Dan Liljenquist Preserved in Plane Crash
By Jim Mackley
Dan Liljenquist has Weber County connections – not just the many political friends in the County as he runs for the U.S. Senate Seat - but has worked in Roy, and was involved in an unfortunate plane crash when fellow passenger and North Ogden citizen, Cody Odekirk lost his life. It was August of 2008 and both Liljenquist and Odekirk were on a humanitarian mission with 12 others to build schools in Guatamala. Their Single engine Cessna went down at the edge of a field and the jungle miles away from Gutemala City in a remote area of Guatemala. They dropped from 10,000 feet when the engine died.
Dan says to this day, he is not sure why he survived while 11 others including 4 employees and a good friend did not. One thing is certain though, Dan feels a great sense of urgency to get things done, and to serve. Dan’s remarkable story and tale of transition can be found at http://mormonchannel.org/enduring-it-well/33 . Dan says that he does not fear death and does not fear to tackle the big challenges. One gets the feeling that Dan is not overly impressed with worldly accomplishments. He says that his desire to make a positive difference for America’s finances is one of the main reasons he entered the race for U.S. Senator from Utah.
When asked whether the Tea Party movement was likely to make progress, he said “it needs to continue!” His political philosophy is one of fiscal responsibility and adherence to the U.S. Constitution. According to Dan, the “great debate in Washington is whether we continue down the road to debt and despair or return government to what it should be.” He says, “That debate will hinge around the U.S. Senate in particular.” Dan says that U.S. Senators need to be held accountable and agrees that the States are the best ones to do that. Also, he says, staying in office too long can lead to stagnation, like cucumbers becoming pickled. Dan promises no more than 2 or 3 term s.
Dan Liljenquist & Orrin Hatch are both running for the same U.S. Senate seat as Republicans and are both respected as good men. The Sentinel heard local resident, Lynda Pipkin, wonder what would happen if one of our U.S. Senators left office during his term. How would he be replaced? Utah Governor’s office referred us to Senator Hatch’s office which confirmed that there has been some discussion with Senator Hatch potentially becoming a Cabinet member to Mitt Romney if elected. Hatch’s office said that Utah’s governor would make the selection with confirmation by the Utah Legislature. Otherwise, the Legislature could see that the Senate Seat would require a special election.
Dan Liljenquist doesn’t know what the future holds, but he believes the reason he is still here is to serve with a sense of urgency. The future will confirm the service he was preserved for.
