The Truth - Answers to Opponent Email

1 - The quote is taken from a deceptively edited video. The blue text below is the quote she sent out and the red text is the remainder of what was actually said and the question to which I was responding.

Question from Representative Peterson (paraphrased for clarity and length): ‘I’m concerned that this option will become permanent in the future. Can you address that concern?’

"I have received all the same emails that you have received raising that issue. And of course, this legislature can do whatever it wants. Right?! Like we're the sovereign power in the state, we can pass what...(booing) we can pass what laws we choose to pass within the framework... ." of both the State and U.S. Constitutions, and I cannot guarantee what any future legislature may or may not do, but I have no intention other than making this available as an option to those that want it.” - to see the actual video go HERE.

As most of you know, I work VERY hard, through multiple avenues, to reach out and hear your views on issues, as well as keep you posted on important issues during the session and throughout the year.  Out of hundreds of emails I’ve sent out over the years, I don’t think one ever went out without an encouragement to reach out to me.  And, I thought it went without saying at the time, we are ALWAYS subject to the will of the people through elections.

2 - I did vote for the new state flag. Constituents that I heard from were split on the matter. My opponent clearly disagrees with my vote and I appreciate her passion for the issue. She is incorrect in asserting we should have put it out for voters to decide. The Utah Constitution strictly reserves the power to put issues on the ballot to the people.  The legislature has NO legal means to put such a question on the ballot. A citizen initiative to put the issue on the ballot failed to gather enough signatures to do so because they could not find enough support.

I love the State Seal that is on the old flag. It’s intricate design and symbolism is profoundly meaningful, but you can’t see those beautiful details when it’s being flown, and it’s virtually indistinguishable from the other fifteen state flags that are also a blue background with a state seal on it. I love that a lot of that symbolism is in the new flag, but in a way that it can be distinguished from a distance.

3 - Yes, I did vote for a bill in 2019 that would have been, at the time, the largest tax cut in Utah history. There were several pieces to this bill but overall it was a $160 million tax cut.  The goal was to lower taxes, but also deal with an imbalance between income and sales taxes that will likely cause budgeting problems in the future. I held a townhall specifically to discuss this issue prior to voting and those in attendance were supported the proposed bill by about 75%.  Because this was done in a special session before the end of the year so the tax cuts would be effective for 2020, I was unable to do the typical survey I do prior to the General Session and had to make the best decision I could based on the information I had.  After the initial vote, the citizen initiative and additional feedback indicated the will of the people generally was against the change. I voted to repeal that change in the 2020 General Session.   

The Constitutional Amendment measure on the ballot this November is a potential solution to the original problem, but you, the voters will decide whether it is the solution you prefer. The process for a proposed Constitutional Amendments is that it must be passed by the Legislature and then go to a vote of the people.  

4 - This year I voted for two bills that would revitalize areas of Salt Lake that are currently either not generating any revenue because it is largely fallow land (as is the case on the west side of Salt Lake) or dramatically underperforming due to changes in the downtown area.  NEITHER BILL GIVES ANY MONEY TO CORPORATIONS OR BILLIONAIRES.  In the case of the westside revitalization, the Miller Family will be putting $3.5 BILLION into the revitalization effort on the westside, including cleaning up the Jordan River area.  IF, and only IF, an MLB expansion team comes to Utah, stadium tickets, parking, and restaurants near the stadium (as examples), will pay a user fee type sales tax.  Basically, the people who use the stadium will pay the tax.  In addition, there would be a 1.5% increase in the tourism rental car tax paid by out of state visitors.  The Miller Family would donate $900 million toward the cost of the stadium, roughly half, donate the stadium to the State, and then pay lease payments to the State for the use of the stadium.  I worked very hard on this issue to ensure that it protects Utah citizens, that it is paid for by those who benefit, and benefits all our citizens.  To hear more details on this project go HERE. To hear more about the downtown project go HERE.

So much Baloney! We're going to need more bread and cheese!

The website LincolnFillmore.org has been circulating recently.  My pledge was to be open and honest with you, so I am sending this link along with the answers to these allegations.  

Baloney:

Truth:

This was taken entirely out of context.  See the whole video below. The Tribune published a correction admitting the inaccuracy, which you can easily see at the bottom of the original story.

See what I actually said below.

Baloney:

Truth:

This quote comes from a document titled, “Conflict of Interest Disclosure.”  Far from “bragging” about my role as a Senator, the statement is the beginning of my statement that I will not use my position to further my business interests or those of my clients.  My only focus is on doing what is best for those I represent.  

Here is the whole quote.  The full "Conflict of Interest Disclosure," along with other documents, can be seen to the left as your scroll to read the facts.  All of these documents and more were given to Chris Jones prior to his story and posted on my Facebook page for easy access to anyone interested.

