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Show -N rf W S- Spanish Fork A14 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2007 Covering what matters most Candidate profiles: From CANDIDATES • A l four children, Rory, Hayley (Bench), Kiplyn and Karissa. Rodney C. Dart A native of Spanish Fork, Rodney C. Dart graduated from Spanish Fork High School and later from BYU with a degree in Elementary Education. Upon graduation from BYU Dart returned to Spanish Fork where he taught at Ferber School (which is now the City Office building) and later at Brockbank Elementary as a 5 th grade teacher. Dart who was once honored as a teacher of the year, spent 33 years with the Nebo School district before retiring. Along with his career in education Dart was also active in the community where he served on the library board for 6 years and was President of the Jr. Athletic Association. Dart has also spent many years coaching a 13-14 year old boys baseball team. Dart is married to Ann Swenson and the two have five sons: Ryan, Brandon, Kyle, Nate, and Nick. Dart says having spent his whole life here, he has a deep love for Spanish Fork and feels that he, "represents mainstream populations, their ideals, and their expectations." "I think I represent their values," said Dart. Dart says he feels that growth is one of the principal issues facing Spanish Fork and feels that the management of that growth and being able to provide services to keep up with growth are very important. As to which part of city infrastructure he thought needed the most attention, Richard Davis Rod Dart Dart says, there is no once specific part of infrastructure that he feels is in need of more attention than the rest. "They are all important in their own way," he said. When asked what qualifications make him a good candidate, Dart said he is one that will make common sense decisions, that he hopes would benefit both the city and it's residents. Dart's message to voters was simply that he appreciated their support if they would give it to him and he encouraged residents to get out and vote. time at Camp Williams. Ernst graduated from BYU with a degree in Computer Science and now employed by the Sprinkler World division of Hanvard Irrigation Systems in Springville. When asked what he saw as principal issues facing Spanish Fork, Ernst said, "One of the issues is North Park redevelopment. While I am sorry to see it be restructured, I am at the same time excited to spend my hard earned dollars with businesses in Spanish Fork." Another issue Ernst saw as a concern Was energy. "I think wind turbines and things like that are pretty cool technology. Everybody knows the Spanish Fork Canyon is known for having a lot of wind, and I think we ought to harness that. It's free and it's clean," said Ernst. While he admits residents have some concerns over property values, Ernst believes that this is something that can be worked out in the, end. i Ernst says of course1 growth is probably the number one issue. He says, he is not opposed to growth C. Timothy Ernst While C. Timothy Ernst was raised in Nevada, the past 30 years he has called Utah his home. After living for a short time in Orem, he and his wife Venus moved to Spanish Fork where they have enjoyed raising their eight children. Ernst says his Utah roots go way back. His mother, who has pioneer relatives, grew up in the small town of Enterprise Utah. Also, his father was a soldier miner during World War II and spent SPANISH FORK 2534 NORTH 200 EAST 798-3553 Oldest Ford dealer in Utah • Locally owned and operated Proudly serving Utah County for over 80 years! Timothy Ernst but feels that we need to do as past councils have done and "be careful, make sure infrastructure is in place to accommodate that growth." Given the city's unprecedented growth Ernst says he doesn't feel like there is any one aspect of city _ infrastructure that is more important that the rest. "They are all intertwined and to single out any one would be a mistake," said Ernst. While Ernst admits that some carry more weight than others, he says that along with sufficient sewers and electricity, if you don't have sufficient open space the "quality of life suffers." "All are critical and need to be examined," he said. As for qualifications, Ernst says he feels his best qualification is his willingness to serve the people of Spanish Fork. "I can't think of a bigger reason. If you can't serve people what else counts,'1 said Ernst. . Ernst is currently serving as the Spanish Fork 13th precinct chair. As a father of eight, raising his children has b§en his top priority over the years. He has served as the pounty and state delegate to the* Republican Conventions and feels that this is his "opportunity to return something to Spanish Fork." . "Even if I don't win the election, I will still love Spanish Fork. I love Spanish Fork just like you do. Let's make it the kind of place we are happy to live in together," said Ernst. Jim Garside Jim Garside believes that he is qualified to serve on the city council for several reasons. First, he said, is that he doesn't have ulterior motives. "I don't have any other reason to run except to improve the city. I don't own ground or have hidden allegiances. I can offer equal representation to all the citizens," he said. Garside has had a lot of experience dealing with politics in his job as a water rights expert. "In my job, I deal with politics on every level every day. I maneuver around that arena pretty well. I am the water war. I fight to get more water in Utah County," he said. According to Garside, Spanish Fork stands in a pivotal position. "Spanish Fork has two choices, either to stop growing, or to annex," he said. "Spanish Fork needs good annexing policies to be implemented