One of the best things about serving as your mayor is being your neighbor. I care immensely about our community and I strive to make the best decisions possible for my fellow residents and the long-term sustainability of our City.
As a local leader and president of the Utah Leagues of Cities and Towns, I support the belief that a government closest to the people governs best. Your local city government is the closest to the people. The City Council and I understand the needs of our community in a way that state or federal governments don’t because we live here, drive the same roads, shop the same stores, drink the same water, and have the same safety needs as you. We are personally invested in and care about providing for the health, safety, and welfare of our residents — our neighbors.
As a city leader, I am able to listen, understand, and meet the needs and concerns of our residents with the help of an amazing city staff. This is because we have autonomy over things like safety and protection, quality of service, and building a unique community. Our hands aren’t tied on local zoning, building materials, police, fire, and roads. It increases the ability for residents, through elected representatives, to have control over these types of policies that add to the uniqueness of our community as well as maintain property values.
We can also be more innovative. Because we have our own fire department, we were able to pioneer the use of technology for paramedics to send 12 images of a heart to cardiologists instead of six. This sets a precedent for other cities to choose if they want or need to use this same technology. This wouldn’t have happened with broader government control. In other words, we set the standard for services that are provided by the city. Another example of this is that we provide a very sophisticated process for our pavement preservation program. This ensures that we get the most life from our roads as we can before they have to be rebuilt. This all translates to stretching tax payer dollars as far as possible.
The City Council and I are your voice as elected representatives in this City. We are available to you and listen to your voices when making decisions. State and national lawmakers aren’t nearly as accessible and often legislate to limit local government. I hope you will join me in asking our state and federal lawmakers to respect the role of cities to have control of local police and zoning that impacts us all as residents. Local control is foundational in why we incorporate into cities and towns.