Roads

Roads will be a big issue during this election cycle.  With the new High School and the development in City Center, what do you feel would be the best way to alleviate the road problems facing Eagle Mountain? 

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It comes down to safety, the great snow storm of 2008 had kids stranded in school gyms overnight because parents could not get to them and many adults spent the night walking around Smiths because the roads home were all shut down, and the roads that were open could not handle the traffic. There was also the evacuation and state of emergency in 2012 due to wild fires, because the number of roads and specifically lanes were limited, there were an increase of accidents and again more traffic than the current roads could handle.  Let's not let the territory battle over roads keep any of us from getting home safely, so we have to work together with our state and county leaders to make reasoned decisions to improve the development of roads.

Roads are how most of EM's residents get to work and if we are spending an extra hour in traffic trying to get to work and school, that is an hour we don't get to spend with family or doing the things we love. Family time is sacred and should be protected and ensuring adequate roads and transportation into and out of Eagle Mountain can protect that time and that requires creative thinking and looking into future issues that may arise before they become costly problems.

Property Rights 

What are your views on property rights, and how do you plan on balancing the property rights of current residents with the property rights of prospective developers?

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Our country was founded on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness--it all comes to property, personal property rights and freedoms.  When we stick to these basic founding principles, we can avoid mistakes made by government. That being said, when it comes to land and property rights, the balance takes a turn when one person's rights or choices infringe on another.  

All over Eagle Mountain, we have developments popping up, but the plans for those developments haven't happened overnight.  Someone has invested their own money into the land, then the engineering and plans, and amenities and infrastructure.  Then they come before the city staff and present their plans, then to the planning commission, and finally the city council.   If they are within the law and code of the city and state then they should be allowed to do it.  It has been hard losing our unblemished view out of my backyard, but I know that the houses being built across the street also represent the hopes and dreams of another family.  It is not my right to stand in the way of that.

The thing that has been very eye opening to me is that not all developers are created equal: some live within our community and want great things for EM and some are known for promising one thing and delivering another.  We need people on city council who have studied the code and will look ahead to prevent the undesirable situations we have seen over the last few years, where something is being developed in a way no one likes. We need to be proactive about zoning and codes.   

Founding Fathers

Do you have a favorite founding father?  If so, who is it, and what is a favorite quote, or ideal that founding father had that you try to emulate?  (Notice I did not define founding father, I am leaving that up to your interpretation.) 

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I have admiration for all of them and the sacrifices that they made to found this nation.  George Washington has always been a favorite of mine because he had glory and power and people wanted him to be king and yet he said “No” and served only two terms.  He truly put the good of the nation ahead of his on best interests.

Schools

Do you feel the education system is adequate in Eagle Mountain?  If so, what are we doing well, if not, what needs to be changed.

Our schools and homeschools in Eagle Mountain are more than substantial. We have award winning public and charter schools.  We have strong homeschool co-ops and commonwealths.  Most of all we have great opportunity with a local library, clubs and groups who provide educational opportunities.  We have local 4H, both boy and girl scouting programs, the Eagle Mountain Arts Alliance, The Utah State Extension Service Sense classes, and other neighborhood organizations that provide classes on a monthly basis. There is always room for improvement and if there was one key thing that I would love to see happen within our schools and community it would be a synergy between the schools and the members of the community and to bring the great minds and talents of the people of Eagle Mountain within reach of the students with more mentoring programs and in-services.  As a mom of an almost senior in high school, there have been many times I have seen how a colleague or associate from the community could be such a great resource for the students of all grade levels.  If elected, I want to continue to help make those connections.  

Family

Can you give me a brief description of your family, and what it means to you?
 

My husband Nathan and I have been married for 19 years, and we have 4 beautiful daughters—an 18 year old who will be a senior this year at Westlake, twin 9 year olds, and a 5 year old about to enter Kindergarten. Nathan comes from a traditional family of 9 where dad worked and mom was the keeper of the home front, and I come from a blended family. Our little family is a mix of the two: somewhere in the middle of the two ends of the spectrum.  We have had our fair share of trials, from children with special needs and disabilities, to home disasters and within our extended family we have had addictions, legal problems, job loss, small business success and trials, divorce, and other triumphs and trials.  In short, we are like everyone else.

