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Eagle Mountain is electing a Mayor (4 year term from January 2018-2022) and two (2) City Council members (4 year term from January 2018 to January 2022), and the race looks like it will be an interesting one. The two seats for City Council that are being replaced are for Tom Westmoreland, and for Adam Bradley. Tom is not running for re-election as a City Council member, but has thrown his hat into the ring for the Mayors seat. Adam Bradley has announced that he will not be running. Mayor Pengra has also announced that he will not be running. Because none of the incumbents are running for their old seats, there are a lot of people who are running for the three positions that would not of run against the incumbents. When Colby Curtis was asked who he was going to endorse this election cycle, his response was, “I will support the candidate who survives the cage match.” He then added, “…but joking aside, I will likely remain neutral and wish all the candidates the best.”
Eagle Mountain allows for a full time mayor, or a part time mayor. The full time mayor has a salary of $70,000, while the part time mayor has a salary of $27,700. It is expected that the full time mayor uses their office as their primary source of income, while the part time mayor has another primary source of income. Stephanie Gricius, a current city council member, that still has two years on her term is running to fill the Mayor seat that is being left open by Pengra. The Mayor seat is also being perused by Tom Westmoreland, who is currently a city council member as well. It should also be noted that Debbie Hooge was the first mayor of Eagle Mountain and is running for Mayor as well.
If Stephanie Gricius is elected as Mayor, then the city will need to fill her City Council seat for the rest of her term (2 years). Fionnuala Koefed, Eagle Mountain City Recorder, explains what the process would be if Stephanie is elected to the open Mayor position. “It would be an appointment of an individual by the legislative body, based on those that submit a letter of interest for the position.”
Candidates for Mayor
PT – Part Time Mayor, FT – Full Time Mayor- Casey Voeks – (PT) caseyvoeks@gmail.com
- Jonathan Vail – (FT) jokersstyle@hotmail.com
- Debbie Hooge – (FT) Debbie4mayor@gmail.com
- Tom Westmoreland – (FT) Tom@tom4em.com
- Stephanie Gricius – (PT) Stephanie@votestephanie.org
- Taylor Malungahu – (PT) Tonganfob@gmail.com
Candidates for City Council
- Drew Curley drew@drewcurley.com
- Lonnie Petersen Ljpetey78@gmail.com
- Tyler Shimakonis Tyler4em@gmail.com
- Melissa Clark melissa4EM@gmail.com
- Brett Mansfield Brett@electbrettmansfield.org
- Donna Burnham dburnham@gmail.com
- Jared Gray grayjar@gmail.com
- Matt Visser Givemeyourslst@gmail.com
- Jan M. Preece Preecem@gmail.com
This will also be the first election that Eagle Mountain will be doing Vote By Mail. It will be an interesting election to watch, and to see if Eagle Mountain can get voter turnout to increase on a non presidential election cycle.
The primary election will be held on August 15, 2017 from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. Candidates elected at the primary election will continue on to the general election. The general election will be held on November 7, 2017.
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.