Melissa Clark – 2023 Candidate Information

Questions and Answers

Why are you running for city council and what motivated you to get involved in local government?

As a mother, wife, and business leader, the safety and vitality of Eagle Mountain are a huge priority. As a longtime resident of Eagle Mountain, I appreciate the city’s unique character and natural beauty. I am committed to responsible growth that preserves the city’s heritage while creating opportunities for future generations. I believe in investing in essential infrastructure, maintaining a safe and vibrant community, and protecting the Eagle Mountain way of life.

What relevant experience or skills do you bring to the role of city council member?

I have a proven track record of success in both professional and civic roles. As the President of the Eagle Mountain Chamber of Commerce, I have been instrumental in promoting economic growth and supporting local businesses. With my leadership and an amazing team, we have fostered a thriving business community, attracted new investments and created job opportunities for residents. My professional background as a project manager and business consultant has equipped me with the skills necessary to navigate complex issues and deliver results. My service and leadership with local nonprofits has demonstrated my ability to effectively manage resources, coordinate stakeholders, and drive projects to successful completion has been recognized and valued by those I have worked with. During my service on the Eagle Mountain City Council I developed strong relationships with business leaders, government officials, and residents. I actively listen to the concerns and aspirations of the community, and I am dedicated to being a voice for the people of Eagle Mountain.

What do you see as the most pressing issues facing our city, and how do you plan to address them?

Responsible Growth and Development I advocate for responsible growth and development that aligns with the values and aspirations of Eagle Mountain residents and landowners. I understand the importance of preserving the city’s unique character while meeting the needs of a growing population. I have worked to ensure that growth is thoughtful, mindful of finite resources, and considerate of the infrastructure and services required to support it. Economic Growth & Job Creation I am dedicated to fostering economic growth and creating job opportunities in Eagle Mountain. I work closely with local businesses, entrepreneurs, Chambers of Commerce, and economic development organizations to attract new investments, support existing businesses, and promote job creation. Professionally, I work tirelessly with the Eagle Mountain Chamber of Commerce to foster a business-friendly environment that encourages entrepreneurship and innovation. Transparency and Accountability I am committed to transparency and accountability in government. While serving in City Council I would actively seek input from residents, hold regular town hall meetings, and utilize digital platforms to keep the community informed and engaged. During COVID when there weren’t a lot of in-person meetings, I would present virtual open houses, via facebook, with local, county, school board, and state leaders as a way for residents to ask questions and get answers. I wholeheartedly believe in open and accessible government, where decisions are made in compliance with the law, with the best interests of the community in mind and are supported by clear and honest communication. Our decisions won’t make everyone happy, all the time, but I will always do the work to study all aspects of an issue, and make the best decision possible. Public Safety and Preparedness​I have prioritized public safety and the overall quality of life for Eagle Mountain residents. I will work collaboratively with fellow councilmembers, Utah County Sheriff’s Office, and Unified Fire Authority to ensure adequate resources and support for public safety initiatives. I believe in investing in CERT, Emergency Preparedness, and crucial equipment needed in the event of emergencies. ​While serving on Council, I worked closely with city staff, VIPS, Eagle Mountain Ham Radio Group and Be Ready Eagle Mountain to help our city to be prepared for emergencies. I actively pursued and supported the creation of two CERT trailers, and increased equipment for disasters. I am also CERT trained, and a ham radio licensed operator- KJ7HRL. Collaboration and Community Engagement I value collaboration and community engagement as essential components of effective representation. I have and will continue to actively engage with residents, landowners, and community organizations to gather feedback and learn about different perspectives. I believe in working together to find common-sense solutions. Support of Families and Way of Life I am dedicated to supporting families, of all shapes and sizes, and to preserving the way of life in Eagle Mountain. I understand the importance of strong families, safe neighborhoods, and the preservation of what makes Eagle Mountain feel special. Principles of Liberty, Fiscal Conservatism, Limited Government​As a long time county and state delegate, and precinct chair, I have worked hard to help support and preserve the principles of liberty, fiscal conservatism, and limited government. I believe in responsible financial stewardship, ensuring that taxpayer dollars are used efficiently and effectively. I will continue to advocate for limited government and empowering individuals and businesses to thrive.

