THE INDEPENDENT INTERVIEW: Age no limit for new St. George councilman Joe Bowcutt

Story by Josh Warburton, photos by Isaac Sloan

Josh Warburton, publisher of The Independent, recently sat down for an interview with newly elected St. George City Council member Joe Bowcutt.

This was your first foray into local politics, correct? What made you decide to run for city council at this stage in life?

Actually, I had several people who encouraged me to do that. It really wasn’t my idea. And it was people I had high regard for. And then I thought that I could be a benefit. I think if I was classified as anything, I’m kinda reasonable. I would be able to serve and give voice for the people, maybe a calm voice sometimes.

What are your top priorities going into this first term as a council member?

We’ve had some great growth and some real challenges for our city leaders over the last 20 years. And they’ve done a wonderful job. So I think some of the challenges they’ve faced is that they’ve had to react to a lot of things, so you end up with a reactive rather than proactive approach. I think it’s a golden opportunity to be more proactive. We’ve got some space to plan and decide the vision of St. George, and that’s exciting to me that we probably won’t have to face the challenges that the other guys did.

You’re not exactly a “spring chicken,” as they say, and you’ve had some health problems recently. How are you doing? And do you think your age or your health will hinder your ability to serve out your council term?

My health has improved drastically. I’m doing very well. I don’t think that’s going to be a concern at all. I remember Ronald Reagan said in his argument when he was running at one time. He wouldn’t let age enter into the conflict because he didn’t want the other person to feel immature.

You’ve been very active on local committees and organizations, including the Dixie Sunshiners and the Lions Club. Are you continuing with any of those organizations, or are they taking a backseat now to the city council?

I have been involved with the Washington County Board of Realtors for years, and I’ve served on a couple of committees for them. That is continuing currently. Of course, my time spent with the Lions Club the last 38 years will continue. I recently was one of the board of directors of the Lions Club, but had to resign that position because of a conflict in the meeting times primarily. I’ll continue to be the volunteer that I am. I am very active in the church. So no, it’s not going to conflict, it’s in addition.

What do you want to see changed in St. George?

I want to see change, and I think everyone on the council agrees with me on this, and Jon (Mayor Pike). Especially, I would like to see more citizen involvement. I want those people to be able to come to us, talk to us. We can’t always resolve their problems, but we certainly want to have their input. And I think the idea of establishing these committees of citizens are going to be a wonderful thing to help that happen. Jon’s also talking about opening up the first 15 minutes of every council meeting to public comment and I support that 100 percent. I think we’re on a path to have more citizen involvement, and that excites me.

What do you most hope to accomplish as a city council member?

I think the thing I’d like to see established are the plans, vision, mission of where we want to be in 20 years. I think with the people we have in there and the ones that will join us, we will make that a direction we can follow. And I like that, like having a plan we can follow.

THE INDEPENDENT QUESTIONS:

What’s your favorite food?

Chinese.

What would you like on your tombstone?

Husband ~ Father ~ Friend

What would you like to accomplish in the next year?

I would like to see the citizen committees I spoke of. That involvement of citizens. I want to see that be a priority for us right now, and I think it will be a several-month process to get that done. But we’ve got some great people who would help. There are people on that list of candidates for city council who would be awesome on some committees.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Older. I don’t have a lot of heavy goals in my life at this time. I just want to be a support to the community, to my family, to my wife. I just want to keep doing all the things I’ve been doing all along. I love being a part of the community and I love to volunteer.

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

Well, Ronald Reagan I guess. I would like to have his humor, knowledge, charisma. I’d like to be able to express myself the way he did. He was great with words; I’m not. He was someone who I admire not as much for what he did but who he was.