Election Results

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%)

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

"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?
========================

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.

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

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

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!

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.

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

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.