Heidi for Council

Election Results

2005-11-08T22:09:00.000-07:00

Mayor
LeBaron 1218
Thompson 2622

Four-Year Council
Belmont 1526
Cates 1909
Fox 1709
Rodeback 2021

Two-Year Council
Ellison 1207
Gunther 2533

Turnout
3871 (29.93%)

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Now, here are the numbers behind the numbers. The numbers that really made this campaign tick:

9 devoted staff members

30+ volunteers going door-to-door

43 contributors

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My heartfelt thanks to all who share the vision.

I'm excited to get to work!

What Kind of City Do You Want to Live In?

2005-11-07T15:17:00.002-07:00

I have asked this question in my ads, my door-hangers, and my mailers. Now it's time for me to give you my answer to this question.

Here, in no particular order, are the TOP TEN things I want for my city:

1. A healthy economy.

2. An attractive image.

3. Strong traditions.

4. Parks and recreation.

5. Arts and library services.

6. Public safety, starting with clean, safe neighborhoods.

7. Honest, decent, professional government.

8. Careful stewardship of resources.

9. Clear communication.

10. A strong general plan.

In short, my vision for American Fork is for it to be a city we can be proud to call home.

"Now I Am Playing," or Why American Fork Needs a Symphony

2005-11-04T19:40:00.000-07:00

Remarks I made at last Saturday morning's symphony rehearsal.

You know that I am running for City Council, and that I am running on my reputation as someone who gets action on the issues that matter to our homes, families, and neighborhoods.

But maybe you didn't know that I also lead a parallel life as a classical pianist and accompanist. In fact, I currently serve as accompanist for the Arts Council's Timpanogos Chorale.

It's as a musician that I want to speak to you today.

My mother taught me to play the piano. She was the most extraordinary teacher. She arranged for my performance debut when I was three years old. This was during the Viet Nam War, and I was part of my family's USO act.

My mom had a rule. It was, "Live music is always better." Every time she put a record on to play, she reminded us that we could turn it off any time we wanted to play the piano. We often did.

There is a story my mom likes to tell, a story told by one of the great concert pianists. He also went out for baseball, and one day, right in the middle of a crucial World Series game, he had to walk the dog. Passing a playground, he saw another game in progress. Little Leaguers were playing amidst roaring crowds, like a big league baseball game in miniature.

The pianist went to investigate. He met one of the young athletes. He said, "Do you know there's a World Series going on right now?" The little boy thrust out his chest and said, "Yes, but now I am playing."

That's the important thing about our symphony. Every Saturday, every one of you can throw out your chest and say, "Now I am playing."

Every time I go to a school event and hear children singing to a canned accompaniment, I shake my head and remember my mom's rule, "Live is better."

We are fortunate in this day to be able to sample the finest recorded performances by the finest artists in the easy comfort of our homes and schools. But we do our children a disservice if we do not teach them to appreciate the living, breathing quality of live music.

If we do not teach our children to tolerate and rise above the occasional mistake, we will never raise a class of amateur musicians. Soon there will be only professional musicians and non-musicians. Then, without a class of amateur musicians to feed the professional class, that professional class will disappear.

That, in my opinion, is why it's vitally important to have a symphony, a choir, and a string program right here in American Fork.

Now, there are some questions you should ask of me, and they all start with dollar signs. Let me ask them for you:

Do I know how much it costs to operate a symphony? I have a pretty good idea. Instrument rental. Hall rental. Music rental. Director's salary. Insurance. Publicity.

Where do we get the money? Economic development. The only way to get more money for arts is to increase the city's revenue flow. American Fork needs an economic development plan, an economic development director, and an economic development mindset. We also need a long-range strategic plan that says ARTS in big capital letters. Then when the revenue from the Meadows and other development starts to flow, the Arts Council will be ready to use it. Unfortunately, the last strategic plan our city made was in 1992. It's time for a new one.

What's more important, arts or recreation? My family uses arts programs, but my neighbor's family goes out for recreation. I am a vocal advocate for parks and recreation, as you know. So I say, arts AND recreation. Both support families. Unfortunately, athletes are such big, burly Type A's that recreation always gets the lions' share of the funding. We artists need to learn to beat the athletes at their own game. We can compete like they do. We can play the PR game. Inviting the candidates to your performance was a stroke of brilliance. Next, I'd love to see members of the Arts Council providing musical preludes to our City Council meetings. There's no reason we can't win this game. Everyone knows you have to be smart to play a musical instrument.

Speaking of which, I'm keeping you from your instruments. Thank you for giving me your time this morning, and don't forget to vote on November 8.

Internet

2005-11-03T13:41:00.001-07:00

It turns out that I am the only candidate in my race who supports AFCNet. I am proud to bear that distinction.

Here is my position on the city's broadband system:

AFCNet is a public investment in infrastructure that opens the door to competitive information technology offerings by the private sector. (Contrary to popular opinion, AFCNet is not a private business and does not compete with private businesses.)
AFCNet should be an important part of American Fork's economic development package. Governor Huntsman, in his economic development plan, designated Utah County as an information technology center for the state. AFCNet helps American Fork compete for IT businesses.
AFCNet is close to becoming revenue-positive. Through good management and aggressive marketing, AFCNet can become an important source of revenue for the city.
AFCNet is fast, reliable, and affordable. It is the gift that enables my lifestyle. At least fifty percent of the work I do for the city involves electronic research or communication undertaken in the comfort of my home while my children sleep.

=========================================

The last time I worked this hard to advocate a computer decision was in 1987, the year my little brother graduated from the eighth grade at St. Joseph's Institute for the Deaf. My grandpa wanted to mark the occasion by giving him a computer. My mom wasn't so sure. Fortunately, it wasn't hard for me to paint a picture of the worlds that would open to a boy who could communicate through typing.

