Platform
I believe that local government exists primarily to protect our life, liberty, and property. Outside of those key critical functions, local government only exists to serve the people in a few limited ways which cannot be done better by local enterprises. In all of its functions, the overarching theme of local government is to serve the people. A government by the people, of the people, and for the people.
In my experience, I have seen that Cache County needs a stronger focus on serving the people. As a fulltime elected official in Cache County for two and a half years I witnessed firsthand how county leadership, taking their focus off the target of serving the people, has led to a lot of the recent turmoil and disfunction, leaving the underserved citizens of Cache County with the short end of the stick. I think we all can agree that in a lot of ways we can be better served by the county. My overarching goal as a county council member will be to work toward addressing how the county can better serve the people.
I look forward to a brighter future for Cache County. One where a strong culture of leadership, from elected officials and department heads to the seasonal workers and volunteers, is focused on serving the people of Cache County. The first thought to every question, decision, or situation at any level in Cache County should be, ‘How can I best serve the people?’
As the Cache County Council South District member these are some of the specific ways I will focus on serving you:
I will focus the spending of Public Funds on services for you.
The County Council has the responsibility to direct the use of public funds by approving the county budget. Whenever budgets get used for any purpose other than to best serve the people, we experience the hardship of waste, inefficiency, and ineffectiveness. In recent years I believe the budget approval process has been used for individual punishments, re-election talking points, and personal agendas. I believe that the Cache County budget should be a conservative budget, solely focused on how to best provide the services that the people of Cache County deserve. From our public safety to our ability to travel safely, to protecting our property rights and records, to the support of economic development, to the customer service you receive at our offices, the people of Cache County should be getting the best services possible for the taxes we pay. As the only candidate for county council who has ever worked full time for the county, I have a unique understanding of how the council’s review and approval of the county budget directly affects the county office’s and department’s ability to serve the people. As a Chief Deputy Recorder/Surveyor and a County Recorder for eight and a half years I gained the experience of implementing a portion of the county budget to best serve the people. I will take that experience, and the lessons learned, to the council to help the county as a whole focus the spending of public funds on how to best serve you.
I will focus on policies and ordinances which promote Good Growth.
The county council makes many legislative decisions about where and how development happens in the unincorporated areas of Cache County, particularly through the master plan, rezone requests, and subdivision ordinance. Many people in Cache County are worried about growth. We live in an amazing place and because of that we all want to be here with our families. Because of our families, this wonderful place we live in, and personal property rights, growth is inevitable. However, good growth, in the right places in the right ways, can make all the difference between keeping the unique feel of our communities or losing it. As a professional licensed land surveyor, I have spent my whole career working with communities and landowners to navigate the development process. I have seen concerning trends of what seem to be anti-growth policies and procedures in Cache County. When a local government focuses on stopping growth, rather than promoting good growth, the community will end up seeing a lot of bad growth. I have a full understanding of both sides of the growth issue, what the government can do to affect the where and how of development, and what should be done to support the rights of the private property owners who chose to exercise their right to develop their land. In my seventeen years of experience in the land development arena, both representing government entities and private property owners, I have seen what it takes to strike a balance and avoid bad growth by promoting good growth. I will bring my experience to the county council and focus on policies and ordinances which promote good growth.
I will focus on a higher quality of life through good Economic Development.
The county council has the responsibility to build an environment where good economic development in the county can enhance our quality of life. The expansion and diversification of our local economy is essential to improve employment, business opportunities, and the family income of Cache County and the South District citizens. Without good economic development we could soon be a community where our children will not be able to afford to buy a home and also work here in Cache County. In my experience it seems as though Cache County has approached economic development as something we don’t need because we do not want to give up our agricultural community-based way of life. I believe that good economic development is not in opposition to our agricultural community-based way of life, but diversification of economy works to strengthen our overall economic health allowing the continuance and development of our historic agricultural economy and the major companies which rely on that agriculture. Building on our already successful science, technology, research, and manufacturing economic sectors, and growing newer economic sectors, takes a good environment and good relationships. The recent turmoil and dysfunctional relationships at Cache County stand in the way of building an environment conducive to economic development. I have the experience and proven ability to build good relationships and I am committed to working together with all parties to improve the environment for economic development in Cache County. When the world sees that our county and community leaders have good relationships and can work together for the common good, we will be able to raise our quality of life through good economic development.
I will focus on addressing Transportation Solutions for our communities.
