Candidate Answers – Stephanie Gricius

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? It’s obvious that as the city grows we are going to need more roads, and roads cost money. Right now the city is working on a comprehensive road maintenance plan. This will prolong the life of our existing roads. My number one budget priority for this fiscal year is roads, as was the majority of the council’s, and you’ll see this reflected in the upcoming budget. 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? Property rights are just that, a RIGHT. The balancing act between developers and residents can sometimes be a little sticky, but it can be worked through. One example is the dust issue that was facing the Mt. Airey area. The landowner was vested with the extractive industries overlay zone, and therefore within their right to do certain things. I went to lunch with the landowner and discussed the problem. At that point I asked if he would mind doing a presentation on the the new dust mitigation measures, which he put together and brought to council. Later, when their MDA was before council, I asked if they would be willing to remove the overlay zone if we included language that protected their current operation. They accepted, and it turned out that the conversation up to that point had been, in large part, based on a misunderstanding. Communication is key. 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.) I’m going to go with George Mason. He refused to compromise on his fundamental beliefs, even though, for him, that meant not signing the Constitution. I love and support the Constitution but the lesson is still there. Compromise is good but not when it means compromising your most basic beliefs and values. 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. Education is an area where the municipal government has minimal control. However, with our young community it is important to work closely with the school district to help ensure the needs of our residents are met. Question 5: Family. Can you give me a brief description of your family, and what it means to you? My family means everything to me! I married the perfect man for me, and we have three kids. Our oldest is a super sweet young man who enjoys building things and taking random objects apart to find out how they work. He also loves to read and talk philosophy. My older daughter is absolutely fearless. She loves doing all things that give her mommy a heart attack, art, and makeup. My younger daughter has a passion for music, dinosaurs, and Disney villains. My oldest and youngest are only twenty-six months apart, so they are all three very close in age. They’re also the best of friends and we can’t imagine life without them. We also have two adopted fur babies. Question 6: Why Run. Can you tell me why you are running for your position? I chose to run for mayor because, having worked on the council, I’ve identified some processes I would like to modify. I chose to file as a secondary source of income because I believe that politics should not be one’s sole career. I already have a career, the city is my passion. 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? Right now our biggest issue is also our strength. Growth. While new development means revenue, it also means an increased burden on infrastructure. As a council, we’ve been having conversations about actually needing to slow down some of the growth in order for transportation infrastructure to keep up. 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? Eagle Mountain’s biggest resource is the residents. I’m always inspired by how the community comes together to help someone in need. Another of our defining characteristics is the outdoor recreation. You can hike, bike, and do just about any outdoor activity just a few minutes from home. Protecting this is something that is currently being thoughtfully considered as we redo our master plan. Question 9: Open Space: Many residents like the open feel of Eagle Mountain. Do you feel we have enough open space, to much open space, or too little open space? What policies will you try to implement to support that view? I like open space, and in Eagle Mountain our outdoor options are one of the things that make us unique. We do need to make sure that we are properly maintaining our open space. If we’re going to have it, it should be appropriately cared for. As for more, less, or staying the same, a lot of that has already been decided through existing master development agreements. We need to make sure that those obligations are fulfilled. Question 10: Development: What are your goals for the City in regards to Development? This is a complicated question because there are so many specifics involved. To give a high level overview, we need many different types of developments. I’d like to see more single family neighborhoods, some areas preserved for larger lots and agriculture, and commercial development. The goal is to diversify our tax base; I don’t want that burden to be completely on residents. With careful planning, we can diversify and maintain that small town feel that many of us love. Question 11: Cory Wride Memorial Park: What are your views on Cory Wride Memorial Park, and the cities current plan for the park? I like the Cory Wride Memorial Park (CWMP) but it’s no secret that I haven’t been happy with the process. We have existing regional parks that are less than half completed (and near existing residential developments), and I would have liked those to be finished prior to constructing a new one. One of the reasons CWMP is being completed now is because we have cash on hand from the utility sale and can do it without bonding. Now that’s great, but we still have other regional parks that need to be finished, and if we’re spending most of our cash on a new one those still won’t be completed for some time. I am not opposed to CWMP, but I would rather have finished existing projects before that many companies look for, and CWMP will help fulfill that need; however, completing our other regional parks could meet this need as well. 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. I have attached the map my partner and I created during our visioning session at the beginning of this year. Since my partner was not an elected representative, I removed their name for privacy purposes. On the map you’ll see a lot of yellow. Yellow was the lowest density option and consisted of lots above 10k square feet. You’ll notice that on some of the locations, I have written in additional minimum square footage, as I would like to see more 1/4 acre and above as well as some larger lot and agricultural options. (Not all were marked since time was limited). You’ll see that the hospital (blue), university (blue) and commercial (red) have some higher density (orange) immediately surrounding them as well as parks (green) and clean industry (purple). Obviously not everything is marked, but this should give you a basic idea of how I’d like to see things happen. 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? As funny as this sounds for such a young community, the Seniors’ Council. We have an amazing Seniors’ Council. They are small in number but large in spirit and involvement. Their members are always right there volunteering when the city needs help at functions. The Council puts on a variety of activities for senior members of the community with minimal city funding. I love all of our boards, but this one in particular is a well-oiled machine and does an incredible amount of good. 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? This isn’t specific to the election but I love Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover. It has helped guide my personal finances and money is obviously a big part of everyone’s life. Question 15: Down Time: What do you do with your down time, what leisure activities do you like to participate in? In my downtime I like to read and spend time with my family. We perform a lot of outdoor activities, ranging from trampoline play to fishing and hiking. Question 16: Why Eagle Mountain: Why have you chosen Eagle Mountain as your place of residence? Why would you not choose to live in Eagle Mountain? This place and the people here are amazing. We’re close to everything, yet still outside of the hustle and bustle of city life, and that’s something Chris and I both love.