Questions for Candidates – Rich Wood
Give us a brief biographical sketch of yourself and your family. My name is Rich Wood. My wife and I have been married for 12 years and have 3 kids Whitney, Damon and Dawson. I grew up in Murray, Utah. I have served in the communities that I have lived in through coaching youth soccer for 10 years, ute conference football for 15 years, 2 years as a Murray High school football coach. I serve in my church and have served on the Eagle Mountain planning commission for almost 2 years How long have you resided in Eagle Mountain, and why do you call Eagle Mountain your home? My family and I moved out here in 2013, after I sold a few homes in City Center. We were really impressed as we drove through the ranches area and loved the feeling we had here. I loved seeing kids out playing everywhere we looked. The neighbors were extremely welcoming and helpful. It made me want to reach out as well. Decisions are made by the city council that you may or may not have knowledge of the ecology of the area and the possible repercussions of those decisions. What resources would you use to complete your due diligence regarding habitat and wildlife impacts? Being on the planning commission, I am aware of the great resources we have in the city staff. We are currently working on wildlife corridor planning for our city. We utilize the Division of wildlife resources to assist in this effort. I also know that as part of the application process we can request information on any environmental impacts of the project. What do you think is the role of non-disclosure agreements and economic growth? And how does it affect government transparency? Non-disclosure agreements are a protection for purchasers of real estate to prevent sellers from escalating prices of land because of who the potential buyer may be and enables fair market value to be established. Unfortunately, city councils get in the middle of this private transaction when they have been a part of the process to bring companies here. As such, they sign nondisclosure agreements to keep from giving an advantage to either party of a private transaction. What specific things do you feel that the city is doing exceptionally well? I think we have done a lot the last two years to improve the way we are planning the development of the city. When I was part of the UTA, UDOT and MAG transit conference in the spring of 2018, we were able to participate in the conceptual design of infrastructure in Northern Utah County. When the results of those efforts seem to snub Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs infrastructure needs, it was me and Melissa Clark that spoke out about their failure to address our needs in the 2040 plan. I also think that our city has done well with road expansion with the very limited funds we have available. The sad truth is that the funds are gone almost as soon as they are allocated because of the tireless work of staff to get grants from UDOT, MAG and the state to take care of the roads we have. The expansion of Pony Express Parkway is one of those collaborative efforts that the staff and council should be commended for. What specific things in the city do you feel need substantial improvements? We have many infrastructure needs particularly with connecting our major arterial roads with collector roads to improve the ingress and egress of our city. Unfortunately, that will come at a cost. Tax revenue has to improve. That will come from economical expansion or property taxes increases. I am not in favor of increasing property taxes as a primary solution. We have to accelerate our economic footprint in Eagle Mountain or our infrastructure maintenance and expansion will suffer greatly. Is the rural culture and feel of Eagle Mountain important to you? Eagle Mountain has a rural culture and feel, how do you think we can have growth and keep that feeling? There is no question that the nature of our city is important to me. I moved here to get away from the crowded and loud city that Salt Lake County was becoming. I believe we are already addressing the rural culture and feel of the city with how we are changing our zone code. I have been a driving force in increasing the lot sizes, setbacks, being more prescriptive about where certain developments belong and where they do not. I am not naive enough to think that a city of almost 40,000 people will remain like it once was in the early 2000s. However, I do believe the way that we have curbed the sprawl in the last 18 months has sent a message to developers that we don’t want to be Salt Lake County or even like the cities on the eastside of Utah Lake. We want horse trails, pedestrian paths(not sidewalks), open improved space that our citizens can enjoy. I am proud of our efforts to make sure that the trail systems throughout our city are connected. Are there things city government should not provide for the people that it currently is? Why or why not? I don’t think the city should get into providing amenities that do not benefit the masses. By that I mean I am not in favor of special interest expenditures. I do think we should support organizations that have developed the very character of our city. Such as the rodeo, demolition derby, enduro, concert series and Limitless Car Shootout. Those have been run very well by private organizations with the support of the city. We should continue to expand our recreation programs for youth. If you’ve been in office and are seeking election, is there a topic you wished you had championed better, if so, what is it? I am not an elected official but am an appointed one. I am pretty proud of the accomplishments I have been able to achieve in a role that is largely that of recommendation. I have been able to work with the other planning commissioners, city staff and council to improve our zone, general plan, City code and building codes. If you are running but are not currently elected, what specific agenda’s would you like to champion though the office of the city council and why? I am not a politician, nor do I ever want to be. I believe the efforts to be politically correct impair your ability to do what’s right and what’s best. Those that know me, have worked with me or have opposed me know that I do my homework. I don’t come to meetings unprepared. I feel like it’s my responsibility as a representative of the citizens I serve to come prepared to give our city the best shot at the very best developments we can get, within our code. I will say, that I have worked with other commissioners to convince developers that had vested rights to certain densities and have convinced them to bring a better product to market that has often reduced the density vested and in their preliminary plats. Tell us something that sets you apart from the rest of the group of candidates? 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. What are your personal, political, and professional long term goals in regards to Eagle Mountain? My goals are to serve this community, protect what has made Eagle Mountain the city I want to live in and to preserve the safe family oriented community I want to raise my kids in. What founding father (signer of the Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution) has impacted your political philosophy the most and why? Do you have a favorite quote from a founding father? To be honest I am not one to delve into political philosophy. I use good common sense, listen to what the people are saying, act with integrity and honesty (even when it’s not popular) and try to treat people fairly. I think that was the intent of the Constitution of the United States of America. They wanted to be free from overreach, oppression, burdensome taxes and tariffs. They wanted to just build a house and live in peace and harmony. I think we want the same here. The city has numerous boards and commissions that it uses to help the City Council with decision making and to assist City Staff. What is your impression of these boards their effectiveness? Because I serve on the planning commission I may be biased here. I know the huge impact that we have had on development in our city in the last 18 months. It has changed drastically, in favor of the city. I have not attended the other boards but have seen the fruits of their labors. We have a functioning and well stocked library with a great staff. Our efforts to recognize and remember our military service members and veterans has been impressive. Through the efforts of our cemetery board we have a beautiful cemetery and thanks to the Senior Citizens Advisory Council our senior citizens have organized gatherings that are expanding and improving regularly. What service have you given to the residents of Eagle Mountain? I have served on the planning commission for the last 20 months. What is density vesting and how do you plan on dealing with it when it grants higher density than you are comfortable with? Density vesting is the dwelling units per acre that are guaranteed to a developer by means of a master development plan, master development agreement and preliminary plats. I have already gone on record many times that I don’t believe that our city needs high density housing in the stage our city is in. We don’t have services that are appropriate for dwelling units per acre exceeding 22d/u. In fact, our the zone code that I proposed removed the dwelling units per acre verbiage to discourage that as the goal of developers. I believe we can and should do better at creating safe street design to slow traffic, requiring a variety of lot sizes per street not just per development, increasing our building standards so that inferior building exterior products don’t leave our city looking run down and institutional in nature. What city code do you problematic, and how do you plan on addressing it? Honestly, there have been quite a few. Our Tier zone system did not serve us well as a city. It encouraged higher density building in exchange for open space. I believe we can have balanced development with lot sizes that encourage all stages of life living spaces without sacrificing the beautiful open spaces we have here. I have combed through much of our city code and made a multitude of suggestions on the planning commission. I intend to see that these codes are fixed to improve the safety, health and welfare of our community. I want to eliminate as many loopholes as possible that have been exploited by so many developers and left us with developments that were beneath our intended standards.
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.