This is perhaps why my brother, Randy, has just sent my campaign this most superb endorsement:

Aside from being a mother extraordinaire and political scion, Heidi takes her hidden proficiency to high gears, employing her high-octane offense into the realm of assisting people with disability. There is this Anne Sullivan-quality of patience (Helen Keller's tutor) in Heidi, that she will carry forth, braving the uncharted territory and bring American Fork to excellence. This above is the solid and sound endorsement from me, her deaf brother.

One thing this means is that my campaign has just surged into the lead in St. Augustine, Florida, Randy's home.

Downtown

2005-11-02T13:51:00.000-07:00

"I do not support the use of tax dollars to improve privately owned property. "

Why has Shirl LeBaron made this sentence the mantra of his mayoral campaign? It's like saying, "I do not wear orange stripes with red polka dots." Of course he doesn't. And neither does anybody else.

I like Shirl, but I need him to fix his mantra.

Listen to his statement, and you think the question is, "Is it better to spend money on downtown or on recreation?"

But this is not the question, and throwing money at downtown is no kind of answer. The objective is for downtown to produce -- not to consume -- tax revenue.

I'll say one thing for this mayoral hopeful. His misunderstanding is nothing if not representative. It is symptomatic of a city-wide misunderstanding of the downtown problem.

The real question is: What kind of political support can the city give to reverse the decay in our central business district?
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We all know downtown is a problem.

During the summer of 2003, I led members of the Greenwood Neighbors Initiative on a walking tour of the downtown. It was 7:00 on a Friday evening, a time when a healthy downtown should have been bustling with nightlife.

But our downtown, that night and every night, was a ghost town. It was so empty, it echoed.

Just ahead of us on Main Street, a car came screeching to a halt. The driver of the car had recognized her mother, who was walking with us. She got out and said, "Mom, WHAT are you doing HERE?"

Nobody asks that question of the pedestrians in downtown Provo, Salt Lake, or Cedar City.

========================

These are the true dimensions of the problem:

1. American Fork's downtown is suffering from a cycle of disinvestment. Businesses leave. Rental rates slip and property owners have less to invest in their buildings. Main Street takes on a shabby, uncared-for appearance, and it becomes even harder to attract new businesses.

2. The resultant blight spreads to the surrounding neighborhoods and becomes a breeding ground for crime.

3. The negative image is felt city-wide. Prospective businesses opt for some of our more attractive sister cities.

4. Tax revenue, which might have supported public infrastructure and quality of life programs, decreases.

Adding insult to injury, the current city government -- with the exception of Council Member Juel Belmont, who serves on the Board of Downtown American Fork -- has downgraded its response from apathy to antagonism.

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Here is the solution:

1. End the antagonism. Economic development is one of the three basic trusts of city government. American Fork City needs to step up to the plate.

2. A traditional commercial district, like a shopping mall, requires management. In this case, management could come from a city economic development director or from a merchant's association.
Downtown management has three focuses:
Find an anchor store or business to serve as a magnet for consumer traffic. (I advocate the Harrington as the ideal home for this anchor -- but that's another story.)
Seek out niche businesses that complement but don't compete with the big box retailers. Specialty boutiques, bagelries, bookstores, the like. Market our downtown to potential matches, the same way a realtor markets a home to potential buyers.
Provide support for these small businesses. Offer customer service seminars or window display workshops; help small businesses locate grants and low-interest loans.
3. Learn from the successes of programs in other communities. Here are just a few: Provo's downtown alliance; Ithaca, New York's Ithaca Downtown Partnership; Main Street Silicon Valley; and, grand-daddy of them all, the National Trust for Historic Preservation's National Main Street Center.

This outline has been the focus of my colleagues on the board of Downtown American Fork since its inception.

Please note that none of these items involve the use of tax dollars to support privately owned property.

Location, Location, Location

2005-10-31T14:27:00.000-07:00

I was pleased to receive in the mail last week an endorsement and contribution from the Utah County Association of Realtors (UCAOR).

This came as a result of an interview I had with members of the board. Here's what I told them:

Location, location, location. As the city of American Fork, we are the location, and the best thing we can do to facilitate home sales is tend to the quality of life in the neighborhoods. Sidewalks, safe routes to school, and parks are issues on which UCAOR and I see eye-to-eye.
Impact fees. While impact fees are a necessary evil -- they enable a city to provide fire and ambulance, roads, sewer, and parks up front to a new development -- they are still a tax, and responsible government must do its part through pro-active planning to keep that tax to a minimum.
Zoning. Adherence to a good general plan is a central theme of my campaign. But it's important to be sure that zoning meets the needs of the City while responding to market forces. Otherwise, the City will see a surplus of unsaleable homes, which leads to blight. Also, it's important to remember that zoning is not the only tool available to a city seeking to offer upscale housing options. Additional tools are available in the form of covenants, codes, and restrictions.
Envision Utah. I endorse the work of Envision Utah in this area.

Question: Does UCAOR's endorsement make me beholden to realtors or developers?

Answer: No. This is not a bribe. It's important to note that all the information in this interview flowed one way -- from me. In other words, I explained my philosophy, and UCAOR decided its level of agreement. At no time did the board ask me to take any specific position on any given issue.

Question: Do I have the spine to stand up to outside interests when the City's interests are at stake?

Answer: Yes, I have a spine, and this doesn't change that. I also have red hair, which comes with the classic red-headed temperament, and that's not going to change, either.

At least, the temperament's not. I did, however, pull out my first gray hair last night.

I'm starting to think this campaign has gone on long enough.

Three Cheers for our Parks!

2005-10-25T22:38:00.000-06:00

Our beautiful parks.

There's still much to be done. We still need picnic shelters, parking lots, walkways, and swingsets, and that's just the beginning.

But tonight was about the end -- the end of the upgrades provided out of the parks bond.

I wish you had been there tonight to see the report the parks steering committee made to the City Council. I'm reproducing my part of the report below.

You would have been proud of me: I got through it without crying.

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Mayor and Members of the Council:

The last of the bonded upgrades to 27 city parks are now complete. Though our residents have been enjoying their parks for some time already, it is our pleasure formally to present the completed improvements to you now.