The entire KUTV report was blatantly dishonest and full of quotes taken out of context, ignoring established facts, and outright lies.  

June 6, 2019 Facebook Post in answer to allegations:

I  suppose the “There you go again!” quote by Ronald Reagan is too long ago for many people to remember, but there are days I SO want to use that quote. Chris Jones from KUTV ran yet another “expose” about my supposed “self-dealing” with charter schools. I provided Chris with all the documentation proving that such a claim is ridiculously false, including the federal bureaucracy’s own guidance, showing that the schools I work with followed all program rules. Actually, it would be great to have Chris investigate USAC (the federal bureaucracy), which is operating in violation of its own rules and harming Utah public schools in the process. I suppose that didn’t serve his purposes, though. Since you won't be getting them from KUTV, I want you to have the facts, so I've included them below, along with all the supporting documentation.  

Here are the facts:. 

There is a federal program (E-Rate) that helps schools and libraries pay for technology upgrades. There are a lot of rules governing this program and the rules are complicated enough that most schools hire a consultant to help them with the process. My company, Charter Solutions, does not do that kind of consulting, nor do we hire vendors for any charter school. Decisions on purchasing are made by the school administration or board regarding vendors, outside consultants, and items or services to purchase. All this is done completely outside the services that Charter Solutions provides. Here are the facts that I outlined for Mr. Jones. These were emailed to him along with documentation to back up these statements.

- Charter Solutions did not hire H-Wire to do any work for Treeside Charter or any other charter school. In fact, Charter Solutions had no decision-making power at Treeside, has no decision-making power at any charter school, and did not hire H-Wire for any purpose at any charter school.

- I do not have any role within H-Wire. In fact, I am not an officer, manager, employee, or anything at H-Wire, other than an original investor (of $75!) in the company. I have never had any role in its decisions, processes, or services, and am no longer an investor.

- Charter Solutions’ staff plays no role in E-Rate, the program in question. In fact, we specifically opt out of any involvement in any aspect of E-Rate because we were aware of the potential conflict, disclosed the potential conflict to the school, specifically declined when requested to provide information about E-Rate, all following the published guidance and rules for the program. (All documentation is attached to this post.)

An overreaching federal agency denied funding for this school citing a conflict of interest on my part. As you can see from the attached documents, they did that ignoring their own rules, without reviewing the evidence (they didn't even bother to call the school or the independent consultant), and without even a claim that anyone involved did anything wrong. The real story here is of a rogue federal agency that is targeting a Utah public school that did everything right.

Baloney:

Truth:

Phil Faulkner’s letter of resignation can be found HERE and refers to Charter Solutions as a “GREAT company, willing to do the right thing.”  Phil’s life took some sad turns at the end of his employment with Charter Solutions.  We tried to work with him, but in the end, his personal issues led to his resignation. You’ll see from his letter and from the news story that his issues were with the school’s superintendent, and not with Charter Solutions, which supported the school through this difficulty.

The false allegations that this story made were investigated by the State Charter School Board. After two months of restructure that included terminating the employment of the school superintendent, the school is back in regular standing and is still working with Charter Solutions, which continues to provide quality accounting and payroll services.

Tribune deals Baloney Through a Wild Misquote

This is a Facebook Post from Feb 6, 2019

NOT SO TRUSTED NEWS – A few days ago the Salt Lake Tribune ran an article that wildly misquoted me regarding the Proposition 3 debate. I called Mr. Wood and they issued the following correction: “An earlier version of this report mischaracterized Sen. Lincoln Fillmore’s arguments in support of SB96.” Yesterday, yet again, the Tribune, under George Pyle, ran what they know is absolutely false information. Most of the general public is very skeptical of news reports and this is exactly why. My words are being knowingly misrepresented and I will not let this out and out lie stand. The words the Tribune attribute to me were very clearly what the advocates of Prop 3 are saying, not what I am saying or what I believe. The clip of my speech from the Senate floor is below. Anyone, even a Tribune reporter with minimal knowledge of computers and the Utah.gov website, can access the actual speeches online with just a couple of clicks. The Tribune reporting is intentionally misleading and shows the true bias of this paper and its reporters. “Fake news” is becoming a more popular phrase than ever and we can certainly see why in this example.

To hear the whole Senate floor debate, go to https://le.utah.gov/av/floorArchive.jsp?markerID=105455

KUTV Sure has a lot of Baloney

This is a copy of our Facebook Post from June 6, 2019 pointing out the Baloney in another attack.  (Sorry these are pretty long responses, but I believe you deserve the real facts)

I suppose the “There you go again!” quote by Ronald Reagan is too long ago for many people to remember, but there are days I SO want to use that quote. Chris Jones from KUTV ran yet another “expose” about my supposed “self-dealing” with charter schools. I provided Chris with all the documentation proving that such a claim is ridiculously false, including the federal bureaucracy’s own guidance, showing that the schools I work with followed all program rules. Actually, it would be great to have Chris investigate USAC (the federal bureaucracy), which is operating in violation of its own rules and harming Utah public schools in the process. I suppose that didn’t serve his purposes, though.

