Lee Sands

Lee Sands

Local Government Policy Analyst

lee@libertas.org

Lee is the Local Government Policy Analyst at Libertas Institute. He has had a lifelong passion for research, writing, entrepreneurship, local government, and building relationships with people from all walks of life.

Before joining Libertas, Lee worked as a technical writer, covered tech and local events as a journalist, developed websites, launched a Kickstarter campaign, and helped businesses create budgets and integrate accounting and other systems.

A native of rural northeast Florida, Lee moved to Provo, Utah in 2004. Since graduating from BYU and attending the Vermont College of Fine Arts, Lee has started a family, become increasingly active in local politics as a volunteer, and now joins Libertas to be a resource for elected officials and the general public. Lee enjoys camping, fishing, Jeeping, history, and all things creative and analytical.

Lee Sands's Articles

Every taxpayer in Whoville, Utah, liked affordable Christmas a lot… but the tax-hiking Grinch did NOT! The tax-hiking Grinch hated affordable Christmas! The whole Christmas season. Now please don’t ask why. No one quite knows the reason.
This November, Utah voters didn't just choose their city officials; they also had their say on various ballot propositions. What do these propositions entail, how did they fare statewide, and what repercussions do they hold for voters? (Hint: In many instances, they signify higher taxes.)
If local government acts in the deregulatory, free market ways described here, then the goal of getting 35,000 starter homes built could be met or even exceeded — all at no cost to the taxpayer.
While supply and demand is basic economics, some doubt that building more homes will have the positive effect needed on prices.
Strict zoning regulations don’t just contribute to the proliferation of HOAs in cities. Strict zoning also causes HOAs to appear in areas you might not expect them — small towns, areas outside of the city limits, and even throughout rural and semi rural areas.
If we don’t want our home prices to be as high as California’s, what we need to do is stop debating a single twin home, but look at the real underlying problem on trial — our strict California-style zoning.