When I am finished with my remarks, Jay Bollwinkel of MGB+A and Kenny Hoggan, chair of the parks task force, will quantify what we did and what remains to be done.

But first, on behalf of the task force, the steering committee, and the people of American Fork, please allow me to thank you for your support of these upgrades.

In particular, our thanks to Mayor Barratt, who made parks a goal for his second term.

Thanks to Carl Wanlass, former city administrator, who prepared the way for the bond, and to his successors, Melanie Marsh and Cathy Jensen, for their help with implementation.

And finally, our thanks to Council Member Juel Belmont for her service to the parks steering committee as its City Council representative.

I took the opportunity last weekend to visit Hunter Park, the last of our parks to be completed. What I saw there took my breath away. I hope you will take the occasion to visit that park soon. You will feel that you are standing in God’s Country, a phrase Council Member Belmont has often reminded us of.

Here in our parks, we arrogant humans have added something important to God’s Country. In building these parks, we have made creation more accessible to the children and families of American Fork.

Those children and their families are the important thing I want you to notice when you visit our parks. Notice how many families are in our parks at any given time.

That’s my point tonight. This project has been as much about people as about parks. It is the culmination of years of work by many people. I will name some of them now:

The mothers of the Hunter Park neighborhood, who started this project when they came to the City Council and said our children need parks for their social and physical well-being.
The members of the many different neighborhoods and the Neighbors in Action committee who went door-to-door taking surveys and rallying support.
The parks task force, which united the interests of the neighborhoods, the beautification and recreation committees, and the parks department into one concrete proposal
The voters, who passed the bond by a 3-to-1 margin
Members of the city staff: the planning, public works, and engineering departments, and, in particular, Cal Houghton and the parks department, whose cooperation and insight borne of 25 years in the city parks led to good, solid decisions
The people of MGB+A and Allstate Construction, who contributed their professionalism, integrity, skill and vision
Finally, hundreds of volunteers throughout the city. I still can’t get over our experience at Kimberly Park, where we called for 100 volunteers to plant trees, and the neighborhood sent us 175.

On December 2, 2004, the American Fork Citizen ran this letter by Seth Wynn, one of our residents. He said this:

I am very pleased to see all the new parks being put up. As a kid it is important to have a place to play and have fun. I am very glad American Fork City has spent time on building new parks. Good job!

That says it all.

Deep, Dark, Dirty Dish

2005-10-21T00:11:00.000-06:00

It has come to my attention that certain rumors are circulating about me.

According to my opposition, I am raising children at home, and I sometimes bring them to meetings.

Actually, this is true.

In particular, I have an eleven-year-old daughter, Meg. On occasion, when my husband can't cover for me at home, she babysits for me. She has an instinctive gift for children.

But when circumstances permit, I bring her with me to meetings. She loves this. She is at that darling age when a girl wants to grow up to be just like her mother. Imprinting, I think it's called.

It's plain that my politics are rubbing off on Meg. I can tell by what she did tonight. When I came home from the Meet the Candidates event at the Senior Center, she had a written report waiting for me.

It was a full listing and tally of every off-color word her brothers had used during the evening.

"Just wait patiently," I said. "Some day your brothers will grow up."

"I don't think so, " she said. "Look at Jeff," she said. Then she went straight to record. "He's had fifteen years to grow up, and he hasn't done a single thing about it."

Then there's the baby, Michael. He'll be one year in December. I thought about posting his picture on my Web site, but then I realized it just wouldn't be fair to my opponents.

He, too, has a history of city meetings. Unfortunately, the last meeting I took him to was too much. When he heard the latest insult the city had prepared for Downtown, Inc., he began raging inconsolably.

Much as I admire his ability to say what he thinks, I realized then that the time had come to leave him home with his siblings. We'll keep him home until he's learned more appropriate ways to express disagreement.

I estimate that I have four children all together. It's hard to get an accurate headcount, because they don't stand still.

However, I'm fairly certain I can reproduce their position on having a candidate for a mother.

The thing they wish is that city politics would take their mother away from them more often. So far, we haven't let up on the piano lessons, the piano practice, or the homework after school, or on 4-H, family dinner, or bedtime reading.

Since I've been balancing my children's needs against a heavy load of city meetings for four years now, I've learned to do it gracefully.

My plan for my children, four years hence, is for them to enjoy a safe, clean, friendly neighborhood; and for them to have their choice of arts and recreation programs, symphony and choir concerts, library services, and parks; and for them to enjoy a vibrant community with a healthy economic future.

I figure what's good for my kids is good for us all.

Breaking News!

2005-10-19T23:47:00.000-06:00

Folks who attended tonight's Meet-the-Candidates event were fortunate for two reasons. They were treated to pizza, courtesy Papa John's and the Chamber of Commerce, and they got to hear the artful unveiling of my plan for economic development in American Fork.

"We need an economic development director, an economic development plan, and an economic development mindset," I said.

"The last strategic development plan this community laid was dated 1992," I said. "That was fourteen years ago."

"The only thing this city does for economic development is to vote Yea or Nay when a developer comes forward with a proposal.

"That's very reactive," I said. "I am very proactive."

Imagine my astonishment, therefore, when Debby Lauret (Executive Director for the Chamber of Commerce, and host for tonight's event) came up to me afterward with her breaking news: American Fork has just hired her as the city's economic development director.

Hallelujah!

The position will be part-time, which will allow Debby to continue her most excellent work with the Chamber. (This is also a part-time position, though you wouldn't know it from all the traditions Debby has established there: the Halloween Fun-Run, the Business Classic Golf Tournament, the Women in Business Wellness Conference, the monthly luncheon, and various workshops for chamber businesses. She pulls this off by unleashing her brilliant inner self and also by partnering strategically with Lehi.)

I still say we need a full-time director. Also a grant-writer. But this is a step in the right direction.

Now, for an economic development plan.

Call Out the Fire Department!

2005-10-17T13:46:00.000-06:00

Imagine.

