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Show Sentinel Guardian of Your Community News Meet the candidates night held in Mapleton Judith Everett STAFF WRITER Sponsored by the Mapleton Youth Council, the Meet the Candidates Night was held on Tuesday, Oct. 7. Over 100 people were in attendance. The candidates in this year's election are incumbent Laurel B rady and Brian Wall running for mayor; and April Clawson, Sallie Korman, Ryan Farnworth and Jim Lundberg running for two open council seats. All the candidates expressed a desire to serve the people of Mapleton. Clawson and Korman both have given countless hours in service to the community and are eager to take part in local government. Farnworth and Wall both said, as lifelong residents, they have a vested interest in the future of Mapleton. "There's nowhere else I want to live. I'm interested in making sure things go the way I feel they should in Mapleton," said Farnworth. Brady and Lundberg both listed their experience as a motivation for their running for office. Incumbent Mayor Brady said she has worked to develop relationships with government leaders on local, state and federal levels and doesn'J want to lose momentum. Lundberg stated that his legal background would give him the opportunity to help Mapleton through its complex legal problems. The issues discussed centered around development and how the economic downturn has affected Mapleton. Lundberg, Wall, Clawson and Brady all cited the longstanding reliance on impact fees for city revenue as the top problem Mapleton is facing. They agreed that commercial development is needed to offset the tax strain on residents. Clawson, Brady, Lund- berg and Wall agreed that residents need to be encouraged to support the businesses that are already in Mapleton. Korman and Famworth both said that attracting the right kind of business to Mapleton was the hardest part of the problem. "We don't want to change the rural feel we all love about Mapleton," said Korman. Most candidates were agreed that luxuries such as trails, though they are wonderful assets to the community, should be put on hold until the city could recover from the economic downturn. Essential services and infrastructure must be first priority. Lundberg and Korman pointed out that things like litigation and government operations should be limited. "We should seriously look at cutting back government for savings," said Lundberg. The controversial issue of the Wendell Gibby property was touched on last in the discussion. Lundberg, Korman, Clawson and Brady were all agreed that the litigation must stop and the MOU must be fulfilled and enforced. Farnworth said there needs to be fairness in the enforcement of city ordinances. Wall felt that the city was mostly to blame for poor handling of the entire issue. "Future developments must be looked at closely, before approval, for any possible legal issues," he said. In their closing statements, many candidates called for greater citizen involvement in government. They felt that Mapleton would be a stronger, more civil community if there was more input from residents. "Communication is vital to the success of our community," said Brady. Introducing local candidates . Interviews by Lindsay B. Wolsey, Marilyn Nielson, Christy Hardman and Jen Allen. Brent Hanks Brent Hanks is running for re-election on the Salem City Council. If elected, this will be his second term. Hanks is a lifetimeTesident* of Salem, and is self-employed in town. Hanks and Patty, his wife of 38 years, have five children, and 10 grandchildren. The main reason Hanks decided to run again was to finish the work he started last term. "I want to see the roads get fixed," Hanks stated. 'That's my main concern." Hanks is also concerned about appropriate growth in Salem. "We've got to get more economic development, get a tax base," Hanks said. "We've got a grocery store, we've got some developments coming in, but we need more." He says there is a lot of space between developments that needs to be filled in. Hanks is also concerned about the economic climate, and keeping the city under budget. Stan Green Stan Green is running for Salem City Mayor. Green grew up in Layton, attended Brigham Young University and received his Medical Degree from the University of Alabama. He has worked as a radiologist at Mountain View Hospital in Payson for the last 25 years. Green has 13 children, and almost all of them graduated from Spanish Fork High School. His 16-year-old daughter is the exception, attending Salem Hills High School. Greens biggest concern is the economic stability of Salem. **My goal is to not let any of the city employees go, and to keep city services up, and stay within the budget," Green said. 'We've tried hard to stay Brent Hanks Stan Green fiscally responsible." He also sees the growth is inevitable, but hopes to make sure the growth will add to Salem, and not destroy the small town feel. "I want to see Salem stay a place where my children will want to come back, and could come back," Green stated. He is currently serving as a member of the Salem City Council. and represent the ordinary citizens of Elk Ridge." The main issues facing Elk Ridge, Clawson feels, are development; water use and costs; use of city money; safety; and maintaining the unique beauty, feel and integrity of Elk Ridge. In dealing with these issues, she would like to protect the interests of the current residents, not the interests of outside developers. Clawson also promises to be fiscally responsible when voting on issues, and believes the city should stay within a budget. "If elected, I will keep the role of city government in perspective," Clawson said. "I believe the role of government is not to micromanage the daily affairs of the citizens." Editor's note: We did not receive a head shot from Erin Clawson by deadline. Erin Clawson Erin Clawson is running for Elk Ridge City Council. She and her family moved to Elk Ridge in 2005 because they wanted to live in a small, safe community with a rural feel. "Elk Ridge fits our family perfectly, and we love it here," Clawson said. Clawson feels that she can be "a breath of fresh air" in the city. She has prepared herself for a city council position by attending meetings, researching issues that face the community and holding leadership positions in school, work and church. "I am not currently on the planning commission or a city council member, but I will offer a unique perspective as an ordinary Elk Ridge citizen who is not already entrenched in the current state of affairs in our city government," Clawson said. "After attending many meetings, I've decided that someone needs to