be found at https://vote.utah.gov/ This proposition is about the Fire and Police Protection Fund. If you have additional questions regarding this item, you can reach out to the City Council or city staff or visit https://www.bluffdale.com/budget
Enjoy the cooler weather, leaves, warm drinks, and election signs this fall. As always, let’s work together to remember our freedoms. Feel free to reach out to me anytime nhall@bluffdale.com.