A local woman known for her community involvement has announced her run for Senate District-26. Joni Crane’s announcement came Tuesday morning along with her invitation for campaign support. “Serious contemplation went into this decision,” shares Crane, who explains that she was encouraged to become a candidate after consulting with many friends and associates about Senate 26 issues. Crane comes to the table with a wide variety of community and political service experience. Currently, she works as a District Assistant in the High Uintah District of the Boy Scouts of America while also serving on the Vernal City Planning Commission and is the Vice Chair of the Utah Republican Party. Wherever she has lived, Joni has been a supporter and volunteer for the Republican Party including her years living in Virginia, Colorado, Utah, and Texas and has also served on several GOP Presidential campaigns. Her volunteer hours in politics may only be rivaled by her consistency as a ringleader for community service and relief efforts. Living in Colorado in 1999, Crane helped head an effort that made and delivered 1,600 blankets to the youth traumatized by the school shooting in Columbine. During her years living in Vernal she has also organized major relief efforts including a delivery of supplies to schools affected by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Joni and her family recently lived in Texas for a short time during which Crane was able to step in and help with shelter management when they were suffering from flooding. “For some reason in my life,” shares Crane, “I’ve obtained a very diverse skill set through the many opportunities and experiences that I’ve had and I feel like I have a responsibility to use those abilities to serve our community.” Crane began consideration of the Senate-26 run when Senator Kevin Van Tassell announced last week that he will not be seeking re-election at the end of his term.