The fire truck runs up your street and down your neighbors'. The siren wails from the station. The message blares over the loudspeaker:

"Get ye to the library! Get ye to the library!"

"Meet the candidates, 7:00 tonight! Meet the candidates, 7:00 tonight!"

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

And why not?

This was the brainchild of Annette Anderson, a concerned voter I met when I went knocking on doors last Saturday.

She attended the PTA's meet-the-candidate event the night before, and its 75 attendees didn't seem like nearly enough to her. So far, she has persuaded at least one volunteer firefighter -- her husband, who is also the fifth-generation Anderson of Anderson and Sons' Mortuary.

American Fork needs a few thousand more Annette Andersons. She knows her stake in the community. She has a list of concerns and a clear sense of priorities -- arts are important, she says, but not at the expense of the fire department -- but she can't be sure how to vote until she has met the candidates and judged their proposals.

Above all, she trusts the public. She knows the public will make the right decision -- if only it will make the effort to get informed.

Bring on the fire department!

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Annette is by no means the first to be concerned about informing the voters. But she's the first individual I've met with a plan to address the problem.

More commonly, the task is taken up by organizations. So far, I've responded to invitations to meet with the Utah Valley Home Builders Association, the Utah County Association of Realtors, the American Fork Council PTA, the Chamber of Commerce, Downtown American Fork, Inc., the American Fork Symphony, and employees of the American Fork Hospital.

Some call them special-interest groups. But the voter in me is grateful for every opportunity they organize. They perform a truly valuable political service.

See, at heart, these groups are no different from Annette Anderson. They have a stake in the community (and don't we all); they have a list of concerns; they have a set of priorities.

Instead of calling out the fire department, they set up forums. Some ask candidates to address their membership directly; others interview the candidates and publish their findings in their newsletters.

At heart, it's no different from what Annette does: They meet the candidates, judge their proposals, and make their findings known.

Annette's neighbors may agree or disagree with her judgment. It's the same with these special interest groups. Their memberships are free to accept or reject any implied endorsement, based on their own personal judgment.

So whether you call out the fire department or rally your colleagues, the outcome is the same. More voters have more information.

An informed electorate has true freedom of choice.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Isn't this better than the point-and-poke method?

I've talked to a number of people who confessed, somewhat sheepishly, that during the last election they took their ballots and poked holes at random. They're glad to meet me, they say, because now they'll know a name to punch.

It shouldn't be that easy to get a vote.

Hemming and Hahhing at the Hospital

2005-10-14T14:52:00.000-06:00

A question posed at the hospital's meet-the-candidates event yesterday caught me off guard.

What can be done, they asked, to get a signal light at 1100 East and 50 South, where there's now a four-way stop?

You know the place. When I use that intersection, I always pack a lunch, because I know I'm going to be there for a long time.

When I was on the AF Junior High PTSA, we were able to talk the City Council into giving us a four-way stop for the intersection of 1120 North and 150 West. It was an achievement, but it wasn't ALL that difficult. We did some traffic counting, made our case, listened to the mayor speechify, did some more traffic counting, and voila -- we got our stop signs.

But this intersection is tricky because it straddles three jurisdictions: American Fork, Pleasant Grove, and Utah County.

So I didn't know how to answer yesterday, and it rankled me.

This morning, I did some research.

I went to UDOT's Web site and read about their criteria for locating traffic signals. I learned the price tag for a typical installation: $150,000. (Cheap!) But I couldn't find the answer to my question: Who has jurisdiction over that intersection?

In other words, do we have to go through UDOT to get a traffic signal here, or can we do it ourselves?

So I picked up the phone and called UDOT. The very nice person on the other end of the line didn't know the answer, either.

She's going to have some one call me.

In the meantime, I am browsing the World Wide Web and have learned an intensely interesting bit of history.

I learned how the new Pleasant Grove freeway exit came to be.

I had thought it was the result of long-term study and planning on the part of UDOT. I was wrong.

That interchange was initiated by Pleasant Grove's economic development director. He forged a partnership between Pleasant Grove, Lindon, and a large land-owner. They hired an engineering firm to analyze the cost -- $11 million -- then raised half that money before proposing it to UDOT and asking for the other half.

This is intensely interesting to me because economic development is the most important principle underlying the intersection at 1100 East.

Sure, I gripe when I'm stuck there. But the hospital, as we learned yesterday, has a bigger problem. It's concerned about losing business -- specifically, Lehi's business -- to IHC's new facility in north Salt Lake County.

Why, when you're ten centimeters dilated, should you sit in gridlock in American Fork when you can zoom right off the freeway in Riverton?

Now a light clicks on in my mind. Here is the point we missed yesterday at the hospital.

This is not just a matter for the city engineers. This intersection should be the red flag item, the hot-button issue, the number one entry on the to-do list of our city's economic development director.

The only problem is --

OUR CITY DOESN'T HAVE AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR.

Economic development is just one of the duties of one of our staffers.

Did I not say something, elsewhere, about our city's need for proactive economic development?

I rest my case.

Oops! Correction!

2005-10-11T23:59:00.000-06:00

In my last post, I listed the location of Friday's Meet-the-Candidate night incorrectly.

The PTA-sponsored event will be held at American Fork Junior High School, and NOT at the public library.

I fixed that last post, so it appears correctly now.

Candidate Sightings

2005-10-11T10:10:00.000-06:00

It has been nearly a week since my last post, and you have been wondering what happened to your favorite candidate. Why the long radio silence? Where can you get your next Heidi-fix?

Responding to these questions in order:

With the primary behind us, we have taken a week to regroup. We have been furiously strategizing -- composing ads, ordering signs, mapping locations for them, printing door-hangers, calendaring, etc., etc., etc.

I am truly fortunate to have such a willing and able staff to help. Now here's a true but under-appreciated fact about delegation: The pay-off comes in the long term. In the initial phases, however -- when you're setting policy, establishing procedures, training, communicating, creating confidence, etc. -- successful delegation always takes longer than doing it yourself.