Since you won’t be getting them from KUTV, I want you to have the facts, so I’ve included them below, along with all the supporting documentation. If you have questions, please IM, email or call me. I will be happy to talk to you about this issue. Also, don’t forget my town hall on June 15th.

Here are the facts:

There is a federal program (E-Rate) that helps schools and libraries pay for technology upgrades. There are a lot of rules governing this program and the rules are complicated enough that most schools hire a consultant to help them with the process. My company, Charter Solutions, does not do that kind of consulting, nor do we hire vendors for any charter school. Decisions on purchasing are made by the school administration or board regarding vendors, outside consultants, and items or services to purchase. All this is done completely outside the services that Charter Solutions provides. Here are the facts that I outlined for Mr. Jones. These were emailed to him along with documentation to back up these statements.

• Charter Solutions did not hire H-Wire to do any work for Treeside Charter or any other charter school. In fact, Charter Solutions had no decision-making power at Treeside, has no decision-making power at any charter school, and did not hire H-Wire for any purpose at any charter school.
• I do not have any role within H-Wire. In fact, I am not an officer, manager, employee, or anything at H-Wire, other than an original investor in the company. I have never had any role in its decisions, processes, or services, and am no longer an investor.
• Charter Solutions’ staff plays no role in E-Rate, the program in question. In fact, we specifically opt out of any involvement in any aspect of E-Rate because we were aware of the potential conflict, disclosed the potential conflict to the school, specifically declined when requested to provide information about E-Rate, all following the published guidance and rules for the program. (All documentation is attached to this post.)

An overreaching federal agency denied funding for this school citing a conflict of interest on my part. As you can see from the attached documents, they did that ignoring their own rules, without reviewing the evidence (they didn't even bother to call the school or the independent consultant), and without even a claim that anyone involved did anything wrong. The real story here is of a rogue federal agency that is targeting a Utah public school that did everything right.

Old Baloney from 2016 (Yeah it gets kinda Old But Our Opponent Keeps Trying to Serve It Up)

These are posts from our Original Baloney Blog back in 2016 exposing the Baloney our opponent was dishing out even back then.  Some of the links are no longer working and we don't have all the pictures, but hopefully this helps you understand just how long he's been serving the baloney to the voters!

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WOW! There are too many accusations in this one to put in the title!
Posted June 16, 2016

There is SO much BALONEY in this one you could make bologna sandwiches for my whole pretend 4th Grade class, but that is another post. Here’s a piece that keeps showing up on my opponent’s supports Facebook posts, but we haven’t seen it in the mail yet.

My Opponents Flyer full of Baloney

The Truth:
I have never sponsored legislation that pushes additional funding to charter schools.

SB244 had nothing to do with charter schools. It directs new funding to lowfunded school districts and actually is a net negative for charter school funding. I’ll post more on how this bill works in a later post.

SB38, the “charter funding bill,” was drafted and approved by the Charter School Funding Task Force BEFORE Aaron Osmond stepped down and I was elected to the legislature. My only role in it was to help negotiate the bill to be more favorable to school districts.

• This one is a technicality, but APS donated $3,000 total but nothing more. APS is actually a competitor of mine but they trust and respect me and know that I understand the issues that are of concern to them. It is quite customary to donate to legislators that you believe understand the issues you face.  Charter Solutions is not a management company and charges no “management fees.” The company has no decision making power at any school.
• The $2 million that schools have paid Charter Solutions went to purchase software and to pay personnel who work at schools. We provide business and administrative services that saved those schools more than $3 million in administrative costs that they would have paid if they had to provide the same services on their own. (BTW, Jordan District paid more than $30 million to third-party companies in 2015.)
• My salary is just over $83,000. Because I own part of the company, I also earned just under $43,000 in profit in 2015 (about 2.7 percent of revenue) making my total earnings about $126,000. When you add in benefits (taxes, health insurance, and retirement), my total compensation is about $144,000. That’s a comfortable living, but certainly not excessive or profiteering. That’s less than the business administrator at most school districts–even very small ones. In fact, that’s less than the earnings of 19 employees of Jordan School District.  A total of 63 JSD employees earn over $130,000.
• SB91 had nothing to do with Charter Management Companies or charter schools. And it would have done nothing to increase any transparency as it was originally drafted. Instead, it would have given power to the State Government to force itself into the private finances of any company, that provided any service, to any school, for any amount, even with no allegation or hint of wrongdoing.  That would have included Nicholas Food Service, that provides food for lunch programs, Sahara construction, PlayTime playground equipment, or the company that provides internet service and hosts their email. SB91 was amended so that local schools and school districts have the ability to ensure that tax dollars are not spent illegally while protecting private businesses from having their entire business, both private and public clients, opened up to an overreaching government bureaucracy. I voted for the amended bill on the Senate floor.

