Trump's dog in Payson

Jim Ferris wants to pose as a friend of young people, but his record tells a different story. Ferris, a member of the Payson Town Council, is a relic of old reactionary politics—one of the local trio carrying the faded banner of the Tea Party into town hall. When the library needed support, Ferris was there trying to slash funding, tossing around the tired right-wing claim that libraries somehow “promote pornography.” It was the same stale culture-war nonsense used whenever extremists want to attack education, books, and public spaces that help ordinary families.

Then came the opening of the new mountain bike course, built through the hard work of community members who actually care enough to create something positive for Payson’s young people. Volunteers came together, invested time and energy, and turned city land into something healthy, active, and exciting for the next generation. And there, front and center, was Ferris—trying to bask in the glow of a project built by people with the civic spirit he so often opposes.

If that hypocrisy was not enough, Laurie Miller was also there, doing political theater for Eli Crane. Miller handed out a certificate from Crane congratulating those who built the course. Crane, meanwhile, voted against resources that could have brought millions back to help communities in his own district. It is easy to hand out certificates after others do the work. It is harder to fight for real funding, infrastructure, and opportunity.

This is the modern political grift: oppose government when it helps people, then show up for the ribbon cutting when citizens succeed despite you. Attack libraries, starve services, block investment, then smile for the cameras when decent people build something worthwhile.

Payson deserves leaders who support youth year-round, not just on photo-op day. The people who volunteer, build trails, support schools, and defend libraries are the ones moving the town forward. The Tea Party leftovers and MAGA opportunists are simply trying to ride their coattails. Midterm elections cannot come soon enough.