#EM2019 – CC Question – Sets Me Apart

This is a tough question. I believe that we have ten great candidates. We each offer our unique perspectives and experience. I encourage each of you to do your research and give us all a call or an email so you can decide for yourself on whom to vote for. So without trying to take away from them I will try and give you some of the reasons why I believe I would do a good job. I really want to serve the public. I think their opinions need to matter and be heard. My experience has left me familiar with reading and understanding statute. I want Eagle Mountain to be a great place for my daughter and any future children to live. I care what happens and will express myself when I believe a matter is in conflict with what the public wants.

That I am willing to stick my neck out for the little guy to protect his rights. I will represent the people, fight for more transparency so the people stay informed and keep their local government accountable for their actions.

Probably the biggest thing that sets me apart from the other candidates is that I have a background in cyberwarfare and cybersecurity. Normally this would not be relevant to a city council race, but increasingly cyber-preparedness is becoming a big thing for governments, particularly municipalities. There was a city in Florida that got hit with ransomware and had to pay $600,000 in Bitcoin to get their data back. See: https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-city-paid-600k-hackers-shows-us-unprepared-for-threat-2019-6 As a member of city council, I could put my unique skills to work for Eagle Mountain. If Eagle Mountain had to hire a contractor it would be prohibitively expensive. I can help triage things and prioritize budgets, as well as provide technical guidance. I could (and am willing to) do this regardless of whether I win the race, but I would be much more involved in the details if I am elected. Mayor Westmoreland has done a good job so far preparing our city for disasters. I would be a good asset to add to the team to help prepare in other ways.

This is easy. (A chance to brag) I have participated, or been involved with almost every city board there is, and I continue to do so. I’m currently on the Planning Commission, as is Rich Wood, but have also helped or severed on the Parks and Rec board, Cemetery Board, Youth Council, Veterans Board, and Arts Alliance to name a few. I’ve got a voting record that speaks for itself on Planning Commission, and have proven results saving the city hundreds of thousands of dollars a year putting on events within Pony Express Days and other events throughout the year, without infringing on tax burden. Not just words, thoughts, and warm feelings, a record that I’ve already accomplished.

As the only sitting councilmember in this race, I bring experience, knowledge of the process and how to effectively work within the confines and climate of the Eagle Mountain City government to the table. I also bring a proven track-record. I’m certainly not perfect and the past few years has brought with it more humbling and fish-out-of-water experiences than I can count, but I think I have adapted and grown into those difficult situations. I have a strong record of attendance at city council and ancillary meetings, for voting in line with the principles I said I possessed, for holding developers accountable, and for being fiscally responsible with your money. While I will continue to promise to do the same, I can say I have already done it and will proudly stand on my record. You can see more about the specifics of what I have done at https://colbycurtis.org/#colby-stances

One of my best recommendations is my 29 years of experience on the leadership team of a mid-sized Utah-owned company. We are in the construction industry and have seen hard-to-manage growth interspersed with rapid downturns. We have had to create systems and procedures to grow quickly and make hard decisions to stay profitable during a slowdown. Our product offering, systems, and structure have all changed regularly as we have grown to seven times the size that we were in 1990. I have been a valuable member of this leadership team. I have created the systems that have allowed me to extract and analyze data that we have used extensively in our decision making. I have been a proponent for rational, incremental changes that have helped us accomplish our goals. I enjoy the investigation to get to the heart of a problem and proposing solutions that make sense for the short-term and long-term. I am an advocate for the things that I believe in but also find it important to explore other perspectives. I believe that the best solutions are created when we find common ground. I majored in political science and completed an internship with the state legislature so I am aware that the management of a company and the governance of a city are not the same. However, both need to remain financially stable and have a clear direction to be successful. Both need individuals who will make rational, data-driven decisions and stay true to core values. My experience and leadership skills have prepared me to be a valuable, contributing member of the city council.

I felt like in order to run for city council that I needed to serve elsewhere first. This would enable me to gain experience in the code, the inner workings of our city and to gain a better understanding of what our city needs. I believe that our city needs experience in the city council. We cannot afford to have a year of playing catch up while council members get their feet wet. That could have catastrophic results in land use, staving off overreaching state bills that seek to take our power to zone, deter densities that would change the character of our city and forcing mining operations wherever they see fit.

You will seldom see somebody as hard working as I am. At one point in my life, I had a full-time job and a part-time job, while attending school full-time—I probably was only able to do this because I was an insomniac at the time. Also, I attend city council and planning commission meetings…for fun! Ever since I first attended a city council meeting as a Boy Scout, I have been fascinated by local government. I used to watch council meetings when they were posted on YouTube. When those stopped, I began attending in-person.