that are in favor of everyone. We need to encourage developers to make concession with bigger lots, and room for playgrounds and roads. In many ways the growth is inevitable. To accommodate it, what we need to do is to expand the city, and the only way we can do that is by annexing." Garside said that all of the elements of city infrastructure are important as Spanish Fork experiences such unprecedented growth, but he said that the public safety should receive the most attention. \ Jeremy Coe Matt Barber "We live in a city that's growing fast," he said. "I would imagine if I had a, home fire it would take at least ten minutes for the fire department to get to me." It's also time Spanish Fork moved to a fulltime ambulance and fire department rather than the volunteer system it is currently on, Garside said. "Also the fire department is not centrally located. It's in old Spanish Fork, and it doesn't have easy access to many of the new sections of town. We need to set up some additional satellite systems that are closer to these areas," he said. "People feel safer when they know the emergency services are right around the corner." Garside is married to Leslie, and has three kids. Gunner (age eight), Avery (age five), and Lincoln (age three). A photo ofJim Garside was unavailable as of press time. to know that he intends on listening to each citizen equally and when it comes to dealing with tough issues Coe said, "If it's important to Spanish Fork, it's important to me." Jeremy Coe Jeremy Coe was born in St. George and raised in the town of Henderson, Nev. where he grew up as the oldest of five siblings. Coe later graduated from BYU with a degree in Computer Science and now resides in Spanish Fork with his wife, Kristin, and his two year old daughter, Parker Jane. While most of the candidates are looking forward to the upcoming election in Sept., it will be a particularly busy month for Coe and his family as they are also expecting their second child at the same time. Coe currently works for the Alpine School District as a computer programmer/ analyst and keeps busy working with the boy scouts and doing some occasional volunteer work at the meat packing plant here in Spanish Fork. Coe says economic growth is one of the main issues facing Spanish Fork right now. Coe says he feels that, "we have a lot of tools available to us when it comes to technology," and said, if elected, he hopes to be able to use those tools to establish better communication between citizens and the city council. Coe says he feels that economic development is the part of the city's infrastructure that is most important right now. "If it [economic development] doesn't move forward and progress, we will not have the money to support growth in the future, and will be forced to raise taxes in order to generate funds to support citizens," said Coe. When it comes to qualifications, Coe said the main thing he wants people to know is that he cares about the city's future. "I want to be here and I am willing to put in the time and effort necessary. I'm willing to listen to citizens and open up those lines of communication," said Coe, "Spanish Fork has a lot of potential. I plan on raising my own family here and I want to make sure my kids have the same great place to live." Coe says he wants voter's Matt Barber The only incumbent in this year's municipal election. Councilman Matt Barber brings four years of on-the-job experience to the race. During his tenure as councilman, Barber served on the City Risk Management committee and the Utah Municipal Power Agency board. "The knowledge I' ve gained during the last four years has really positioned me to be way ahead in the learning curve," Barber said. As for the issues, planning for and managing the area's growth tops Barber's list. "We are at a crossroad," he said. "The real issue is how to balance the growth with the need to maintain a "small town" atmosphere. It's a quality of life concern. How do we provide essential services at a reasonable cost without jeopardizing the character of Spanish Fork? It will require a new way of thinking and an increased commitment to innovation going into the future." Leadership is important to Barber. And so is unity. "I think of the City as an entity — the corporation. But I also think of the City in terms of the citizens. I think that we, as citizens, could do a better job of uniting and working together for solutions that better the lives of everyone collectively and individually," he said. "In order to do that, we need leaders who are not afraid to make tough decisions in the face of adversity and have the confidence to stand on principle even if that means they sometimes stand alone. I feel like I have proven to be that type of leader." One area of the city infrastructure that requires attention, Barber said, is sewers. "Four years ago, the city was on a 35+ year replacement cycle for some of the older sewer lines — some of those lines were already nearly 70 years old with some sections that had disintegrated over time," he said. "Over the past two years, the council has made this replacement a higher priority, and we have cut that replacement time t<v closer to 20 years." •',: According to Barber, that'' attention and new technology has the council hoping to cut that replacement time even more. Forthelast 15years,Barber has worked at Western States Insurance,' his local familyowned insurance agency. He also worked as a Spanish Fork EMT for 13 years. His community involvement includes having served on the Fiesta Days Committee, Planning Commission, Recreation Committee and SFCN Citizen's Advisory Committee as well as Chamber of Commerce. Barber has also coached youth baseball and basketball. He and his wife, Rochelle, have three children. |