But the pay-off does come. In this case, we now have a fully empowered organization of volunteers, each of whom can act and speak more powerfully for me than I can for myself.

That's why I've been too busy to blog.

Now, here's where to spot myself and all the other nice candidates these next two weeks:

Thursday, October 13, 12:00 noon, American Fork Hospital

Friday, October 14, 7:00 p.m., American Fork Junior High (sponsored by the PTA)

Wednesday, October 19, 7:00 p.m., American Fork Library (sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce)

Thursday, October 20, 7:00 p.m., Senior Center (organized by Keith Richan)

I hope to see you there!

Primary Election Results

2005-10-05T23:59:00.000-06:00

Yes, my friends, we're still in!

In the primary, the successful candidates needed to finish in the top four.

I was third, sandwiched rather tightly between Jimmie Cates (second) and Juel Belmont (fourth).

See detailed results at my husband's blog, here.

Encouraging, to think that I'm no longer campaigning on my vision alone. I'm campaigning on a vision shared by at least 781 other people.

Must not let them down.

Ode to a Fine Candidate on an Equally Fine Fall Day

2005-10-03T21:33:00.000-06:00

by Leslie Dalton

Because our children need safe routes to school,
And our fair city needs to grow and thrive,
We need a candidate who's not just cool,
But who will work with commitment and drive.

She'll patronize the arts and help us know
The quality of life we dream about.
She wants professionalism to grow
In order to have community clout.

We'll still have all that's best about our town,
Including vital links to A.F.'s past,
But when the neighbor's weeds are all cut down,
The good parts of life here can really last.

If you don't choose her, you have missed the boat,
'Cause Heidi Rodeback deserves your vote.
_______________________________

Don't forget to vote in the primary tomorrow!

Just remember, when you go, that no other candidate has inspired a sonnet.

Negative Campaigning

2005-10-01T13:22:00.000-06:00

I was disappointed to open my mailbox Friday afternoon and find a piece of negative campaign literature from mayoral candidate Shirl LeBaron. I expected better of him.

The mailer, with its unflattering mug shot of the Harrington School and its distorted spin on the RDA vote, suggests to me that LeBaron feels no concern for the blight in our city's core, and thinks nothing of dragging our city's foremost historic treasure through another mud fight.

The voters might or might not count these as negatives against him. That remains to be seen.

But the clear negative is the attack itself.

Negative campaigning is a bad idea in any race. It cheapens the political process, and it usually backfires.

Negative campaigning is a particularly bad idea in a small town. No matter what happens in the mayoral race, all three candidates will continue to work together on the various issues that dog American Fork. LeBaron has just sacrificed his ability, after the election, to forge a positive relationship with two key American Fork players.

Does LeBaron doubt his ability to promote a positive agenda?

If I know Heber, he won't dignify this with a response.

Heidi's Picks

2005-09-29T11:36:00.000-06:00

George Washington was not an intellectual; he was not well-educated by the standards of the day; and he was NOT a military strategist. His only military knowledge came from what he had read in books.

But Washington lived in the Age of Enlightenment, a time when book learning was the most widely accepted avenue to intelligence.

So said David McCullough, the Pulitzer Prize winning historian, in an address to the BYU community on Tuesday.

Two hundred years and several technological revolutions later, books remain one of the most powerful avenues to intelligence.

So, borrowing one of Oprah's tricks, I share with you this list of titles I'm working through now:

Basic Economics: A Citizen's Guide to the Economy, by Thomas Sowell. Throughout the book, Sowell laments the scarcity of politicians with training in economics.

How To Win a Local Election , by Judge Lawrence Gray.

Effective Public Relations, by Cutlip, Center and Broom. Interesting to learn that the history of PR dates back to ancient times. The need for effective PR in government extends well past election day. How I wish American Fork City would learn this lesson.

Saving the Neighborhood by Peggy Robin. A thoroughly comprehensive primer on how development works, and how neighborhoods can develop proactive relationships with city governments. Best quote of the book comes from Henry David Thoreau. He had been locked up in a paddy wagon for a recent episode of civil disobedience. His friend Ralph Waldo Emerson found him there, and said, in astonishment, "What are you doing in there?"

Answering, Thoreau said, in a rather accusing tone, "What are you doing OUT there?"

Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream, by Andres Duany, et al. How traditional neighborhood design benefits children, families, the environment, and the economy. This book has had a profound influence on my thinking about the importance of a good general plan.

I'm also working through these websites:

LocalVictory.com, a good overview of local elections in the electronic age

New York State's Guide to Generally Accepted Governmental Accounting Practices. I would prefer a Utah State guide, actually, but I can't find one on the web.

Finally, my current Newbery:

Up from Jericho Tel, by E.L. Konigsburg. Okay, you're right: this is not one of Konigsburg's two Newbery medal winners. Still, I adore Konigsburg for her quick wit and psychological profundity. I have learned, from long political experience, that there's nothing like a good Newbery to clear my head at night so I can sleep.

The Right Place at the Right Time

2005-09-27T22:13:00.000-06:00

During a City Council meeting, the right place for a member of the City Council is at the meeting.

This is also the right place for a City Council candidate. A candidate for City Council should be doing everything in his/her power to learn how the Council works.

Myself, I have been a regular attendee for four years running.

But surprisingly few of the others come to City Council meetings. Take tonight, for example. Of the nine candidates vying for the two four-year seats, only four were present. Two of these, predictably, were incumbents.

I can only surmise that the others were home, frantically working out the meter on their campaigns' last-minute Haiku's.

Fortunately, my staff has had my Haiku ready for days now. Here it is. It will take your breath away.

I stand by Heidi
As she offers me this fall,
Quality of life.

For her efficient, advance poetry work, our special thanks to Leslie Dalton.

Anything to further the cause of arts in American Fork.

Walk to School With Me!

