I received an email from fellow citizen T.G. George who sent a series of questions to all the candidates. These answers were posted on the South Weber United Facebook Group but I will share them here for those who are not on Facebook.
Dear Candidates,
My Name is Terry “TG” George. I am a member of SWCU (South Weber Citizens United) fb group that is 985 members strong. I’d like to ask you each to tell us a little about yourself and your platform by answering the following questions. Those of you who write back will have your Questions and Answers posted for our members to see, and help them formulate their opinions and decisions as to which of you they will vote for. Thank you in advance for your time and answers!
Please answer the following questions:
1. What is your motivation or reason for running for City Council?
I started getting heavily involved with things going on in the city in late July. I witnessed firsthand a few people getting involved, which led to more and more and then even more. By the end of August it was clear to me the citizens needed a voice at the table. I knew I could go in as a "write-in" candidate, but hesitated because of the increased difficulties of getting into office being a write-in. I disregarded and argued with the thought many times, but it kept coming back, more insistently each time. I realized that I just could not NOT do it, I felt the pull so much. The more citizens I saw getting involved, the more I desired to represent them.
2. Do you support Minimizing our population growth of the City by zoning more Low Density Housing, or do you support Maximizing our population by zoning more Moderate Density and High Density Housing and why?
I believe that South Weber is something special. We need to be very careful and wise about our decisions when it comes to zoning. We need to realize and consider the impact certain zones will have on our community. I feel currently we have a good ratio of housing opportunities. We have townhomes and condos, apartments, single family homes and patio homes. We have increased our growth significantly in the past 3 years. I feel that now would be a good time to determine what percentage ratios of HDH to MDH to LDH we would like to see for our city and adjust accordingly. Property owners have a right to sell their land and I believe we need to make space for that when we are determining zoning, but the residents who will be directly impacted by that zoning also have a perspective to consider as well.
3. Do you Support or Oppose a connection road from South Weber City to Layton City and why?
While I can understand the appealing reasons of connecting a road to Layton, currently I have not seen a good option for doing so. Our slopes are unstable and contamination is a concern. 1900 E is still very steep and is a residential road that already has a steep bluff that has speeding concerns. I don't believe a developer will pay for this road as there is no development that should be going on those slopes. If this is the case, the costs of this very expensive road will lie on the responsibility of South Weber tax payers. I feel that this would be an unwise fiscal decision. Additionally, I haven't met with many residents who would like the road to Layton. I don't believe the risks and costs are worth the benefit as it is currently proposed.
4. If elected, will you support the voice of the people (even if it is not what you believe) on issues, or do you believe that if elected as a representative that we have given you our trust to act on your best judgment?
I joined this race because I felt that the people needed to be better represented. I have worked very hard to get information out to the people so they can make informed decision and comments back to their city representatives. I strive to keep the information I am sharing factual and without bias so that I am able to get feedback from all citizens, not just those that share my personal opinion as well. I believe the best way to make any decision in life is to look at both sides of the coin and understand potential consequences, rather for good or bad. If we are only hearing one voice, or if our own personal biases are too strong to hear other opinions, we are doing a disservice to making the best choice. My goal of integrating with the public is to help them see both sides of the coin and comment back, and I fully intend to keep the public engaged on the doings of our city by numerous means and ways.
5. If elected, how do you plan to keep us, the citizens informed and included in the doings of the city?
In this day of information, we should be utilizing every avenue we can. When first decided to put my name into the race I did a live video and included some of the things I wanted to implement to bring about more public involvement. I am happy to see that the city is currently implementing many of those suggestions; live videos, email lists, text messaging services, online surveys, polls, youtube channels and social media interaction. I have helped put on 2 major events for the public, our Park-n-Protest and our Town Hall Stye Meeting with Mayor Jo and David Larsen and am excited to help with our upcoming event, South Bench Drive viewing party. All of these events helped me connect with residents who are not on social media but still have a great desire to be involved in city doings. I want to see more of these events take place, as well as speaking to residents one-on-one.
6. What else would you like us to know about you?
I'm a lyrical genius. I drink way too much coke and I cuss a little. I have lived in South Weber for 7 years and have loved every moment of it. My husband grew up here and my in-laws still live here. I am immensely grateful for this community. I have four beautiful children who have been given an incredible childhood in part to the amazing street I live on and the people we are surrounded by.
Thank you T.G. George for asking these questions and offering me the opportunity to answer them!
#SWmorethan20
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