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My opponent says my supporters stole his campaign signs. Truth or Baloney?
Posted June 7, 2016

I try very hard to always be positive but sometimes it is sad to see the attacks from my opponent and I need to call it what it is; Baloney! His latest is going on TV and accusing my supporters of stealing his signs with absolutely no proof, just innuendo and attack. I understand he even falsely claimed it must be the charter school I run down the street doing the stealing…only I don’t run the Charter School down the street. Just another baseless accusation.

1. Sadly Sign Wars often bring about the worst in people and campaigns, but I have made clear from the start that I don’t want my campaign run that way. I have too much trust in you, the people in District 10. It is never okay to steal signs or deface them or place them in such a way to obscure our opponent’s signs. Sadly, I added the last one because we have had dozens of reports and pictures texted to us of our opponent’s campaign doing just that. See pictures here.

2. Every campaign has signs “stolen.” Our campaign has had a bunch of signs taken also. It is an expensive and sad fact but a fact nonetheless. Some, I’m sure, are taken down because they were put in place they weren’t supposed to be. Some are taken by teenagers just wanting to be mischievous or because it is “something to do.”

3. Most importantly, this is SO disrespectful to the voters. There are many pressing issues in Senate District 10 and in our State. Let’s talk about the issues that affect the people we represent. They are struggling to make ends meet, get the best education for their children, grow their businesses and cope with a federal government that grows more intrusive in their lives every day. Let’s talk about what is important to them! Here is a link to the bills I ran in my first session.

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The Republican Party endorsed Lincoln because his opponent has “challenged” them. Truth
or Baloney?
Posted on May 27, 2016

The Republican Party has endorsed me. Why? One very simple clearly stated reason (and it isn’t because his opponent will challenge them):
I received just over 60% of the votes of the 310 delegates chosen in March at the Republican Caucuses. My opponent got less than 40%. The rules of the Convention say, and have said for many years, that any candidate getting 60% of the vote of the delegates is the official Party nominee. No big conspiracy here, just someone that didn’t like the results.

These delegates are people that spent hours and hours researching the issues and the candidates; some are the same delegates that elected my opponent in the first place when he ran for the House. Many are the same delegates that gave me 60% over him in the December special election.

These are also the same delegates that my opponent was defending when he stood with the State Party (those apparently now evil Republican Bosses) to sue the Legislature and Governor to protect the caucus convention system. Rich was a product of the very system he now attacks, he ran on opposing SB54 even though he collected signatures to get on the ballot. He supported a lawsuit claiming the law was unconstitutional until it became useful for his political desires to jettison his supposedly strongly held beliefs in the Caucus and Convention.

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My opponent says I’m a one issue candidate. Truth or Baloney?
Posted on May 27, 2016

My opponent, along with some in the press, have accused me of being a one issue candidate with an agenda. Here is a list of some of the bills I ran and the general topic. Again, please check out my facts by going to www.le.utah.gov and typing my name in the light blue space at the top of the page and then hitting the orange button labeled “Bills.”

SB153 – SelfReliance
training for people on government assistance, helping them overcome poverty

HB200 – Reduced redundant testing of our students

HB201 – Removed SAGE testing as a method of evaluating our school teachers

SB235 – Would Eliminate Taxation without Representation in Special Districts

SB218 – Repealed outdated and unnecessary laws

SB244 – Will equalize funding between public schools, No Matter Where You Live

SB95 – Saving Taxpayer Dollars by removing bonding authority for unused UDOT funds as project is complete

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My opponent says I’m an ineffective Senator. Truth of Baloney?
Posted on May 27, 2016

You decide.
Fillmore 8 bills passed
Cunningham 1 bill passed

Check my facts at www.le.utah.gov and type our names in the light blue space and hit the orange button that says “Bills.” Sponsors are to the right of the bill number, Floor Sponsors are just to the right of that and then the final status of the bill is a couple columns to the right of that. Look for the bills that say “Governor Signed.” Those bills passed and are now law.

This blog is to reveal the truth about Senator Lincoln Fillmore. It will be updated regularly so, please, check back often. If you have any questions or comments do not hesitate to let us know what your concerns are. This site is currently under the process of being updated. Therefore, we invite you to let us know what topics you would like us to reveal the truth on first.

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Paid for by: Committee to Elect Lincoln Fillmore