Courtesy photo

Brandon Gordon wants to make commission meetings more available to the public, if elected.

Gordon, one of two vying for the GOP nomination for Utah County Commission seat B, believes the meetings aren’t public friendly being held at 2 p.m. on Wednesdays. One of his first acts as a commissioner would be to move them later in the evening.

“If people have to come to a meeting because they have a complaint or they just want to see what they budget looks like, most people are at work at 2 p.m. on a Wednesday. I think government needs to be more transparent. That would be one of my first goals so that people can attend and interact with their elected officials,” Gordon said.

Gordon also would look to strengthen the county’s relationship with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office. He has focused on law enforcement as a member of the Spanish Fork City Council.

“My number one thing has always been public safety,” he said. “I’ve gotten to know all the different departments in the city, but law enforcement has been a big focus for me. I go to their trainings; I’ve been through Taser training, and I’m working on passing their physical fitness test.”

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald

Gordon touts the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of Police, Sheriff Mike Smith and several mayors throughout the county.

“The majority of the mayors and city councils are supporting me,” he said. “I think they want someone they can sit around with. Commissioner (Bill) Lee has a degree in being a politician, and I have a degree in business. I would rather sit around a table with the people and solve problems than politics.”

Gordon is in his third term on the Spanish Fork City Council, he believes his 11 years of experience on the council make him qualified to be a commissioner.

None of the current commissioners or other candidates previously sat on a city council. “I think that sets me a part knowing how city budgets work,” he said.

If elected, Gordon wants to build stronger connections with all the cities within the county by regularly attending council meetings.

“From Lehi, Alpine, Highland and all the way to Goshen, I have relationships with many of them,” he said. “The county has to work with the cities as they are growing. For me, there are issues in every city in the county and we will be successful with helping all of them work together. That’s how government should work.”

Gordon said he is confident heading into the June 28 GOP primary after finding success at the Utah County Republican Convention in April. Gordon finished the second round of balloting at the convention with 53.6% of the vote while Lee finished with 46.4%.

“That was a big victory for me, so I’m feeling really good,” he said. “A lot of people tell be there’s power in incumbency, but a lot of people are realizing that Lee’s been there for almost a decade, and they want to see someone else in that seat.”

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