WEST POINT -- With two open seats, the five candidates running for council have their work cut out for them. Each candidate's experience and background are completely unique. All of the candidates hope to stand out during the general election. Because there were only four candidates during the primary election, no primary was held, but write-in candidate Jeremy Strong has added competition to the mix.
Andy Dawson
Dawson said his vast experience in managing multimillion dollar budgets, along with his past political experience, makes him a good candidate for office.
Dawson is a current city councilman, a nine-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, and director of medical imaging. He manages 57 employees and a multimillion dollar budget.
He served on the planning commission for six years, one as vice chairman. He was recently appointed to the North Davis Sewer District board of trustees.
He is CERT trained and certified (Community Emergency Response Team), and attended and graduated from FEMA disaster recovery training in Emmetsburg, Md.
Dawson believes commercial development will be a benefit to the community, not the other way around. He wants to protect the delicate balance between urban and rural areas when considering any development and ensure that as a governing body, the council remains fiscally responsible.
"Through the involvement of citizens, I will have a recreation program and parks system that will be envied by all who visit," he said.
Brogan L. Fullmer
Fullmer said he has served his community since he was young and hopes to continue serving as a council member. He said the key to a successful city is proper planning. He believes service and citizenship to the communities in which he live is essential to bettering the lives of everyone around the world. He believes the work he has done in planning and promoting new programs like curbside recycling, soil and stream conservation, as well as suburban management have contributed to his lifelong dedication.
Fullmer wants to closely examine the plans for the city's future and believes communities often rush to build houses before building neighborhoods.
"It is my view that the urban sprawl which has stretched across our valleys and our meadows is unsustainable, and with gas prices rising, impossible," he said. "I believe the people of West Point and the rest of America deserve communities that they can not only live in, but that they can work and play in."
Fullmer said he is a fiscal conservative and believes government's first responsibility is to govern efficiently, without taxing future generations. He wants to foster personal growth and believes individual property taxes should be decreased as local business revenues increase.
Kent Henderson
Henderson hopes his extensive background gives him enough votes to be re-elected councilman.
Henderson and his wife have lived in West Point for 41 years. He graduation from Weber State College in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting. He served in the Utah Army National Guard for 37 years.
Henderson served for 1 1/2 years on the planning commission before he was appointed as a council member.
"Throughout my 39-year career at Hill Air Force Base, 30 years were in the comptroller directorate," he said "As a supervisory accountant I learned how to plan, organize, and apply financial assets to accomplish the mission.
"Those who have gone before me have accomplished much and laid a solid financial foundation for our city," Henderson said. "My hope is to continue to build upon that foundation. Under the depressed economy we find ourselves in, the current housing slump, shrinking revenues and rising unemployment my aim is to continue to practice sound responsible fiscal management. My goal is to maintain a balanced budget, practice economy in purchase and operation of all city programs, as well as, safeguard the public monies entrusted to our city with an outcome of maintaining a level of service that will meet the needs of the citizens of West Point."
Jeremy C. Strong
Strong wants an opportunity to get involved in his local community. He received his education at the Davis Applied Technology College in the AutoCAD/Drafting Program and has experience in consumer sales and managing a store budget as a small business owner.
Strong has been involved in the Community Emergency Response Team. He has volunteered as a scout leader, raised money for cancer research through relay for life, and has been involved in many community events.
Strong said he chose to be an active participant in CERT because it helped him be more aware of the needs of our community. He said the strong, small-town values he acquired in his youth have become the basis for my personal mode of self-government. He has a deep passion for politics and letting everyone's voice be heard.
"I believe it takes more than one point of view to make government work correctly," Strong said.
Shawn Watkins
As a husband and father of four, Watkins feels a responsibility to serve his community by volunteering for public service. Before moving to Utah in 2006, he served nine years as a deputy sheriff in California.
"In that position I was charged with enforcing the law and upholding the public trust, while working with many different city leaders and citizens alike. This allowed me to see how the policies of local government affect the residents in positive or negative ways," Watkins said.
Watkins believes as a business owner he is keenly aware of the need for effective communication before and after any policy changes.
"As a business owner I am intimately aware of operating costs and constraints. A city's main revenue is derived from its tax base and the biggest share is generated by new and existing business. The remaining tax revenue is derived from the residential base. Encouraging residents to start new businesses within the city would help us weather the economic slowdown," he said. "I believe I am well suited to that task."
_______________________________________________
M. Andy Dawson Candidate Response
Brogan L. Fullmer No Candidate Response Submitted
Kent Henderson No Candidate Response Submitted
Jeremy C. Strong No Candidate Response Submitted
Shawn Watkins No Candidate Response Submitted
Comments