Luke Searle

Luke Searle earned a high school diploma from Wasatch High School. His career experience includes working as a high school teacher.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm a husband, dad, teacher, and Wasatch County Councilman. I was born and raised in the Heber Valley by a single mom who is a public school teacher, and she taught me that hard work and responsibility build a good life. My wife Savanah and I are now raising our three kids in the same valley I grew up in.

I graduated from Wasatch High, and today I teach business and marketing there. I also work with students in the Wasatch CAPS program, connecting them with local businesses and real careers. I'm finishing a master's degree in education at Southern Utah University.

On the County Council, I've voted against tax increases and fought for senior tax relief, protected open space and working farmland, and held town halls to listen and rely on the voice of the people.

I'm running for the Utah House to bring that record, and the values of the Wasatch Back, to the Legislature.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Protect what makes the Wasatch Back home. Our open space, working farms, and water aren't just scenery. They're our heritage and our way of life. On the County Council I've supported conservation easements that are preserving about 600 acres and fought for funding to complete our trail system. In the Legislature I'll work to direct state dollars to preserving the North Fields, protect agricultural water and water rights, and require growth to match our water and infrastructure. I'll keep supporting voluntary, landowner-friendly conservation that preserves open space without raising taxes, so the Wasatch Back stays the place our kids want to come home to.Fight for families being priced out of the Wasatch Back. Home prices, property taxes, and everyday costs keep climbing, and government shouldn't make it worse. On the County Council I voted against the transit sales-tax increase, helped stop multiple property tax increases, and championed senior property tax relief that has helped 100+ households. In the Legislature I'll keep cutting taxes responsibly, strengthen the primary residence exemption so families aren't taxed out of their homes, and limit the state's ability to hold the basic levy rate. I'll ask one question of every bill: does it help or hurt families? If it raises the cost of living, I'm a no.Keep decisions local. The Wasatch Back isn't the Wasatch Front, and the people who live with the consequences of a decision should be the ones making it. When the state gets involved in local land use, we get growth that doesn't make sense for our communities. I've seen it on the County Council: state laws that let a mining company skip local review, and preliminary municipalities that tried to bypass county planning. I pushed back both times. In the Legislature I'll oppose one-size-fits-all mandates from the Wasatch Front, defend private property rights, and make sure counties and cities, not the state, shape how our communities grow.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Giving young people real world opportunities. As a teacher and Wasatch CAPS instructor, I see every day what happens when students get real-world experience: they rise to it. I want every student in Utah to have that chance, whether they're in a rural school, a Title I school, learning online, or homeschooled. That means expanding CTE, internships, apprenticeships, and concurrent enrollment, getting back to basics, and cutting the paperwork that pulls teachers away from students. I also want young people to be able to afford to build a life here, so the next generation can stay in the communities that raised them.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Wasatch County Council Chair Erik Rowland and Council members Kendall Crittenden, Mark Nelson, Colleen Bonner, Michael Murphy and Spencer Park; Midway Mayor Craig Simons, Council members Andy Garland, Lisa Orme, and Andrew Osbourne; Heber City Council members Aaron Cheatwood and Morgan Murdock; Hideout Mayor Ralph Severini and Council member Jonathan Gunn; Wallsburg Mayor Celeni Richins and Council member Peter Neilson; Charleston's Mayor Doug Clements and Council member Jim Brown, .

State Sens. Ron Winterton, David Hinkins, Heidi Balderree, Kevin Van Tassell (fmr.); Rep. Mike Kohler, Doug Welton, Lisa Shepherd, Candice Pierucci, Stephanie Gricius; US Sen. John Curtis; US Rep. Burgess Owens.

Utah Farm Bureau's Utah Agriculture PAC.