Candidate Answers – Drew Curley

Question 1: Roads. Roads will be a big issue during this election cycle. With the new High School and the development in City Center, what do you feel would be the best way to alleviate the road problems facing Eagle Mountain? Answer: The best way to alleviate road problems facing Eagle Mountain is twofold. First, when we construct new roads and make repairs, they need to be done in such as a manner as would provide longevity. When you already have traffic flow issues, ill-planned construction along with more frequent or longer lasting repairs have devastating effects. This will require higher investment in our road infrastructure. Second, we need more arterial roads. We need a road to connect Cory Wride Hwy (or at least EM Blvd) directly to Pony Express Pkwy near Cory Wride Memorial Park. This will not only help school traffic, but also ease driving to what is scheduled to be a destination park. Question 2: Property Rights. What are your views on property rights, and how do you plan on balancing the property rights of current residents with the property rights of prospective developers? Answer: I am a firm believer in property rights and conforming with the laws, whether they be city-wide or for your community. If you live in an HOA, I believe in abiding by those standards or working to change them if you believe they are unjust. The same goes for the city. If we want higher property values and a safe community, these are necessary. Developers have a hand in this of course. We need to plan our city’s development responsibly to lend itself to conditions where the goals of safety and community are maintained. When and where permitted, I am committed to take the legal approach, which is to leave property as unencumbered as possible, giving preference to freedom. Question 3: Founding Fathers. Do you have a favorite founding father? If so, who is it, and what is a favorite quote, or ideal that founding father had that you try to emulate? (Notice I did not define founding father, I am leaving that up to your interpretation.) Answer: Being raised in Delaware and Pennsylvania, I was brought up at a very young age to respect the founding fathers. My personal favorite is Benjamin Franklin. My favorite quote, which is also one of his biggest ideals, is “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” He was never one to contentedly sit along the sidelines, and nor am I. Question 4: Schools. Do you feel the education system is adequate in Eagle Mountain? If so, what are we doing well, if not, what needs to be changed. Answer: While volunteering in the Watch DOGS program at Mountain Trails Elementary and working with teachers at other schools, I have been able to get a very detailed glimpses into the state of our schools in Eagle Mountain. In general, we are doing well, where bright minds are being challenged and opportunities abound for most students. Sadly, I cannot say this is equal for students with special needs, like my sons. Both my sons have Autism, and as a result need special assistance in the classroom or different learning environments. In one school I visited, special needs students from 3 grades were in the same classroom. While I know the teacher was doing her best and there were assistants in the classroom, it seemed a struggle to educate the kids to the best of their potential. We need to be mindful of all students’ needs. Question 5: Family. Can you give me a brief description of your family, and what it means to you? Answer: My wonderful wife, Rachel, and I met when we were teenagers living on the East Coast. We dated a little bit in the high school years, and reunited at BYU after I returned from serving an LDS Mission. We will be celebrating our 14th anniversary this year. We have three wonderful children, two boys with a girl in the middle, who will be ages 13, 11, and 10 this year. We have lived in Eagle Mountain for ten years. To us, family are those individuals whom you would do absolutely anything for. Thus, we have a very large family here in Eagle Mountain. Question 6: Why Run. Can you tell me why you are running for your position? Answer: I am running for council because I believe I can bring unique aspects to the council. In my education and career, I am required to approach things from multiple perspectives and without personal bias. When I am approached with an issue, I am the type of person to thoroughly read everything in the presented materials, conduct my own research, consult experts, and come to my own conclusion. If new information is presented, I will re-evaluate everything and let that influence my conclusion. I take a firm stance when necessary, and though I may not agree with others, I will at least understand where they are coming from. Question 7: Biggest Issue: What do you see as the biggest issue in Eagle Mountain, and what do you plan on doing to help solve the issue? Answer: I am running for city council because I am concerned about our city’s rapid growth, and how that endangers the unique aspects of Eagle Mountain, which aspects caused it to be a draw for many citizens. I am also concerned that as a collective, the city appears to be trying to live beyond its means to provide. For example, we have a very minor tax-base compared to other cities in the area. Despite this, we ask for amenities that are very expensive to build and maintain. Unless we bridle these two things, we will grow ourselves into ruin. Question 8: Biggest Good: What do you see as the best thing that Eagle Mountain has going for it, and how do you plan on protecting it for future generations? Answer: The best thing I can see that Eagle Mountain has going on is that it is still a great place to raise a family. Crime rates are low, schools are good, neighbors are kind and service oriented, and it’s one of the