Herm Olsen

Herm Olsen was born and raised in Logan. He graduated from USU and went to law school at the University of Utah. He has been an attorney for the Navajo tribe at the Navajo Indian Reservation, he has been on the legislative counsel for Congressman Gunn McKay, and he worked for the Interior Appropriations Committee in the House of Representatives. He has been a practicing attorney at Hillyard, Anderson and Olsen for 28 years.

Utah Statesman: If you are elected, how will you improve Logan?

Olsen: I don’t know that I can do much alone, but I hope that as a part of a city council, we will really commit to work on the serious air quality problem that Cache County has. I am concerned about the serious traffic congestion that seems to be getting worse, and I hope to promote higher use of the transit system and bike paths. There’s much debate on whether an increased budget for the transit system will increase ridership. I support any idea that’s going to get us out of our vehicles more and onto the bus more. We have a culture, especially here in the West, which makes us think that we have the right to drive from our front porch to within 15 feet of where we want to go. And in the long term, we simply are going to have to recognize that such convenience comes at a high price – not only financially as gas prices go up, but environmentally, as we damage a fairly thin curtain of air that we have to breathe. It’s not a simple solution, it will come at some cost, but I do believe we owe it to ourselves, our children and our grandchildren to seriously address air quality and our quality of life in Logan.

Statesman: How will your decisions affect university students?

Olsen: Obviously Utah State is part of the broader community, but over the years, we have really tried to work with both the downtown and the university to promote both understanding and cooperation. I sat for several years as a member of the Chamber of Commerce USU Relations Committee. I currently serve on the (USU) President’s Committee to promote understanding and cooperation between the university and Logan City. The issues which we address involve off-campus housing, parking issues, coordination of bike paths and pedestrian traffic. Improved bus service to get students off campus to downtown and back to campus is always an important issue, but Logan City also needs to create reasons why the students will want to come downtown.

Statesman: What do you feel are the important issues facing this year’s election?

Olsen: People are funny, because we pay so much attention to presidential campaigns and national issues, but nothing affects our lives more directly than local government. When you turn on the tap, it’s the local government which supplies the water. When you flip the light switch, it’s local government that provides the power. Local government provides garbage pickup and sewer capacity. All of these issues affect the lives of students every day, in a very dramatic way. It’s the job of local government to make sure those crucial services are delivered timely and with the least cost. So we really should pay close attention to municipal races, but typically, only 15 percent of the population even bothers to vote. And of all voting groups, young people have the poorest record of voting. I hope that changes Tuesday.

Statesman: Why are you running for City Council?

Olsen: For years I have encouraged people and challenged people to run for local office. I have been the city attorney for various municipalities (including Paradise, Garden City, Snowville, Nibley, Millville and Hyde Park), and I have recognized that we always need committed, dedicated people to undertake a rather thankless job. After spending so many years encouraging others to run, I’ve finally decided that I should put my money where my mouth was, and I can’t think of a better place to serve than on the City Council.