stand up Matt McEwen dustry and currently works as a customer service representative. "I am running for city council because as I have watched the happenings in our country I have felt the strong desire to serve the citizenry of Spanish Fork and give them the voice that they deserve," McEwen says. Knowing the finance industry gives McEwen a heads up. He wants to run the city the way a home is run; living within the means and preparing for the future. He feels his biggest qualification is that he is willing to listen and to serve. These are two things that McEwen promises to do continually. "What matters is that I am here to be a representative to all the citizens of Spanish Fork and that I listen to their concerns and am open and honest on all issues in the community." McEwen says that Matt McEwen is running for Spanish Fork City the biggest issues facCouncil. Born in Snow- ing Spanish Fork, in his flake, Ariz., McEwen opinion, are the economic moved to Spanish Fork downturn and the way in two years ago from Kim- which it is effecting the loberly, ID for a job change. cal infrastructure. He says, McEwen, his wife and two "My goals for the city are daughters have been living simple- I want to help here ever since. McEwen Spanish Fork continue to has worked in the financial be a great place to live and industry for over ten years have a managed growth and has a bachelors degree that is maintainable and in business management safe for our community with an emphasis in Human and that we create a comResources. He has done munity that is inviting for many things within the in- businesses and residents." MattMcEwen WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2009 • A7 Spanish Fork citizens meet candidates Christy Hardman STAFF WRITER Thursday, Oct. 8 allowed the citizens of Spanish Fork the opportunity to meet the city council and mayoral candidates at 6 p.m. in the city building. The event was sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, and broadcast by SFCN. Citizens not in attendance could ask questions of the candidates during the broadcast by sending their queries to Spanish Fork Cable Network . Councilman Rod Dart acted as the spokesman for the evening. The candidates running for the two open positions in the city council are Matthew McEwen, Keir A. Scoubes, Seth Sorensen and Steve Leifson. Matthew McEwen said his purpose in running is to be a voice and an advocate for the people of Spanish Fork. He said while he doesn't have all the answers, he's willing to serve to make Spanish Fork a better place to live, and to close the division that exists between the old and new sections of town. He said that "government on a municipal level provides services that cannot be attained in the private sector." Keir A. Scoubes teaches fifth grade at Larsen Elementary. He was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, and also spent time in South America. During his deployment with the armed forces, he said he was involved in "nation building." He said he is running because he feels strongly about being an active participant in society, just as he teaches his students at Larsen Elementary. He also wants to use his skills at nation building to maintain and improve the quality of life in Spanish Fork. He said the role of government is to represent the voice of the people and to support the constitution. Seth Sorensen said the main reasons he is running because of his love of Spanish Fork. "These are tough economic times," he said. "It's critical .to maintain government services at the lowest possible cost." Sorensen said his prior experience on the council from 2004-08 gave him. the experience to assure property tax and utility rates do not go up. His goal is to focus on the business development of Spanish Fork. He said he believes a small government is better. Some of the projects he helped establish in his previous term were the expansion of the waste water treatment plant and the new justice center. "The government has certain roles to maintain such as the safety and well-being of the citizens, and to protect private property rights. There's a delicate balancing act to protect but not infringe on property rights," he said. Steve Leifson is an incumbent running for reelection. He has served on many boards during his time on the council, including the power board and the airport board. He has also worked on the North Park development, as well as the justice center. He complimented how well the city is run, the department heads and the city employees, as well as the volunteering spirit of the citizens. He said his ancestors helped settle Spanish Fork, and his intent in serving on the city council is to "carry on that legacy" they established. Leifson said he i s ' a strong advocate for less government, but he said certain services need to be maintained, including ambulance, streets and fire and police departments. "We also need to be a governing body with growth and development," he said. The mayoral candidates are G. Wayne Andersen and Sherman Huff. Wayne Andersen said one of his main goals if elected as mayor will be to work on the traffic problem on the north end of town at the Main Street and Highway 6 interchange. He said everything a municipal government does directly effects the quality .of life of the citizens. Andersen said if elected he would work hard to support and protect that quality of life. In response to a question about agriculture versus technical development in the city, Andersen said he is very "progressive in what [he] is trying to accomplish." He said the question comes down to whether the business or development coming in will be a benefit or a cost to the citizens. Andersen said he would like to see more retail businesses brought in to help allay the property tax for the citizens. He said he is a big supporter of the North Park development, and is excited to see businesses come in there. Sherman Huff served eight years on the city council, and has continued to serve on the planning and zoning commission. He said he enjoys working with the people of Spanish Fork and feels confident he can act in the "steering" role the mayor needs to fill. Huff said the proper roll for government is to represent the citizens and to serve the people, and to take great care in the decisions that effect people financially and in raising their families. Some of the projects Huff worked on in his time on the city council were the secondary water system and the new ballparks. If elected, Huff said he thinks it would be beneficial to Spanish Fork to establish an arts center. Your source for Local Political News : The Sentinel "Guardian of Your Community News" |