General Election Questions – Eagle Mountain

Eagle Mountain Mayor and City Council Questions and Answers The following four questions were asked to the City Council and Mayor candidates in Eagle Mountain. Their answers are below, and have not been modified before being posted. Question: There is a steep learning curve in becoming well-versed and effective in managing local government operations and functions. What strategies, tools, and methods will you use to most quickly and efficiently bring yourself up to speed on those aspects of governance? Donna Burnham, City Council Candidate, “Because I have served on the City Council previously, I have experience managing local government operations and functions. Since my service on the council, I have continued to attend council and planning commission meetings. I will still have some catching up to do, but my experience gives me an advantage.” Jared Gray, City Council Candidate, “I agree there are things we all may not know. I’ve been staying up to date on the issues for years now, and have been trying to be ready to jump right in with a knowledge of the past and a vision for the future. On the things I may not know, I am a very quick study. In business I have to make decisions often very quickly. I’m a great problem solver and solution finder.” Tom Westmoreland, Mayor Candidate, “When it comes to ramping up quickly, preparation and experience are indispensable. However, not only does learning take time but a good measure of humility as well. Napoleon Hill said, “It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.” The entire time I have been on City Council I have worked with and learned from Mayor Pengra while doing my utmost to help his administration succeed. City staff and I already share a great working relationship and are excited to get to work on our vision and implement our plan.” Melissa Clark, City Council Candidate, “One of the first things that I did when I decided to run, was to call friends and associates that are currently serving or working in city or state government and asked “What do I need to learn the most?” and “Who should I be learning from?” As a mom, I tackle new frontiers every day and that versatility will serve me well as I take on the new challenge of City Council. Frequently attending City Council and Planning Commission and also serving on the Parks board has afforded me a basic understanding of how things run and I have spent a bunch of time learning from the different department heads and state and county leaders. I will continue to learn from the city staff and previous council members and other great resources and continue to listen to the voice of the people.” Matt Visser, City Council Candidate, “The best way for me to be brought up to speed is to continue to attend meetings, talking to current council, and the people that current issues effect. That means, listening, asking lot of questions, and communication. The newly elected people, the current council, and staff, will all need to use these tools. Building these communication foundations are crucial to getting caught up on issues and making future conversations eaiser.” Stephanie Gricius, Mayor Candidate, “One of the most effective ways to become well-versed in government as quickly as possible is immersion. This doesn’t just mean going to the fun functions but digging into the nitty gritty of the details and utilizing your resources to get up to speed quickly.” Question: Frequently two or more principles will be placed in direct conflict of one another. As an example, in the case of property rights vs city planning, what the property owner desires for their land use may be in direct conflict of the city general plan or may be incompatible with adjacent landowners land uses. How will you resolve the dissonance between two important principles? Donna Burnham, City Council Candidate, “Competing principles makes council decisions challenging. When these conflicts occur, I search for solutions that help to close the gap between the needs of the city and those of the applicant/resident. Understanding the “why” of the principle, helps me to better apply the principle in real life situations.” Jared Gray, City Council Candidate, “First of all I hold personal property rights at the highest protection. I will fight for personal property rights of all and have been seen saying ‘kept government out of my back yard.’ Less regulations on personal property. Having said that, conflict arise mostly when developers or land owners are seeking to change their land use. So I will fight or protect them under the use it currently exist. If there is a request to change the rights of an owner (like increase density) I will always negotiate what is best for the citizens. I will also consider what is the least burden (meaning tax obligation) on the current citizen.” Tom Westmoreland, Mayor Candidate, “A principle found in nature or society will always, once recognized, give opposition to another principle. This natural opposition is designed to move us forward, not mire us down in conflict. Not all conflicts can be resolved so that both parties leave happy but experience, leadership, and integrity can often sort out these differences so that parties can come away with more than they bargained for originally. For example, the law of gravity may seem to reign supreme until the laws of aerodynamics are introduced.” Melissa Clark, City Council Candidate, “I call that dissonance between two important principles a tough decision. Almost every City Council meeting I have ever attended has been filled with tough decisions and every day as a homeowner, mother, and wife has several tough decisions. The point of government is to make those tough decisions more clear cut and when the code and law and zoning does not make the tough decision clear cut, that’s when the people need to use the Government to clarify the law or code or zoning. Often times the tough decisions that arise between landowner and the city general plan could be resolved by more forethought and creative problem solving and when that doesn’t work we have to look at the law; sometimes that means re-thinking that code or a zone change.” Matt Visser, City Council Candidate, “The example given is something that can be resolved. What we need is more community involvement. As a council member I can vote on issues brought to me to vote on. If a project meets code, then it should be approved. That means we need The community to look into the future and let us know what changes we need to make to the code before