Utah State Board of Education, District 2

There are plenty of good things I could say about Kacey Weaver, but one of the biggest is that she actually lives in the community she’s seeking to represent.

And apparently that’s something we need to talk about.

Joseph Kerry’s decision to step down from the State Board of Education raises some legitimate questions.

He’s explained that he was spending time in Utah County caring for his mother, and I think that’s an admirable thing. Family comes first, and nobody should be criticized for taking care of a parent who needs them.

But if he’s effectively been living in Utah County for the last three years while representing a district in Weber County, that raises a question about whether he continued to meet the residency requirements of his office.

There’s a difference between traveling to care for a family member and legally establishing your residence somewhere else. We don’t yet know when, or whether, that line was crossed.

I think the public deserves a clear explanation of that timeline. Not because caring for his mother was wrong, but because the residency requirements for elected office matter, and they should apply equally to everyone.