Why I'm Running

Can you tell me why you are running for your position?

There comes a time in every person's life where he or she gets that tap on the shoulder and despite all of the reasons not to, the reason for, is more compelling.   Eagle Mountain is my family’s home and will be for a long time.  I look at everything that has happened in our country and the fighting and disagreements over policy and character and know that the best place we can make the most difference is within our own homes, and the second-best place is within our community.  Our city government has to do everything to protect our time, property, and liberty and stay out of the way of our dreams and hopes. I am running because the next four years EM will see unprecedented growth and change and the decisions we make will impact the community for the next century.   I am running because I want my kids and all kids to have a chance to have those hopes and dreams, and because so many great people took the time to help me as a kid and a young adult to find my voice and my reason to use it.  

The Biggest Issue in Eagle Mountain

What do you see as the biggest issue in Eagle Mountain, and what do you plan on doing to help solve the issue?

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This might come as a surprise, but I actually think the biggest issue Eagle Mountain faces is also one of our greatest strengths: unity, because we are known for our unity within neighborhoods, but we have also faced many divisive battles within the city as a whole. The roads, growth, budget, economic development, parks, and security all really hinge on the unity we have as a community.  We hear the debate all the time between political parties and then within EM we also have debate of Ranches versus City Center, and HOA versus sub-HOA, people with kids versus people with no kids, pet owners versus people with no pets, but when it comes down to it, most of us are doing our best to contribute to society and raise our families and live a good, kind life; we just disagree on how to do that. To build unity I believe that we have to work and serve together, we must come to see each other as people and not the enemy; for that reason, I am huge proponent of the volunteer efforts here in EM because it allows us to meet people from different walks of life and see their perspective, (plus there is the added benefit of helping the community.) I would like to see an expansion of the volunteer coordination, perhaps more EM clean-up days, maybe even a weekly text with some of the volunteer needs within Eagle Mountain.

What makes Eagle Mountain Great?​

What do you see as the best thing that Eagle Mountain has going for it, and how do you plan on protecting it for future generations?

The best thing that Eagle Mountain has going for it is the heart of the people.  When a family is facing a horrible illness, we rally together to raise funds and show support.  When a local elementary school was under attack by a man with history of mental illness, we saw leaders of the business community start a drive of support for the man’s family to show that Eagle Mountain supports all of its residents, including the ones that are usually forgotten about. 

Open Space​

Many residents like the open feel of Eagle Mountain.  Do you feel we have enough open space, to much open space, or to little open space?  What policies will you try to implement to support that view?

I love our open view and open spaces, in general our policies and code support that.  There is a certain amount of growth that has to happen to preserve anything and to pay for the basics, but I support that when we walk out of city hall, we see natural desert grasses, and that we have paved trails that wind through the natural desert grasses. I love that our natural features like the mountains will always be a place of beauty. 

In my role on the Parks and Recreation board, I have worked with fellow board members and our city staff to maintain that open space feel.  We have approved improvements to our parks through the Neighborhood Match Grant.  I have spearheaded a project to have signs created for each park so that when an issue arises that needs maintenance; residents know who maintains that specific park and whom to call.   For very little cost, this will help both the city and the residents keep our parks beautiful and in good repair, and, if needed, hold accountable the other parties who should be maintaining the parks.

Development

What are your goals for the City in regards to Development?

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The reality of development in a city is we have to have the right blend of industrial, commercial, and residential--within residential we have to have a mix of family farms, single family dwellings, and even some density.  The real issue is making sure we have the roads and infrastructure to support each, and, most importantly, that we have each kind of development in the correct place within our city. Development has to happen to increase the tax base and allow us to provide basic infrastructure and the added perks of parks and amenities, but that development has to make sense. 

When it comes down to it, businesses will come to Eagle Mountain because we are the 3rd largest city in Utah by land mass and within 18 years we are projected to have 120,000 residents; having that kind of potential in location, workforce, and customer base is exactly the incentive to develop that business owners are looking for.

We need a mayor and city council that will not get in the way of that growth and development and we need to continue to be looking at the type of businesses EM will need and support like more restaurants, light industrial, but also things like a nursing home and memory care.