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cedarvalleysentinel.com sent a survey to each of the City Council and Mayor Candidates for the 2017 election. The questions included ones about roads, education, city issues, city strengths, as well as a few to get to know the candidates on a more personal level. Over the next few weeks, those answers will be published on cedarvalleysentinel.com. If you have missed any, want to catch up, or just review them again, you can do so by visiting the Cedar Valley Sentinel (formerly i84005) Election Center at http://cedarvalleysentinel.com/elections/. Feel free to share these articles on social media. Lets get the word out and increase voter participation in this election cycle. Eagle Mountain is a great city, and it can be made even greater by our elected officials, but they need input from the residents.
The answers for the candidates have not been modified in anyway. We have also randomized the order that the answers are listed in for each question.
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.Jonathan Vail – Mayor Candidate
The biggest issue that I see in Eagle Mountain is the impact that the city expansion is having on the community. We are currently seeing more housing areas being developed, a high school being built, and the expansion of Cory Wride Park. All of this means dust, traffic, and other construction related impacts. To help mediate this issue, I plan on ensuring that all construction areas have submitted and approved plans on how they are going to mitigate their impacts. It is then that I will ensure that the City will hold the developers and the builders to those plans. This may not resolve all of the problems related to construction, but it should minimize any impact.Melissa Clark – City Council Candidate
This might come as a surprise, but I actually think the biggest issue Eagle Mountain faces is also one of our greatest strengths: unity, because we are known for our unity within neighborhoods, but we have also faced many divisive battles within the city as a whole. The roads, growth, budget, economic development, parks, and security all really hinge on the unity we have as a community. We hear the debate all the time between political parties and then within EM we also have debate of Ranches versus City Center, and HOA versus sub-HOA, people with kids versus people with no kids, pet owners versus people with no pets, but when it comes down to it, most of us are doing our best to contribute to society and raise our families and live a good, kind life; we just disagree on how to do that. To build unity I believe that we have to work and serve together, we must come to see each other as people and not the enemy; for that reason, I am huge proponent of the volunteer efforts here in EM because it allows us to meet people from different walks of life and see their perspective, (plus there is the added benefit of helping the community.) I would like to see an expansion of the volunteer coordination, perhaps more EM clean-up days, maybe even a weekly text with some of the volunteer needs within Eagle Mountain.Donna Burnham – City Council Candidate
Transportation and economic development go hand in hand, and they are the two biggest issues facing Eagle Mountain. I will work to move the timeline forward on many crucial connector road projects to alleviate the traffic issues that only continue to worsen. This solution will require advocating on all levels of government, including UDOT, the county, and our own city council, and I have that experience. We also need to continue to advocate for economic development that will provide quality jobs for our residents without polluting or detracting from our sense of community. We need to work as a council with staff and with other stakeholders to determine what is working with our approach and what we can improve.Debbie Hooge – Full Time Mayor Candidate
The biggest issue is, of course, different to everyone. So, what I think, isn’t necessarily as critical as how I or any administration responds to the needs and wants of those who live here. Each issue needs to have a plan made which incorporates the input and concerns of the residents, and then implementation of the plan.There is far too much talk in politics. Make a plan and stick to it. One main concern for me is traffic. Traffic is getting to be a very big problem. When we approve any kind of growth whether it is commercial, industrial or residential we need to consider more closely how traffic patterns effect the whole city. Our geography is unique as our city lies on either side of a small mountain range. The highway carries a good portion of our through traffic, and it is designed for that purpose. Ranches Parkway and Pony Express were designed to be neighborhood collectors, not major collectors. Therefore, they are becoming over burdened and unsafe.Stephanie Gricius – Part Time Mayor Candidate
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.Jared Gray – City Council Candidate
There are lots of issues, but really what I think this council needs to focus on is staying on task. What that means to me is live within a budget, not over spend, being conservative. Also continue improving roads. Both existing and future roads. And making sure we are developing in the best and smartest ways possible.Matt Visser – City Council Candidate
The biggest issue I see in eagle mountain, could be a few things. The way I see it is, all the decisions are tied together. Decisions made by council can affect way more than the issue council is voting on in the moment. In fact, the decisions made by other city council’s can affect our city. Just like our councils decisions, not only affect us as a city, but other city’s as well. That leads us back to how we can fix the problems. Communication. I want to see things change. I want people to be able to read, hear and comment, on every issue. Not only in private conversations and communication, but in public forums. I want elected officials to to be held accountable for their votes. We can’t have that if the people don’t have easy access to the information. We can do a better.Jan Preece – City Council Candidate
Growth is the biggest issue in Eagle Mountain, this is not necessarily a bad thing, but with growth comes the need for improved and new roads, more schools, more utilities, more water management, more parks, more business and more careful planning with developments, to mention just a few things. Some people say the growth is inevitable, but without careful planning growth can be a huge burden. In Eagle Mountain, we have a unique opportunity, we have the room to plan a great community.
Mike Kieffer is an IT geek by hobby and trade, with a BS in Information Systems & Technology. He is a proud father of 10, a grandpa, an author, a journalist, and internet publisher. His motto is to “Elevate, Inspire and Inform”, and he is politically conservative and a Christian. Mike has a passion for technology, writing, and helping others. With a wealth of experience, he is committed to sharing his knowledge with others to help them reach their full potential. He is known for his jackassery or his form of self-expression that encourages boldness, creativity, and risk-taking. It can be a way to push the boundaries and challenge traditional norms, leading to creative solutions and positive change.