2005-09-26T11:05:00.000-06:00

Here is the text of a press release just sent by my campaign to area newspapers. I think you'll be interested:

AF CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE WILL WALK FOR PTA, OWN CAMPAIGN

American Fork, Utah -- September 26, 2005 -- American Fork City Council candidate Heidi Rodeback walked her children to Barratt Elementary School last year in the PTA’s National Walk to School Day, but not all the way from her home on the other side of town. On Friday, she will walk that distance and then some.

“We live outside Barratt’s enrollment area, so last year on Walk to School Day we drove to Evergreen Park and walked from there, across the neighborhood, to the school,” Rodeback said. But now her children are older and can walk farther, she’s running for City Council, and she’ll be in the company of Barratt’s principal and at least one teacher who are walking from much further away that morning.

Rodeback said she is walking both for the PTA and to reinforce a major theme of her campaign. “The City needs to ensure that every child walking to school has a safe route,” she said. “Our children and grandchildren should not have to face hazards such as overgrown vacant lots, dangerous street crossings, drug houses, or missing or treacherous sidewalks. The current City government has largely ignored this problem."

Rodeback cites more and better sidewalks, additional traffic lights, and conscientious nuisance abatement as keys to the children’s safety. "The City can’t affect what goes on at school, but it can help the students get there and back safely," Rodeback said.

Barratt Elementary Principal Ken Higgins is walking all the way from his home in South Jordan, and fourth-grade teacher Andrea Park will join him in Riverton. “Dr. Higgins will start walking at 2 a.m. He’s amazing,” Rodeback said. Anyone else wanting to join the procession is welcome to meet the walkers at Smith’s Food and Drug on West State Road in American Fork at approximately 7:00 a.m. Friday.

Asked why her children cross town to attend Barratt Elementary instead of their local elementary school, Rodeback praised the Alpine School District’s open-enrollment policy and its Advanced Learning Laboratory (ALL), which is located at Barratt.

Poet of the American Fork, er, Revolution

2005-09-24T22:47:00.000-06:00

The American Revolution had a poet (Longfellow). The Russian Revolution had a poet (Mayakovsky). Why shouldn't Heidi Rodeback for City Council have a poet?

This is what Campaign Secretary Leslie Dalton wants to know. To this end, Leslie has submitted not one, but three poems in celebration of the Glorious Cause.

Here's the first:

There once was a candidate, Heidi,
Whose political talents were mighty.
For Council she ran,
And she promised, "I can
Make the City of A.F. all-righty."

We'll shortly be changing Leslie's title from Secretary to Poet Laureate.

Stay tuned until next time, folks, when I post Leslie's "Heidi: the Haiku."

Victory at the Senior Center

2005-09-23T12:16:00.000-06:00

Last night's Meet the Candidates event at the Senior Center was a great success for our campaign.

I pronounce this with the full backing of no less an authority than Joe Garecht, a pundit for LocalVictory.com, who said this:

The question of who "won" or "lost" the debate is subjective. There are no scorekeepers at a political debate. No matter what happens, your campaign should always declare victory. Your staff should spin the debate for reporters, issue press releases, and talk up the candidate's performance.

If you weren't one of the 71 in attendance at the Senior Center last night (a high turn-out, and only 12 percent of those were candidates), you missed a great show.

The highlight for me was when Juel Belmont and Jimmie Cates demonstrated the fox trot on the dance floor.

No, I jest.

The true highlight was when I lost my temper.

The stimulus for this outburst was Harold Smith's attack on a proposed nuisance abatement resolution as a fascist attempt by the city to legislate what is beautiful.

"If you're going to vote for Harold Smith," I said, "then you better not vote for me, because our votes are going to cancel each other out."

Then I told the story of how I became chair of Neighbors in Action.

It was a yucky morning when Don Hampton called to ask if I would do it. I was just getting over the flu, and my calendar was full to the brim. But I said I would think about it. Later that morning I took another phone call from a resident of the Greenwood Neighborhood.

She asked if I would come look at an abandoned house in her area. Her children pass this house on their walk to school, she said, and had just asked if it would be all right to go inside.

I drove to the site and found a front yard overtaken by waist-high weeds. Rocks had been thrown through the front windows, and the front door was swinging open on its hinges.

The scene was ripe for a drug deal, for squatters, and for fire.

Across the street, a for-sale sign stood in the manicured lawn of a lovely home. I knocked on the door there, and learned that the owners were leaving because of the attractive nuisance across the street.

"Attractive" in this case does not mean beautiful, as I pointed out to Mr. Smith. It means "attracts crime."

This is how I decided that I could not afford NOT to accept the position with Neighbors in Action.

As Neighbors in Action, we helped these neighbors find the landlord and start a letter-writing campaign. Eventually, they got some action out of him. We also went to the city, learned about the few and ineffective measures that had been taken, and started rattling cages. This led to the formation of the nuisance abatement committee and the subsequent outpouring of apathy -- yes, apathy -- on the part of our current city leaders.

"Vote for me," I said. "I'm going to get some action on our nuisance abatement ordinance."

The really remarkable thing was the surge of passion that swept me through this story in my allotted two minutes.

The evening was a beautiful piece of citizenship and public service on the part of the organizers, and an excellent opportunity for candidates and public alike.

In all, a resounding victory. Time to alert the presses.

Fifty Percent Plus One

2005-09-21T12:26:00.000-06:00

Conventional wisdom states that fifty percent plus one wins the election.

So the strategy is, first, to go out and get your mother to vote for you. She's the one. This leaves only half the voters to win over.

I am, therefore, pleased and proud to announce that my campaign has just secured the political support of my mother, as evidenced by the sign she printed from my Web site and posted in her front yard (see above).

This is doubly important because she represents a very important demographic: Internet-savvy grandmothers of American Fork's children.

The only problem is that she is not actually registered to vote in American Fork.

But with support like hers, we are guaranteed to win hands-down in Auburn, Washington.

The Finance Report: It's Not About Money.

2005-09-20T13:38:00.000-06:00

Michelle Draper, our friendly neighborhood campaign treasurer, has just completed the finance report for the primary, and it's bea-u-ti-ful.