The county council heavily influences local transportation solutions through adopted policies and ordinances as well as by funding the public works budget and transportation related capital improvement projects. The county council is also in the unique position to work together with state leaders, municipal leaders, and the county executive to promote regional transportation solutions by seeking federal and state funding and prioritizing and approving CMPO and COG projects. I believe that transportation needs to be a constant top priority of local government. Just like a dilapidated property which has been ignored for too long, transportation infrastructure will quickly decline and degrade when not prioritized. When opportunities for federal or state transportation funding are missed it can sometimes set back local transportation solutions by decades. Many of our communities in the South District have State Routes running through the hearts of our communities. Our voices need to be heard when decisions affecting those corridors are being made. Funding has been allocated to study two separate potential projects which could have a huge impact on the use of those State Routes in our communities. I am concerned that those who are performing the studies are not going to hear our voice and concerns through our current county leadership. With years of experience working on local transportation projects as a private sector consultant and as a county/city employee, I have a broad understanding of how transportation projects get studied, prioritized, funded, designed, and built. I will bring that experience and understanding to the county council with a specific eye on the current and future transportation solutions that are needed particularly in the South District. I have built and will continue to build relationships of trust with federal, state, county, and municipal leaders and I will make the effort to give our communities a bigger voice on future transportation projects which can affect our communities in the South District.
I will continue to strive to preserve your Private Property Rights.
The county council makes many legislative decisions about what you can, and cannot, do with your property, particularly through the zoning ordinances which govern property use in the unincorporated areas of Cache County. The county council also funds the budgets of the county surveyor’s office and the county recorder’s office, impacting their ability to preserve your property rights. Landowners are entitled to the use of their property in such a way that maximizes their enjoyment. However, the enjoyment must not unreasonably interfere or disturb the rights of the adjoining landowners or create a public nuisance. Protecting property rights and helping preserve a property owner’s right to the quiet enjoyment of their property is the primary motivating reason I became a licensed professional land surveyor. I believe that Cache County can do more to facilitate the quiet enjoyment of property for its property owners and protect your property rights through the appropriate funding of the county recorder’s and county surveyor’s office. As your council member I will be committed to removing any unnecessary red tape and doing all that I can to get the county uninvolved with your property whenever it is not absolutely necessary, to facilitate the quiet enjoyment of your property in your preferred way. I will also continue to advocate for the county to budget appropriately to more fully fulfill its state mandated county surveying responsibilities and ensure full support of state mandated county recording services. These state mandated responsibilities and services are crucial for protecting your property rights. When I served as your county recorder, I worked hard to protect your property rights by staying current on laws and procedures which influence your property rights. I will bring that same experience, hard work, and drive to the county council to strive to preserve your private property rights.
I will strive to build a culture of Leadership and Good Communication.
The county council has a responsibility to lead and serve the county from the top. In every organization, leadership and service start at the top. On every team, in any organization, all responsibility for success rests with the leaders. There are no bad teams, only bad leaders. When elected officials don’t demonstrate an example of good leadership, a lack of success will occur, and cascade through every level of the organization. The most critical overarching principle to good leadership is effective communication. In my experience, having worked as an elected official at Cache County, our current situation of turmoil and dysfunctional relationships in large part comes from poor leadership rooted in an enormous lack of good communication. I believe that it is a primary responsibility of an elected official at the county level to work together with other elected officials for the good of the people. As an elected official it is an affront to the citizens who elected you if you pick and choose which other elected officials and county employees you are willing to communicate and work with. When the citizens of Cache County vote to elect a county official, all other elected officials are obligated to support the decision of the voters and work together with that elected official. Being a good leader means getting the best with what you have to work with, not getting everything you want. In county government this principle is reflected when an elected official can effectively lead the county with the other individuals the voters have chosen, and not just with the individuals they wish the voters would have chosen. In every leadership role I have had in my career I have strived to build a culture of leadership through effective communication. As a result, I helped create and experienced a fun and professional work environment where productivity and service are at its best. Many of my former employees have grown out of that environment into professionals and leaders themselves. I will bring that track record with me, and apply what I have been able to accomplish, to the county council to build a culture of leadership and good communication at Cache County.
I will make what is Important to You important to me!
There are many more topics that get addressed regularly by the county council. As your council member I know that my ideas may not always be the best ideas. I will not be a ‘my way or the highway’ type of leader. I want to represent the South District by supporting and reflecting your values, ideas, needs, and solutions. If I ever find myself not in the majority with you on a situation going to council vote, I am committed to representing the voice of the South District over my own personal opinion. It is more important for me to do what is right for the people of the South District than to prove that I am right. However, I cannot know what the majority is unless we join the conversation together. As a citizen I have often found myself frustrated to learn about an action taken by the county council after the decision has already been made and it hits the newspaper. Beyond publishing an agenda twenty four hours before a council meeting, I see very little, if any, interaction between the council and the public before council meetings. Even at council meetings there is no standard public comment time allowed for the public to make themselves heard. As your council member I will work toward implementing a public comment portion of county council meetings. I also commit to reaching out to you on social media as soon as I become aware of a topic that may have an impact on you. I invite you to join in the conversation, exchange thoughts and ideas with me and your neighbors, and help me know the position of the South District on council votes before they take place. Join my Facebook Group Page Cache County Council South District 411 and help me make what is important to you important to me!