THE INDEPENDENT INTERVIEW: Michele Randall brings Three Ts to the St. George City Council

Written by Josh Warburton, photos by Adrienne Beacco & Josh Warburton

I sat down with newly elected St. George City Council member Michele Randall almost two weeks ago now, and we had intended to publish her interview last week – but, in the meantime, Bette Arial was appointed to the St. George city council and we felt compelled to expedite our interview with her, as so much interest had been generated by her appointment.

Michele and I sat downtown and had a very enjoyable conversation. Here’s what she had to say:

You were successfully elected to the St. George City Council after your very first campaign (something many have been unable to accomplish after several campaigns). What do you think it was about you and your campaign that appealed so much to voters?

I think some of it was that I’m kind of a hometown girl; a lot of people know me. I’ve lived here since ’78 – a long time. I think probably having (my) name in the press during the whole ambulance issue probably helped, because I think a lot of people connected those two. Some people might say, ‘She got the sympathy vote’ – maybe so, I don’t know. But I think they just knew that I was willing to work hard and am genuine in what I say. I was just as surprised as anybody, pleasantly surprised, because I know Jimmie (Hughes) ran a couple of times, Ben (Nickle) ran a couple of times.

During the election, you mentioned “Three T’s” that were the focus of your campaign (transparency, teamwork and tradition). Now that you’re on the city council, do those three focuses remain the same? Have they changed or expanded?

No, they remain the same. Well, we’re just a short time in, but already I’ve had experiences, including being involved in an issue with a proposed ordinance regarding block walls, and we formed a committee with a builder, SUHBA and city staff to help come up with an ordinance that is acceptable to everybody. So far, and just a few weeks in, I feel we’re already accomplishing a bit of that.

Addressing each of your three T’s individually, let’s start with “transparency.” The city has come under fire in the past for not being as transparent as citizens think it should be. How do you want to change the transparency of dealings within the city’s governance?

Well, I think people need to be aware of what we are doing at all times. I know they think we go into closed-door meetings, and since Joe (Bowcutt) and I got elected in November, they have included us in these meetings, and I can assure people that nothing’s talked about in there other than a legal issue that came up or a land purchase…and I even questioned why that needed to be done behind closed doors, but if property owners knew the city was interested they could jack up the price, figuring the city has deep pockets. But outside those closed-door meetings, it’s been crickets. So, so far I’m pleased with that, because everyone has the perception they close those doors and talk about everything, and so far everything has been “Here it is, what do you want to do?” And if it’s something that pertains to the whole community listening to (it), then we’re out there, talking about it in the public meetings we’ve had.

Moving on to number two, teamwork, during the election you said citizens need to be partners in government rather than “mere customers” – but that they also need to understand the demands on city employees. How do you hope to bridge that gap, to foster understanding and perhaps more realistic expectations between the city and the citizens?

Well, one area that gets criticized a lot is down in the building department – you know, economic development. And they’re dealing with people a lot, builders, plats and everything that has to be looked at as things are picking up. I know they cut their staff when the bottom fell out, and now you’re seeing a lot of building happening. So I think the citizens have to be understanding that their department is going to probably have to expand at some point but it isn’t now, so we’ve got to be patient with them. But I want the people in those departments to get back (to customers). I’ve had people say, “Well, I’ve called and left a message and no one returns my call.” There needs to be a policy that we return every call and email within 24 hours, get back to people, let them know that they’re taken seriously.

Moving on to number three, tradition, you said during the election that as St. George grows, we need respect our heritage along with our future. Many newcomers to the area feel that St. George is too deeply rooted in tradition. What would you say to those people?

You know, you hear that a lot. And sometimes I think people mistake tradition being “Mormon,” and that’s not what I mean. Most of the pioneers that settled this area were Mormon, but they worked hard to get the water sources and they worked hard to establish the community we have and put us in the (city) blocks that we have. They had vision to see where we were going, but we just need to respect their hard work that they did and not just say, “Well, now we have a historical building here but just because the pioneers built it big deal – we’ll tear it down.” But maybe let’s just revamp it and use it as something else. I think the tradition is the hard work, the ethics, the desire to give back to their community; they didn’t just want to take from it.

If you had to pick just one thing, what do you most hope to see accomplished during your first term as a St. George City Council member?

Well, I wish we could make everybody happy. (Laughs.) That’s not going to happen. You know, that’s the hardest part. But, as we see development pick up again, that we can look back and say that we had a vision. I’d like to see us get a more diversified workforce here. Thank goodness for Site Select Plus, formerly the Economic Development Council, going out and trying to recruit some new businesses.

THE INDEPENDENT QUESTIONS:

What’s your favorite food?

Anything chocolate. I’m a chocoholic.

What would you like on your tombstone?

I’m going to say what my dad always says: “See, I told ya I was sick.”

What would you like to accomplish in the next year?

I am passionate about the veterans, and I’d like to see all those citizen committees come together. I’d like to see in a year that we’ve got a great animal shelter board, that we’ve got a great code enforcement board. We’ve got the new veterans board going full bore.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Hopefully with a few more grandbabies. And maybe a second term on the city council – we’ll see how the first term goes. I would probably only do two if was elected again because I think that’s plenty of time to bow out. And just enjoying life.

If you could be anyone else in the world, living or dead, who would it be and why?

You know, I like being myself, really. I’d love to have, say, Bill Gates’ money, but I really like being me.

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