How do you plan to engage and involve the community in decision-making processes?

My personal cell 801-357-9156 and my social media and email are always available to residents. Like many residents, before I served on City Council, I had really strong opinions and felt like I didn’t have a voice at City Hall. I will study out the issues, I will connect with residents and land owners, and ultimately, I will use principles, the law, and good stewardship to make the touch decisions.

What is your stance on fiscal responsibility and budget management? How do you plan to balance the city’s financial needs with the expectations of residents?

As a family, we are graduates of Financial Peace University. While on City Council, it was my priority to make sure the City budget maxed out the “rainy day” financial reserves so we would always have some money set aside of unforeseen or unavoidable expenses. In municipal government there are some legitimate reasons to bond and “go into debt”. Examples of legitimate reasons to bond include essential infrastructure, limited instances of impact fee eligible amenities and public safety. Eagle Mountain has done a really good job of keeping the tax rate low and providing the basics. As those who have responsibility to judiciously use taxpayers’ money, we should also make sure that our city staffing levels are set to provide services in a timely manner, but not ever excessive and wasteful.

What is your position on sustainable and environmentally-friendly initiatives, such as renewable energy, waste management, or green spaces?

I believe each of us has a responsibility to be good stewards of the resources and land we are blessed with. A few years ago, through careful use and great negotiating, the city had a pretty significant surplus in the solid waste fund. Based on feedback from residents I advocated for the city to provide glass recycling. Individual glass recycling pick up wasn’t a viable option, so city staff worked on some options to present to the Council. Now we have a really awesome glass recycling unit at Cory Wride park, and it even has a beautiful mural! We have room for improvement as a community when it comes to our efforts. I am a big advocate for a “carrot versus a stick” approach for policies and requirements. My preferred way to address some of these things is education and training resources to help people to know the best way to be good stewards. It has been a huge priority to work with those experts that are passionate about our wildlife, native plants, and open spaces. I will continue to work to bring people together for this crucially important part of our community.

How do you plan to address affordable housing challenges in our city? Are there specific policies or initiatives you would advocate for?

Historically, one of the best ways to keep housing affordable is to keep taxes down, commutes short, and promote vital economic development so people can work closer to home and the community can have a solid tax base. We can all see that those efforts just are not enough with our current economic climate, but home ownership is still one of the best ways to help escape multi-generational poverty. As part of the major economic development projects with RDA, Redevelopment Agency, in Eagle Mountain, (such as Facebook, Tyson, and Google), by state law, there is a sizable portion of money that comes from the property tax and RDA budget each year of the RDA. Our city needs to create an Affordable Housing Plan to use those resources to help foster stability in our community. That plan should include a healthy mix of programs and resources to foster home ownership, revitalization grants to improve value, ADU grants/loans to help homeowners create additional housing, and first-time home buyer grants. In addition to home ownership programs, we should also have programs that are temporary support to people who are not yet in a position to own homes. Whenever possible we should allow programs within the private sector and charitable organizations to help stretch the dollars in the Affordable Housing fund.

What is your stance on economic development and attracting businesses to our city? How do you plan to promote local entrepreneurship and job growth?

