County executive candidate hates government waste

During his first meeting with members of the Cache County Council, David Zook laid out an ambitious agenda for his first year as county executive.

CACHE COUNTY – Supporters of David N. Zook for the position of Cache County executive argue that their candidate’s prior experience will ensure a smooth transition into that role.

“Cache County needs David Zook,” according to Shaun Dustin, the mayor of Nibley. “He is one of those rare individuals whose desire to serve and capacity to lead are both off the charts. No one else running (for county executive) has a track record of proven leadership in government.”

Zook is one of four candidates in the running for the now-vacant county executive position. His rivals in the GOP special election slated for Saturday are local businessman Marc Ensign, transportation executive Ladd Kennington, and Cache County Councilman David Erickson.

If selected by Cache Republicans to be county executive, Zook says that one of his top priorities will be to use his nine years of experience as city manager of Nibley to ensure that the county is using the public’s tax dollars efficiently.

“I hate government waste,” Zook explains. “When the public trusts their government with their money, that’s a sacred trust that must be honored.”

Zook is a Logan resident and a graduate of Southern Utah University, where he serves as a professor in the Master of Public Administration program.

Zook’s previous public service experience includes leadership roles with the Cache Chamber of Commerce, the Family Place, the Hyde Park Planning Commission and the Logan Lion’s Club.

He has also served on the central committees of both the Utah Republican Party and the Cache County Republican Party.

In addition to Dustin, other advocates for Zook’s candidacy include Damon Cann, the mayor of North Logan; Tim Ramirez, a former Nibley city council member; and, familiar local political observers Paul Davis and Keegan Garrity.

“This isn’t just a promise,” Zook says, referring to his intent to make every county department improve, modernize and upgrade customer service. “It’s something I’ve delivered on (as Nibley city manager). Our citizens are better informed, their city council members are able to make intelligent budget decisions and the city has had clean audits and budget surpluses every year.”

The upcoming special election will take place during a GOP County Central Committee meeting Saturday morning at the Cache County Event Center, with usual coronavirus precautions in effect.

Although that gathering is a public meeting, party chair Chris Booth recommends that only members of the central committee and county delegates attend due to the coronavirus.

“We will be streaming the meeting live on our Facebook page for the general public.”

Under state law, local GOP leaders will select a nominee to serve out the remainder of Buttars’ unexpired term as county executive and forward that name to the Cache County Council for approval.

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