Some facts for the curious:

We reported $2,825 in contributions and $1608 in expenses (so far).

Expenses include domain registry, stamps for the fundraising letters, signs, flyers, and newspaper ads.

Contributions to date come from 27 different donors. Two-thirds of these came in amounts of $50 or less.

The largest contribution was a check for $1,000 from Dale Gunther.

This raises the question: Am I Dale's puppet?

Answer: No.

Dale is NOT a puppeteer. If he were, American Fork would have a downtown instead of a vision for one. Dale and I share that vision, but we disagree on other issues -- as he pointed out to me when he wrote the check. There were no strings attached to his check.

Dale has only American Fork's interest at heart, as do I. I am proud to list him as a contributor.

But, getting back to my original point: It's not about money.

It's about support.

It's not the one donation of $1,000 that will win this election. It's the 100 donations of $10, together with the many contributions of time, labor, and thought -- things that will never show up on the financial report.

Nothing means so much to me as the $20 checks written to my campaign, at great sacrifice, by grateful members of humble neighborhoods whose children now have playgrounds in their parks.

No contribution makes a greater difference than the time given by friends and neighbors who are caring for young children or elderly parents or both -- but can still make time on a Saturday to take flyers door-to-door.

Now that's what I call support.

I am humbled to have the support of so many good people. Humbled, honored, and encouraged -- encouraged to think that so many share the vision for this city we call home.

Fifty words or less

2005-09-19T12:11:00.000-06:00

Odd but true: Scarcity makes you think.

When confronted with a slashed grocery budget, a homemaker can usually make good decisions about which food purchases are truly necessary to get through the month.

We can hope government budgets work the same way.

Similarly, a writer with a word limit is forced to choose only the most essential points to include in her essay.

So, challenged to explain in fifty words or less why people should vote for me, here are the two sentences I chose to submit to the Provo Daily Herald.

American Fork's residents already know they can trust me to work hard on the issues that matter to them most. My insistence on public involvement and volunteer activity has empowered residents, giving them a voice in critical decisions facing their neighborhoods, and has saved the City thousands of dollars.

Neighborhoods. Empowerment. Hard work. Public involvement. Saving money. Volunteerism -- things American Fork already knows about me.

I hope, I fondly hope, that my dedication to quality of life will peek out from between these lines.

A Week in the Life . . .

2005-09-17T23:50:00.000-06:00

It's been a busy week. The signs arrived. The brochures arrived. I spent an afternoon taking flyers door-to-door; so did a dozen volunteers. I had lunch with the Utah Valley Home Builders Association and spent an evening in the home of Nancy Cox meeting her neighbors from the Hillcrest area. I also granted an exclusive interview to Barbara Christiansen of the American Fork Citizen. (Read it and weep, Time, Life, and Newsweek.)

Then there was the usual day-to-day business: Downtown American Fork's board meeting on Monday; City Council on Tuesday; Parks Steering Committee on Thursday.

Ah, the life.

The only difficult part was when Barbara asked me to work up a fifty-word answer to the question, why vote Heidi.

The first draft was 119 words. The second was 147.

It's going to be a very long night.

Only in America

2005-09-14T21:52:00.000-06:00

I definitely want my children to grow up in America.

Because if they do, then some day they, too, may decide to run for City Council.

If they run for City Council, then people might write poetry about them, the way Bob Tingey did about me:

Roses are Red, Violets are Blue
If you want my opinion
This is what you should do.

If you really want change
In American Fork City,
If you really want best
For all of the citizens.

Then Heidi's the one
Without any question
Who will tell the truth
And without hesitation

She'll give leadership fine
and always with Vision
Qualities that AF city
Is quite sorely lacking

It would be simple to cure
To mitigate this lack
So listen to me,
Vote for Heidi Rodeback !!!

With no apologies whatsoever, Bob adds, to any literary people who might read this.

I definitely want my children to grow up in America.

I'm Not Afraid to Stammer for What I Believe In . . .

2005-09-13T12:12:00.000-06:00

It's a brisk, September morning here at Legacy Park. Behind me looms the cell tower which is currently under construction at American Fork Junior High. In front of me, the camera is rolling, and KSL's John Hollenhorst is asking a question.

KSL: What do you feel the community should do about this cell tower?

Rodeback: There's enough debate in the scientific community to suggest a possible risk to the children at the schools. The decision should be made by the people who bear the risk. In this case, that's the parents of the children who attend the schools.

What happened here is that American Fork Junior High agreed with a cell phone provider to allow the tower to be erected on school property in exchange for a monthly lease of $1,000. The only trouble is that the parents were not informed before the decision took place.

KSL: So you believe the cell tower should not be placed in this location?

Rodeback: Er . . . um . . . this decision should be made by the people who bear the risk. In this case, that's the parents of the children who attend the schools.

For the record: I have no position either for or against cell phone towers. That's not why I'm here.

I came this morning to support the hard work and democratic values of two amazing women, Sherry Kramer and Wendy Hickman. Both carry and use cell phones. Both are parents of children at the schools here. Both read their school newsletters and scan the public notices in the local newspaper. But neither heard any advance notice of a possible cell tower until the crane came to set it up.

KSL: So if you had the opportunity to vote on this question, would you vote for or against the cell tower?

Rodeback: [Excruciating pause] This decision needs to be made by the people who bear the risk. In this case, that's the parents of the children who go to school here.

Well. There went my opportunity to explain how we faced the same issue five years ago when I served on the site council at Barratt Elementary. That time, I voted for the cell tower. But I felt the parents deserved to know what was happening, so I got the principal's permission to publish the meeting minutes in the school newsletter. The council was pretty angry with me for doing this, and in fact, I was out of order to act without their vote. But this generated so much outcry that the council eventually reversed its decision. To this day, there is no cell tower at Barratt Elementary.

Sheesh. I passed up the perfect opportunity to explain how the parents knew the right thing for their neighborhood when they lobbied the city to give them this park, the beautiful park where we're standing right now.