For many people economic development is almost an afterthought, that they will get to when a bunch of other items are addressed. This is the opposite of what we need to be doing because a healthy, thriving business community mitigates the other problems that often plague communities. For example, one of the best ways to address rush-hour gridlock is to have great jobs in the community so there are less people leaving the city and returning at the same time every day in a long commute. A vibrant business community also addresses some of the biggest needs in a community. In times of crisis, local small businesses are often the first to step up and support their communities. They are the ones sponsoring local events, participating in fundraisers, and giving back whenever there is a need. They are invested in the well-being of the community because they are part of it. Supporting them means ensuring that we have a safety net of support during challenging times and a foundation for growth and prosperity in the future. Eagle Mountain has been on the forefront of creative solutions and attracting businesses to our city. One such way has been the RTI, Regional Technology and Industry, Overlay Zone. This has helped the city prioritize specific business types, that are either needed in our community or are big contributors without as many negative impacts. It opens up a special approval process for qualifying businesses. The RTI makes specific areas of the city designated for this purpose and then pre-qualifies certain uses and streamlines the approval process and provides development-friendly standards. Eagle Mountain fostered the creation of our own Chamber of Commerce to be a support to local business and entrepreneurs. As the President of the Eagle Mountain Chamber of Commerce, I have worked over the last year, to listen to the individual needs of local business owners and entrepreneurs, provide resources, training, and workshops, and create more networking opportunities so new business owners can find mentors and colleagues to improve their business. All of this has been done almost entirely without taxpayer dollars and yet both examples have been a tremendous help to local business and a huge draw to new businesses. As a Councilmember, I would continue to listen to the business owners to hear about what they really need, I will advocate for our community on a regional and state level, and I will lead out with innovative ways to support and foster our businesses.

How do you prioritize public safety and community well-being? What ideas or strategies do you have for enhancing public safety and building stronger neighborhoods?

One of the biggest indicators of safety and well-being of a community is the stability of that community. We have to ask ourselves “are people moving to Eagle Mountain for 2-3 years and then moving away and why are they leaving?”, “Do our neighborhoods know about resources available to them through our Sheriff’s department, Be Ready Eagle Mountain, and Communities that Care?”, and “Do people know where to turn to prevent issues within their neighborhood?”. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel, so to speak, but we do need to inform about available resources, regularly evaluate those resources and programs, and actually know and listen to residents. You cannot know and listen unless you are out meeting with people and hearing directly from them. One of my favorite questions to ask is “Why did you move to Eagle Mountain?” followed up by “What makes you stay?”. When I have done that I have heard over and over again, “We moved here because it is quiet”, because “there is still open space”, and “we wanted a safe place to raise a family.” When I have asked people why they are moving away, it is almost always because they couldn’t find a move-up home here in Eagle Mountain. We have made some great strides in prioritizing a diverse mix of housing products, and ensuring there are some homes and lots that people can move-up to and have more space for their growing family, or even to downsize because all of their kids have grown & flown. We are getting closer and closer to the time when EM will need to create its own police force. Right now we have access to really great resources through our contract with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office. Things like investigators, lab services, special units, SWAT, are all very expensive and as we have been growing, our contract with USCO has been of great value with many services. We need to continue to support community policing with programs like Neighborhood Watch, RAD Kids and RAD Women, and School Resource Officers. EM has historically been super supportive of our SROs and have made a point to fund more than many other communities. Over and over again I have heard from our deputies how important it is to be present in the lives of our kids while they are in school and everything is going relatively well, so when the hard stuff happens or a kid makes a dumb choice, which they do sometimes, the SRO deputies have already built positive interactions with the kids and help them navigate out of some of the really difficult times. Along with supporting our Public Safety programs, we also need to make sure our parks, open space and trails are well maintained to be a healthy place both for people and the wildlife that calls EM home. The health of the wildlife of our community is a measure of the health of our community.​I have prioritized public safety and the overall quality of life for Eagle Mountain residents. I will work collaboratively with fellow councilmembers, Utah County Sheriff’s Office, and Unified Fire Authority to ensure adequate resources and support for public safety initiatives. If a city fails at supporting public safety, they have failed one of the most crucial roles of government. I believe in investing in CERT, Emergency Preparedness, and crucial equipment needed in the event of emergencies. ​While serving on Council, I worked closely with city staff, VIPS, Eagle Mountain Emergency Communications Ham Radio Group and Be Ready Eagle Mountain to help our city to be prepared for emergencies. I actively pursued and supported the creation of two CERT trailers, and increased equipment for disasters. I am also CERT trained, and a ham radio licensed operator- KJ7HRL.

How do you plan to collaborate and work with other council members and community stakeholders to achieve your goals?

