Utah Public Radio published this article in collaboration with the Sanpete Messenger as part of its election coverage.
Russ Hatch
Constitution
Russ Hatch and his wife, Becky, moved to Manti nine years ago. They have two children and a number of grandchildren. Both are retired but remain active in community and church activities.
Hatch earned a bachelor of science degree in political science from the University of Utah and served five years on active duty as a United States Army officer. He has participated in political-party functions at the county, state and national levels.
Hatch supports the Constitution Party platform, which he says represents traditional American values better than other party platforms.
Hatch says Utah leaders should judge legislation by whether it helps or hinders residents, rather than by the number of bills they introduce or pass. He identifies minimum wages, cost of living, quality of life, health care, education quality and taxes as concerns, and says he would focus on improving residents' quality of life.
Hatch identifies agriculture and limited water supplies as major issues in House District 66. He would consult local communities on conservation measures, support state action to preserve water sources and keep control of resources close to local users.
He says local communities know their resources and planned-growth needs best. However, when communities compete for a shared water source, he says, the state should act as a broker.
Breanne Mashek
Democrat
Breanne Mashek moved to Fayette, Utah, with her family after a period of nomadic living that followed the family’s departure from Denver in 2020. She has lived in Fayette for the past five years.
Mashek says decisions about rural water, public schools and Snow College should reflect the needs of Juab and Sanpete residents. She would protect Snow College by urging the Legislature to consider rural workforce needs, not only statewide wage data, when assessing programs. She also calls for a legislative audit of how state water programs, including conservation grants and leasing, affect rural water rights.
Mashek says rural Utah has much at stake as population growth along the Wasatch Front increases pressure on water. She supports voluntary agricultural water-optimization grants, water banking and short-term leasing that lets farmers earn income in dry years without permanently selling water rights out of the valley. She also supports state help with secondary irrigation metering and water infrastructure for growing communities. She says policy should protect existing water rights and farms first, ensure growing towns have reliable supplies and pursue conservation.
Troy Shelley
Republican
Troy Shelley began exploring business as a child, raising farm animals and participating in high school and college business clubs. He built a marketing career that included 12 years with local radio stations, where he studied business strengths and weaknesses.
Shelley now works through his management company as a business consultant and partner in an industrial gas supply business, a landscape rock business and other ventures. He has also mentored businesses and individuals.
Shelley has served as a volunteer EMT, held church leadership positions, chaired the Sanpete County Republican Party, served as a state delegate and worked on local and state campaigns.
During his first year in the Utah House of Representatives, he passed legislation that protected access to public land, established parameters for carbon-credit sales, addressed a property-tax assessment issue involving out-of-area property owners, created a state park and removed regulations affecting automobiles and small businesses.
Shelley and his wife, Melanie, have five children and grandchildren. He enjoys riding horses and four-wheelers, spotting wildlife and spending time in Utah's mountains.
Shelley says Utah can help Sanpete and Juab counties by respecting local control. He argues that residents who live in the area understand its needs better than people outside the region. He also calls for attention to the amount of federal land in the counties. Shelley says the federal government has a constitutional obligation to transfer that land to the state and should make fair Payments in Lieu of Taxes while it retains the land. He says those payments could help rural schools, aging water infrastructure and high-mountain water storage.
Shelley calls energy, farming and natural resources the foundation of the economy. He says Utah must compete in the energy race and maintain reliable, available and dispatchable energy. He says a weak energy supply would damage the economy.
Shelley says federal forest management affects local communities because each tree consumes significant amounts of water. He supports what he calls common-sense projects that strengthen the community and quality of life. He also says local, state and federal leaders should prioritize affordable housing. Shelley opposes state housing subsidies, arguing that government intervention in the market disrupts its balance, picks winners and losers and lets some people profit from taxpayer dollars.
Shelley encourages residents to participate in the political process and learn how Utah develops state policy. He supports regulations that address real needs and repealing policies that do not. He says policies should build the economy, strengthen youth, secure freedoms, improve health and prevent abuse of power. He asks residents to weigh their views against the Constitution and basic human dignity.
