News & Updates Archive

I’ve been in office for just over 100 days and if asked today what are Mapleton’s biggest challenges, I’d respond with one thing: Money. My most pressing worries are regarding funding for streets, funding for the sewer plant replacement, and an underlying need to diversify our revenue sources to ensure long-term solvency (let’s get our

City planning is both an art and a science; it requires both to sustain and create something beautiful and also to effectively deliver services. Mapleton is at the crossroad where art and science collide within our General Plan Land Use Element and our Parks and Recreation Master Plan update. That 2020 is a visionary year

At this week’s City Council meeting, Y2 Analytics (who conducted and analyzed data) and Landmark Design (the project lead) presented their findings (HERE) from the survey phase of the General Plan Land Use Element Update and Parks and Recreation Master Plan Update. As I’ve reviewed the presentation and related findings from two data sets (the

While the campaign signs are down and early Christmas lights are coming up, I’m still spending considerable time thinking about my own next four years and Mapleton’s next forty years. And, while neither view is without its challenges, I look towards the future with great optimism…but we need your help! Future Planning Kudos go to

Were you unable to attend last week’s Meet the Candidates event or did you miss any of the questions? I thought it might be helpful to post my responses to all of the questions we were provided so that those who were unable to attend could review my responses and those who were there could

Are curbs, gutters, and sidewalks great for safety or do they subtract from the rural feel of Mapleton? Would streetlights be worth the investment or would they cause light pollution and subtract from the starry skies? Learn more about Mapleton roads, related updates, and helpful info!

Fat Heads & Collaboration It’s no wonder why politicians have a reputation for limited humility. I’ve been talking a lot about myself since April. This six-month-long interview teeters on a fine, but requisite, line between confidence and arrogance. While I’ve done a lot of talking and answered a lot of questions, I’ve spent most of

After a long day of work, I look forward to picking up my son from daycare at Lollipop’s. Because he loves to explore, nearly each day we choose different roads to meander around town on our way home. This works out well for us; he tells me about his day and eats snacks while I

It was two years ago this month that we found my father in the basement – barely conscious, in pools of blood; his face nearly unrecognizable. His fall resulted in a traumatic brain injury; yet, my father is still with us – and that is all the evidence I need to understand the value of

These three words have impressed me as I’ve interviewed over 100 people as part of my preparation to serve on the City Council. While I’ve focused primarily on infrastructure on previous blogs, I want to draw attention to these words that mean so much to our City and towards the values we’d like to sustain

For several weeks, an increasing amount of time in my visits with Mapleton residents has been occupied by discussions regarding the state of water in our City. Conversation topics included the following: pressurized irrigation (PI), ditch irrigation, culinary water, water rights, adequacy of water, water pressure, water sources, ponds, wells, Hobble Creek usage, recreational water,

As a teenager, I imagined two Cracker-Barrel-style rocking chairs as a symbol of community. Neighbors strolling and rolling by, the sound of laughter, and spontaneous visits fit neatly into my teenage vision. I imagined the front porch as a solution to reduce crime and turn strangers into friends. Even now, I see a front porch

This week I had the opportunity to participate in the Agriculture and Open Space workgroup associated with the Valley Visioning project (through Envision Utah and the Utah County Association of Chambers).  The purpose of the workgroup was to consider existing data and community feedback to evaluate potential agriculture and open-space scenarios for the next several

Each morning, I hear several killdeer rehearsing their repertoire along 1200 West.  These ground-nesting birds fascinate me with their effective use of injury-feigning display to distract would-be maliciousness from their nests.  My first encounter with a killdeer sucked me in – I truly believed that mama had a broken wing and that I needed to

The struggle we’re currently encountering (and will like do so for another decade) is how to flex with the times without compromising our views and values. I’ve referenced several ideas on my website, but want to speak to five specific strategies that continuously arise in conversation:

1. Zoning
2. Housing
3. Retail
4. Property Taxes
5. Open Space

I never planned to run for office, but here's why I'm compelled to do so.

I'm anxious to share this journey, my experiences in the community, and, likely, some random analogies and/or lists.