it’s too late to legally deny a project the way it’s proposed. A council member shouldn’t use the position to push for personal agendas. We need to do what’s best for the long term of the city. Reacting and not looking forward is not the way to make this happen, but we can’t do it without the community coming to us with all of their concerns, and visions for the city.” Stephanie Gricius, Mayor Candidate, “Conflicting principles come into place on a regular basis and at that point you look at the property rights of the existing residents, the land owner’s application and what is in the best interest of the city overall then make a decision based on risk mitigation and strategic planning.” Question: How will you approach working with entities who’s authority supersedes the local government (SITLA, BLM, State Government, County Government, School districts) and the conflict that presents to the city and concerned residents? Donna Burnham, City Council Candidate, “Due to my previous service on the council, I have experience working with these entities. I have worked extensively with SITLA and Alpine School District in the past. I personally know many of our elected officials on the county and state level. I know how to work with them and more importantly, how to advocate for our city.” Jared Gray, City Council Candidate, “This question to me assumes city’s don’t have rights when notating with other branches. Such as sitla. First of all we the people are sitla, BLM, etc. That is our land as tax payers with Representatives who manage those agencies. On that note, sitla also is subject to zoning laws etc. If they are requesting increased density, I will way out what is best for the citizens. With sitla, will this request mean better funding for schools, and how will it burden the current citizens. That’s what I’d way out in my mind to make the best decision.” Tom Westmoreland, Mayor Candidate, “Harsh or blatant attacks generally serve to only stiffen opposition and establish enmity with those placed in positions of authority. People are still people at every level of responsibility. Reliable and lasting relationships are built on trust, sincerity, patience, and integrity. When these groups or the individuals tasked with responsibility over them can be shown another way or a better way to serve their interests they often become more empathetic, leading them to be if not malleable, sometimes creative in our behalf.” Melissa Clark, City Council Candidate, “The best way to work with any of the other agencies and levels of government is to treat others as people, they are subject to making mistakes and not seeing things in the same way that we do. When it comes down to it, as a Councilwoman for Eagle Mountain, I would be representing my city and its needs and desires. I will stand as an advocate, as I have done in the past for what Eagle Mountain needs, wants, and deserves.” Matt Visser, City Council Candidate, “Communication is the key. We need to communicate from a position of strength. If we negotiate from the perspective that another government organization supersedes what the people in the city want, then we will always be negotiating from a weak position. Communication, and listening is the answer. We can’t do that if we believe that another group has more say in our city than we do. Strong negotiations, look multiple steps into the future, leading from behind is not the answer.” Stephanie Gricius, Mayor Candidate, “Relationships and building mutual understanding is the best way to work with entities who’s authority supersedes our municipal government. As the city is simply a political subdivision of the state, there isn’t much we can legally do in these cases so being able to properly communicate our concerns and work together to mitigate as much as possible is the best approach.” Question: What personality trait do you have that you feel gives you an advantage over the other candidates? Donna Burnham, City Council Candidate, “I am a team player. In my past council service, I worked with, not against, my fellow council members. The council, our residents and our staff, all bring different skills and ideas to the table. When we work together, truly listen to one another, and set aside personal agendas, we make better decisions.” Jared Gray, City Council Candidate, “I have lots of real world experience in business and government. With that experience I believe I have the ability to think outside the box and come up with solutions to difficult decisions. I also believe with some of the major issues in Eagle Mountain, I have the most experience. Such as roads and development. I’ve done both in the private sector, so I believe I have an edge in those areas. Some of the most pressing for our city. I also play well with others. That gives me the advantage to get things done being able to help others understand what or why I may feel a certain way.” Tom Westmoreland, Mayor Candidate, “Without subordinating other important traits or discounting the attributes of others, my experience in business, government, and life with a long list of successes and failures from which to glean wisdom and temperament give invaluable depth to my desire to serve” Melissa Clark, City Council Candidate, “Thoughtfulness. I am always thinking–about what can happen, about people’s feelings, about unintended consequences, about how to improve, about how to help others, about how to solve a problem, and so on. I have learned during my time serving on various boards and councils that there is always room for improvement and problems to be solved and more than one perspective to a problem. There will be times when I have to act quickly or speak decisively and when those moments arise, I know the time that I have spent thinking about possibilities and unintended consequences will serve me well to be able to rise to those occasions. Being thoughtful and a person who ponders before rushing to act or speak before thinking makes me a better representative for our people.” Matt Visser, City Council Candidate, “I’m a problem solver. I seek people’s opinions that are differnt than mine. This, is the way we learn to compromise. Listening to people who disagree is the best way to find the right solution to an issue.” Stephanie Gricius, Mayor Candidate, “I don’t know that there is anything that specifically gives me an advantage because I don’t believe any candidate is better than another. We are all different with different strengths and weaknesses and which of those qualities is an “advantage” is up to residents to decide.”