Don't Waste Salt Lake County

Thank you to Salt Lake County Councilwoman Jani Iwamoto, the rest of the Democratic-led Salt Lake County Council and Mayor Peter Corroon. The county is no place for storage of high-level radioactive waste. We don't want it, and now the county is on record saying so.

Councilman David Wilde, a Murray Republican, doesn't want to waste our county, either. Councilman Wilde joined with others on the Council in supporting the resolution to keep waste from landing within our borders.

Turning Utah into a dumping ground for toxic radioactive waste is the third-rail of politics, folks. Poll after poll has shown that Utahns of all political stripes oppose storing radioactive waste in our state. I feel sure that candidates who fail to take a firm stand against dumping the stuff in our state will do so at their own peril.

The Island Life

Jeremiah Stettler, who reports on Salt Lake County government for The Salt Lake Tribune, writes today about "islands" within the county--in this case, 33 enclaves surrounded by the city of Sandy that remain unincorporated. The people who populate these scattered residences prefer to get their services from the county--trash collection, police and fire, street maintenance.

Back in the '90s, these residents made it clear they liked being islanders within the bigger, growing city of Sandy. And yet one of those islands--the unincorporated area of Granite (far eastern edge of Sandy) will vote in November to determine whether it should become a township and remain free of incorporation within Sandy.

Is it self-determination? Is it a cheaper way to live with lower taxes? I must say living so seems rather charming. What do you think?