Salt Lake Tribune, February 25, 2010

OREM -- Former Alpine School Superintendent Steven Baugh hopes second time is the charm.

Baugh announced Tuesday that he will make a second run as a Democrat against Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem. Baugh spoke before a group of 30 supporters and family members at Foothill Elementary School, a building designed by Sandstrom's architectural firm.

In the 2008 election, Baugh received nearly 40 percent of the vote, a showing Democratic Party chairman Richard Davis earlier said was a sign that the Republican hold on the county was weakening.

"I think I can get him this time," Baugh said of Sandstrom. But he said speaking out on the issues of education, the economy and legislative ethics was most important.

Sandstrom was not available for comment at press time, and did not return messages left at the Legislature.

Baugh, who now teaches educational leadership at Brigham Young University, said his parents, who were at his announcement, instilled in him fiscal and social conservatism.

"On the key hot-button issues of abortion and same-sex marriage, let me be clear: I have the same values as you do," Baugh said. "Every abortion is a tragedy, and I believe marriage is a union between a man and a woman."

Baugh said the Legislature has wasted time feuding with the federal government and debating whether to create another state holiday while ignoring overcrowded and underfunded schools, as well as cutting back on Utah Valley University's funding. He said UVU is vital not only to the economy but to helping people get the education and skills they need to work.

Marilyn Simister, a long-time school volunteer, said Baugh understands the importance of education and can help legislators grasp it, too.

"Education is the one thing that will save this country," she said.

Baugh also supports Utahns for Ethical Government's ethics initiative. He said the bills the Legislature has drafted in response are weak by comparison.

"For a lobbyist to give $20,000 to $30,000, and a legislator to say 'it doesn't influence my vote' is appalling," Baugh said.