I could at least have explained that when a decision is controversial, the representative bears a greater burden of study, and would need good reason to vote against the majority viewpoint.

I could have done all this, if my brain hadn't switched off when the camera switched on.

Now I understand why Laura Bush was so gracious as to let Theresa Heinz-Kerry off the hook when she said, on TV, that Mrs. Bush had never held a real job. It's a jungle out there, journalistically speaking.

We can only hope it's true what they say, that there's no such thing as negative publicity.

Thine Alabaster Cities Gleam

2005-09-12T13:49:00.000-06:00

I can't sing "America the Beautiful" without crying.

But yesterday, during our national day of prayer and remembrance, I had to stop and think about that line that ends, "undimmed by human tears."

I used to sing this line with gratitude for the fact that we had never known a foreign invasion on American soil.

But that changed on September 11, 2001, so now I wonder what to think when we come to that line.

Hurricane Katrina has raised our awareness of yet another kind of threat: the ever-present possibility of natural disaster. Did you know that, by geological estimates, the Wasatch front is some 500 years overdue for a major earthquake?

The truth is that, as citizens of this great nation and as residents of our own home town, we need to be prepared at all times for the possibility of natural disaster.

In a major disaster, first responders such as fire and ambulance cannot meet all the demands on their services. Neither can the Red Cross. And let's face it: Not everyone has a church to turn to, not even in American Fork.

In the immediate aftermath of a major disaster, people must rely on themselves and on their neighbors to meet their immediate life saving and life sustaining needs.

In this, as in all things, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

As individuals and families, it only makes sense to have a cache of essentials stored in the home, and to have a relocation plan ready for any emergency.

As a city, there are two things we can start doing right now in American Fork to be prepared for disaster.

First, we can support and expand the CERT program in our community. CERT, which stands for the Community Emergency Response Training supported by FEMA, trains and prepares neighborhoods, businesses, communities, or government teams to provide immediate assistance in their areas, to organize spontaneous volunteers, and to collect disaster intelligence reports.

Second, all new development should be required to conform to earthquake code. This sounds like a no-brainer, but we seem to have trouble making our developers in American Fork conform to requirements, even when they are clearly marked on the plat map. Just ask any of your friends from the Mountain Meadows area who learned last spring, when the basements in their brand new homes flooded, that basements were prohibited in this marshy part of town. The requirement was in place, but it wasn't enforced.

I bet you didn't know American Fork offers CERT training through its Emergency Management Team. This is a program whose power could be multiplied a hundredfold if it could partner with an effectively organized Neighbors in Action program.

As for the earthquake code, this is just another example of the importance of upholding our planning commission.

________________________

"Thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears."

This is still a powerful piece of poetry. But human tears are still a fact of life.

Our best hope is that, if we prepare well, we can lessen the impact of a disaster here in American Fork.

Why I Am Running for City Council

2005-09-10T23:20:00.000-06:00

So why am I running for council?

I have a vision for American Fork, and I have a passion for public service.

That passion became a full-fledged addiction when, after two years' hard work and 30 zillion meetings, the first new playground opened in American Fork and (Mayor Barratt's words) people swarmed to it like ants on an anthill.

That's when I began to realize that I could make a difference in my community.

My vision for this community is exactly that: Community. As we brace for growth, which is a fact of life, I want us to preserve our small-town character. I want us to be clean, safe, prosperous, and neighborly. I want us to be a place where families can feel like they belong, where children can feel safe, and where we can enjoy the cultural, economic, and technological benefits of the 21st century.

Whether serving as a member of the parks steering committee, on the board of Downtown American Fork, Inc., or as chair of American Fork Neighbors in Action, I have logged a steady 10 to 20 hours per week on this vision over the past few years. For the record, that's the same amount of time our present city council members report (with one exception).

I have learned much in the process. I have learned -- and this is very important -- that I do have the ability to give this level of time without short-changing my family or other personal commitments.

I have learned about the inner workings of our city -- its quirks, its needs, its logic, its personalities.

I have learned about the practical side of the vision: planning, economic growth, management.

Gradually, I have accumulated a specialized body of knowledge that can benefit the people of American Fork.

Realizing this, I remembered the words of my good buddy Albert Einstein: "All that is necessary for evil [or apathy] to triumph is for good men and women to do nothing." You who know me understand this one thing: I cannot STAND to do nothing.

So there's your answer. Why am I here? Vision, experience, ability, time, and that little difficulty I have with sitting still.

Call it pathology if you will. My friends call it passion.

No, actually, they call it pathology. Still, I prefer passion.

Welcome to my blog!

2005-09-09T22:47:00.000-06:00

Whew.

It is nearly four weeks since I filed for city council, and the question I keep asking myself is: Where has the time gone?

I'll tell you where it's gone. I have recruited a campaign manager, a treasurer, a secretary, a webmaster, and two very determined volunteer coordinators. Together, this is the dream team, and I pity the candidate who doesn't have my people on his/her team.

We have designed and ordered signs, ads, and assorted other printed matter. We have opened a bank account for the campaign and sent out fund-raising letters. We have recruited other volunteers to the cause, and now, thanks to their combined efforts, I finally have a moment to blog.

I plan to blog almost daily for the duration of the campaign. My purpose is twofold. First, I want a forum that allows me to examine issues in greater depth than the usual one-minute sound bite.

Second, I think it will be fun. And if politics can't be fun, then why am I here?

Hmm: That's what you were just asking yourself. Why am I here?

There are formal answers to this question at my campaign Web site. I confess: I have a good writer helping me with that site. I tell him what to write, and he frames it in prose. Here, on the other hand, it's just you and me, the writer and the reader, and we can swap those roles from time to time if you have comments, questions, or concerns.

Why am I running for council?

The short answer is this: I have a vision for American Fork, and a passion for public service.

If you want the long answer, you're going to have to tune in next time, because I have promised to keep all campaign encounters short, sweet, and simple. Which means I have exactly thirty seconds left before I run out of