Even before I started serving on Council, I saw the importance of learning from colleagues on the state and county level, the school board, and even our Federal delegation. I have built some really important relationships with my counterparts, both elected officials and leaders of local nonprofits, and business leaders. I have advocated for regular meetings with surrounding communities and their Councils, and regular meetings with our school board. Those types of working relationships have been a huge benefit to our residents, our nonprofits, and our local businesses. I have a ton of respect for anyone who will put themselves out there and run for office, especially my colleagues on City Council. Civility is something we need as part of the public discourse. Those who have served with me in professional and civic roles know I work hard and don’t give up until we can find a solution to the problem we’re facing or issue we are trying to address. I have regular touch base meetings with my counterparts, and stay in contact with community stakeholders. When people need a resource or connection, they know I will help get them connected to the person and resources they need.

Can you provide examples of situations where you have successfully built consensus or resolved conflicts in a diverse and potentially divided community?

Three examples jump out at me. With a particular development in City Center, we had a councilmember who felt very strongly that we needed to preserve larger lots in that area. I agreed. The project the developer brought before the Council wasn’t bad, but it did not meet the desired land use for that area. Instead of just voting yes or no as is, I met with that developer and the other councilmember. We worked through the concerns and desires of both the landowner and councilmember, and ultimately found a way to increase the average lot size without stripping the landowner of the value and use of his property. Another example is when we were working on getting the code created for the Wildlife Corridor Overlay Zone and one of the first developments to adopt the Wildlife Corridor-friendly components. I remember talking to a very supportive landowner and developer that had reached the end of how much he could bend and accommodate the wishes of those in support of the Wildlife Corridor. He was getting worn out from that back and forth and was close to just giving up on the discussions and moving forward with the development as vested. In listening to both sides of that issue, I knew we were super close and both side just needed someone to hear and help the issues along. It wasn’t my doing that finally got it over the finish line, it was a total group effort, but sometimes in situations like that, both sides just need a little nudge, or sympathetic ear and ideas for creative solutions. The last example was when one neighborhood was subject to some really impactful and even damaging activity in their neighborhood. We found ourselves in a really tough spot because the activity was partially done and if we made the developer and excavator halt the work, it would have left a huge mess for those neighbors. We had to listen to the residents to hear their biggest concerns and then also hear what efforts could make the problem better. We were able to create code to prevent that situation from ever happening again, we were able to get compensation for those that sustained damage, and also were able to get some additional park amenities funded by that developer to help mitigate the inconvenience, damage, and frustration. We couldn’t undo what had started, but we could facilitate a path forward. (I use the word we because it was a group effort. I was able to help contribute to the solution with some of my skills, but that solution was not only from my work, it was a combination of residents raising concerns, city staff helping provide context and the understanding of what could legally be done, and the elected officials repeatedly going to the neighborhood and listening so we could help make this situation better.)

What is your vision for our city in the next five to ten years? How do you plan to involve residents in shaping that vision?

Eagle Mountain is such an amazing place to live and work. When I think of some of the awesome things we have accomplished together here, it reminds me of the term originally coined by Early American, John Winthrop, and later adopted by the great Ronald Reagan, “we shall be as a city upon a hill”. We have 50+ square miles of some of the most beautiful land around and home to some of the smartest, most talented, and most caring people in the country. For decades people have called this area “the Crossroads of the West” and recently I heard a successful business leader say, we have developed into “the Crossroads of the World”. There is a great deal of truth to that statement, but there is also a huge responsibility to get it right. We can be special and different. We can choose creative solutions over a cookie-cutter approach, and we can create that shining city on a hill that was spoken of over 400 years ago. We need to preserve the city’s unique character while meeting the needs of a growing population. With a focus on innovative practices and thoughtful planning, we must ensure that the city’s infrastructure, transportation, and public services keep pace with the demands of the community. We will plan ahead, use industry best practices, and implement the most crucial responsibilities of the government–public safety, roads, and life-sustaining infrastructure. The reality is, growth is going to happen, we get to decide if we help to manage that growth in a responsible way or if we just become subject to whatever outside forces dictate. We have to be intentional about creating safe and adequate roadways and fostering jobs and resources right here in our community. As for how I will involve residents in the shaping of that vision, I will do what I am known for–being with the people, listening to them, being available to them, and being their voice at City Hall.