last places around where the whole town feels connected. If you were here during the Robbie Raccoon days, you know what I mean. Sometimes we are a silly, sarcastic, or even at times overly passionate people, but we are real people, living real lives, caring for one another. Question 9: Open Space: Many residents like the open feel of Eagle Mountain. Do you feel we have enough open space, too much open space, or too little open space? What policies will you try to implement to support that view? Answer: I am a firm believer that one thing that makes our city unique is the open space. We have large amounts of federal land on our boundaries, communities with larger lots, parks scattered throughout our city, and individuals who actually use the open space regularly. In order to preserve our open space, I believe we must limit development that would crowd many homes, whether they be multi-unit housing or single family homes, into dense areas. We should encourage developers to offer homes that complement the need for open space not only for an entire subdivision, but for the individual owner as well. Question 10: Development: What are your goals for the City in regards to Development? Answer: I have a strong stance on holding developers accountable to their agreements. In the past, developers have abandoned amenities promised to their buyers, completely changed master plans to add in commercial areas, and even failed to fulfill basic requirements as building to code and providing proper waste management. In my opinion, these are often nothing less than bait-and-switch tactics and false marketing. In other scenarios, developers have failed to properly establish HOAs which have resulted in years of contention in their communities. This all starts with holding the developers accountable, and restricting their projects when compliance fails. Question 11: Cory Wride Memorial Park: What are your views on Cory Wride Memorial Park, and the cities current plan for the park? Answer: Despite being Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, I am actually against Cory Wride Memorial Park in its current plan. I think it is fiscally irresponsible for us to be diverting so much funding to a “destination park” when we have so many other parks that have been left unfinished by developers, and other existing city needs. I believe that the return on investment that has been projected (in terms of tourism, growth, business, etc.) has been overestimated. I believe that certain amenities like the baseball diamonds should have been built by private organizations who lease the land from the city. Question 12: Master Plan: The City is currently in the process of updating it’s master plan. What do you think the master plan should look like, and what do you think of the current changes being made. Answer: I believe that the new master plan should be revised to protect the uniqueness of our fair city. We are estimated to grow by over 400% by the year 2040. In response to that I say, “why the rush?” Why are we in such a rush to rid ourselves of our beloved open space, to have a multi-lane expressway with frontage roads, to become a city the size of current-day Orem in half the time? I do believe we can have an impact on the rate of our growth, that it isn’t inevitable. If we want to protect our open spaces and small town feeling, it all begins with the master plan. Question 13: Programs: What is the best program, that you know of in Eagle Mountain? How does that program make Eagle Mountain better, and how do you plan on making the program stronger? Answer: I believe that the best program we have in Eagle Mountain is the Youth Council. This is a wonderful opportunity for the youth of today, who are often viewed as apathetic or having a negative view towards the political process and government in general, to have a real voice among their peers and work side-by-side with inspired and dedicated leaders. Our children are our future, and we need to give them every opportunity to succeed. Question 14: Literature: Name one work of literature that has had an impact on you, and why you think it is important for a guide during this election cycle? Answer: One book that I read recently was “How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming”, which is a memoir written by Mark Brown. This details his journey as a scientist during the process of the recent reclassification of planets, and its effect on how we think about our solar system. After years of turmoil and strife battling with international legislative bodies and his own philosophies, he was able to make changes in something he believed. Like the cosmos, we are at a point where we need to take a deep look at what makes Eagle Mountain what it is, and what we need to do to shape our future. I also read a lot of John Grisham. Question 15: Down Time: What do you do with your down time, what leisure activities do you like to participate in? Answer: I spend most of my leisure time with my family going on hikes, bike rides, camping, golfing, and shooting. I am an avid fan of the performing arts, and my family will often visit the theater or ballet. I also participate in film making, playing the guitar, and working on various projects. I am also actively involved other endeavors, including providing fund raisers for people with special needs and helping local businesses like the Doll House Haunt. Question 16: Why Eagle Mountain: Why have you chosen Eagle Mountain as your place of residence? Answer: My wife and I chose Eagle Mountain ten years ago because we love the wide open spaces, the small town feeling, the friendly citizens, and that this is one of the few places in the state that remind us a little bit of where we grew up. When we moved to a larger home a year ago, we chose Eagle Mountain again because we love this city.