St. George City Council candidates speak at St. George Rotary Club meeting

St. George City Council candidate Michelene Perez speaks at St. George Rotary Club meeting

Written by George Scott

The St. George Rotary Club welcomed St. George City Council candidates on Thursday, July 23, to present their case for election hopes. Nine of the eleven candidates running in the primary election—to be held Aug. 11—were present at the meeting and were allowed four-to-five minutes to introduce themselves and present information on why they would like to serve on the City Council. This was not a question and answer forum, nor a debate, but an informal setting for each to make a personal connection with community members. Although the introductions, qualification highlights, and reasons for running were brief by necessity, it was still informational. While each of the candidates had obvious differences, it was also apparent that each is passionate about their desire to serve.

Here is a brief recap of the candidates in attendance at the St. George Rotary Club meeting, in order of presentation:

Eric Hovland:

Hovland is the co-owner of a business in downtown St. George. He mentioned his “concerns for downtown” as one of the reasons he got involved. He has a desire for downtown to “remain quaint and charming” and believes there are “threats to preserving downtown with plans and pressure for developing the downtown area.”

Hovland states on his social media site: “If elected, I have ten action-items I would like to accomplish. The second is to put protections in place to ensure our Historic District remains quaint, charming and human-scale. Unlike successful historic districts in other southwest cities, the two by three block area designated as our Historic District has no special zoning statutes. Its only protection is an ill-fated law meant to protect the area by implementing a Historic Preservation Commission. This commission failed to stop the four-and-a-half story Main Street Plaza Building from going in and has voiced their approval for new large-scale developments currently being discussed for the center of the Historic District.” All ten of Hovland’s action-items, as well as background, can be found in detail at saintgeorge.com.

Jimmie Hughes

Hughes stated, “My number one reason for running is service. I want to give back. This community has been good to me.” Hughes has been serving as a councilmember for the past 3 1/2 years and said, “If re-elected, I will be the longest serving current council member.” According to his website, jimmiehughes.com, he promises if re-elected to: use common sense, listen to your concerns and act accordingly, spend your money wisely, make smart decisions on growth and planning, work to attract new industry and job opportunity, support our police in fighting drugs and crime, work hard the entire four years of the term.

Bette Arial

Arial said, “I moved here over 30 years ago, and I love this town and its fabulous people.” She continued on to say that much of what she has experienced is “based on ‘showing up’ and I am here to serve.” Arial is running on the principles of traditional values, common sense, transparency, fiscal responsibility, historic preservation, arts and recreation, and private property rights. More information about Arial and her campaign can be found at  facebook.com/bettesgcity.

Lane Ronnow

“I have had a great life and want to share my talents and experiences,” Ronnow said. “It’s not what you’ve been but what you’ve done that counts.” Ronnow shared his wealthy and diverse of experience in administration, consulting, and managing. He has worked for five school districts in Utah, Arizona, and Nevada; three housing authorities in California; an irrigation company in Texas; and two motion picture companies in Utah. Ronnow identified efficiency as one of his strong points, stating that while working as the department director of the Building and Zoning Enforcement Department in Salt Lake County, he had been able to cut the operating budget by 30 percent and increasing production by 60 percent. Further information can be found at Ronnow’s website, laneronnow.com.

Michelene Perez

Perez stated she was enthusiastic and excited to bring youth and energy to the council. She hopes to get more younger individuals and families involved in the community. Perez stated, “I want to see younger people join a community that cares and is committed to bring their passion and great ideas as we work together to accomplish community goals.” She mentioned several items that she is passionate about. “We need a youth center!” Perez exclaimed. “With a population of our size, we need to have more options for our youth to be involved in.” Perez also shared that she is not in favor of the Lake Powell Pipeline. “Why pipe in more water if not using what we have wisely?” Perez has identified three platforms for her campaign: prosperity, sustainable growth, and community collaboration. Specifics of these platforms and additional campaign information can be found on her campaign page at facebook.com/mperez4sgcity.

Bryan Thiriot

“We need representation, not just rhetoric,” Thiriot stated. He mentioned graduating from Dixie State and his belief in the ability to offer world-class education and programs at the university. He attended Weber State University, earning a degree in political science and communications. Thiriot identified his work with Sen. Hatch and Sen. Bennett as providing him experience that separates him from others in the race in understanding how to work with the federal government process. He believes the current BLM land use proposal is “not favorable to St. George.” Thiriot can be reached by email at [email protected].

Stallings opened up by encouraging everyone to vote, identifying the off-year elections and decreasing voter participation as a real concern. “Regardless of which of us you decide to vote for, be certain to get out and vote in the primary on Aug 11 and the general election on Nov 3,” he said. Stallings has been in the business field for more than 30 years, as well as a professional volunteer. “I believe in upholding the [U.S.] Constitution and am against the overreach of the federal government,” he said. “Sometimes, this means we have to say no to federal funds, especially when they have strings attached.” The big issue Stallings identified facing the city is population and availability of water. He said he is not in favor of the pipeline, preferring instead conservation efforts. Stallings can be reached by email at [email protected].

Ed Baca

Baca identified St. George as “one of the best communities you’ll find in the country.” He went on to state, “This is not to say it is without criticism and needed areas of improvement. There is a lot yet to be accomplished in this town and a lot to be proud of.” Baca identified several areas of specific focus, including the need to reform code enforcement, taxation, and the RAP tax. More information on Baca’s campaign can be found at edbaca4cc.blogspot.com.

Kendall Clements

Clements opened his presentation sharing how he and his family had arrived in St. George. After moving from northern Utah to Arizona, Clements and his family lost everything during the 2007 recession. On borrowed funds and in their old blue van, they drove to St. George to start over. “Those first years here were a real struggle,” Clements shared. “But this community believed in and supported us. It is with gratitude to family, friends, and this community that we owe a great deal of our success and the reason I want to serve.” Clements would like to see more involvement from the community. He identified growth management, balance of opportunity, city management, and private property rights as key issues in his campaign. More information can be found about his campaign at kendallclements.com.

Neither Cragin Hammer nor Greg McArthur was in attendance.

The St. George City Council primary election is Tuesday, Aug 11, 2015. Through the process, the field will be pared down from the eleven current candidates to six candidates vying for one of the three seats open to election. General Election voting will be Tuesday, Nov 3, 2015.