Well now, pull up a stump and let ol’ Clemmie tell you about how Eagle Mountain got its first few leaders. It’s a story with a bit of spark and a good deal of get-up-and-go, just like the folks who decided to build a whole new town out in Cedar Valley.
You know, it weren’t all that long ago that Eagle Mountain was just a dream on some ranch land. But once the Utah County Commission gave it the nod to become a town on November 27th, 1996, the next big question was, who’d be the first to steer the ship?
Well, come December 3rd, 1996, the County Commission appointed Debbie Hooge as the very first Mayor of Eagle Mountain. Now, Mayor Hooge was already familiar with the area, seein’ as she’d been workin’ as a real estate agent for the land north of Walden’s property, which they called Cedar Pass Ranch. She was sellin’ lots in that there five-acre subdivision, workin’ with a fella named Scott Kirkland.
Along with Mayor Hooge, they appointed the first town council: Nick Berg, John Jacob, Cyril Watt, and Diane Bradshaw. Seems like Nick Berg had ties to John Walden’s property, the Fitzgerald place where this whole town idea started. John Jacob was a water developer, and both he and Diane Bradshaw were residents of Cedar Pass Ranch. Cyril Watt was involved with the CUAB in the Harvest Haven subdivision. There was a bit of talk about potential conflicts of interest with some of these appointments, and the commissioners even rejected one of Walden’s key land planners to make sure things were on the up and up.
Mayor Hooge and the council had their work cut out for them. They had to lay the very foundations of a city, meetin’ at first way over in Lehi ’cause there weren’t no buildings in Eagle Mountain yet. They had to figure out utilities, make development plans, and decide how all that empty land within the town limits would be used. It was a mighty big task for a brand new place.
Now, Mayor Hooge was appointed, but come November 1997, it was time for the first real election. Mayor Hooge had even thought about not runnin’, but when no one else put their name on the ballot, and the town attorney said she’d just stay mayor if that happened, she decided folks ought to have a say. So, she ran and won with 61 votes against a write-in candidate. Robert Bateman, Diane Bradshaw, Daniel Valentine, and Cyril Watt were elected to the council that time. Seems the new council’s first order of business was to make sure no one voted on things where they had a personal financial stake, likely learnin’ from those early concerns.
Mayor Hooge didn’t finish that full elected term. In the election of 1999, a fella named Paul Bond was elected and took office in January of 2000. There weren’t any other candidates besides a write-in, so Mr. Bond had a pretty clear path. He became the third mayor to serve out that initial elected mayoral term. Mr. Bond and his council had to deal with keepin’ the city runnin’, especially with the town ownin’ its own gas, electric, and even telephone companies, which was quite unusual. They also focused on gettin’ emergency services established and tryin’ to get an elementary school built. Seems Mayor Bond even officiated the groundbreaking for the new fire department building just before his term ended.
Then came the 2001 elections, which sounds like they were a bit livelier. Kelvin Bailey ended up winning the mayoral race in November with 54% of the vote. He was keen on communicatin’ with the citizens, startin’ a newsletter and lookin’ at ways to improve the city’s website. Mayor Bailey’s time wasn’t without its challenges, with financial audits not being done on time and some personnel changes. But they also got the library certified, and there was a vote to sell the telecommunications system. Mayor Bailey even gave a “State of the City Address” to keep folks informed.
Now, Mayor Bailey ended up resigning before the end of his term in May 2005. The City Council even put out a statement expressin’ their appreciation for his hard work and the improvements they saw during his time, like gettin’ the city’s finances in better shape and reducing debt.
So, those first few mayors of Eagle Mountain, Mayor Hooge, Mayor Bond, and Mayor Bailey, each played a part in takin’ that dream of a city and makin’ it into a real place with its own challenges and its own progress. It just goes to show ya, every new town has to start somewhere, and it takes good folks willin’ to step up and lead the way.
Bibliography:
- Purnell, Marci, and Leah Woodard. A Ride from the Past on a Road to the Future: A History of Eagle Mountain. Eagle Mountain, Utah, 2005.
- Deseret News. October 25, 1996.
- Deseret News. November 27, 1996.
Unofficial Historian, Front Porch Philosopher & Occasional Pie Judge
Clementine Wrenfield (but you can call her Clemmie) is a self-appointed keeper of curious stories, dusty diaries, and questionable facts. Born under a clothesline and raised on her grandmother’s tall tales, Clemmie believes every fence post has a story—and she’s on a mission to find it. When she’s not digging through old trunks or sipping sassafras tea, she enjoys hosting dramatic reenactments of historical events using only sock puppets and her neighbor’s goats.
She’s never met a mystery she didn’t want to solve or a pie she didn’t want to critique.