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Roy City Council race draws four hopefuls, but neither incumbent

By Tim Vandenack - | Oct 22, 2021

Photos supplied

From left, Roy City Council hopefuls Randy Scadden, Sophie Paul and Kevin Homer. Ashlee Kurys, also a candidate, is not shown.

ROY — Elections aren’t over, but Roy will be getting two new City Council members.

That doesn’t mean those who haven’t yet cast ballots are off the hook. Though the incumbents for the two City Council posts coming open aren’t seeking reelection — meaning two council newcomers are in the offing — voting continues for the four others who are vying for the posts.

The hopefuls are Sophie Paul, Ashlee Kurys, Randy Scadden and Kevin Homer, and their focuses and backgrounds run the gamut. The incumbents who have opted not to run again, meantime, are Bryon Saxton and Jan Burrell.

Roy Mayor Bob Dandoy is also on the ballot this cycle, seeking his second term, but he is the sole candidate for the mayoral post.

Sophie Paul: Paul, seeking elective office for the first time, puts a big focus on public safety, more specifically, making sure the Roy police and fire departments have the resources they need now and going forward.

Photo supplied

Roy City Council candidate Sophie Paul.

“It is very important that Roy City has fully staffed public safety departments. With population increases, we have fewer staff now than 10 years ago,” she said in an emailed statement to the Standard-Examiner.

Making sure youth have opportunities to get involved is another priority along with developing a plan for another cemetery in Roy. Listening to the public and involving them in the decision-making process is also important as well as fostering “responsible” business expansion.

“I want to safeguard this community so our families can stay and raise their families here,” she said.

Paul runs a preschool in Roy and has served in many volunteer capacities in schools in West Haven and Roy over the years.

Randy Scadden: Scadden, too, puts a focus on public safety. He’s seeking public office for the first time.

Photos supplied

Roy City Council hopeful Randy Scadden.

“The biggest issue we need to address as a city is the looming crisis of potential attrition of our police and fire departments leaving for other more high-paying agencies,” he said in a message to the Standard-Examiner. More generally, he wants to make Roy a “premier” place to “work, play and stay.”

Encouraging public involvement is important to him. He wants Roy residents to know they are always welcome to speak out on issues of importance to them.

Encouraging new business development is also a priority to generate sales tax revenue to help fund city services. “It will require forward thinking leadership if we are to avoid another large property tax increase, like in years past,” he said in a statement posted to a website managed by the Utah Lieutenant Governor’s Office for Utah candidates.

Scadden is a senior global sales engineer for a cybersecurity company.

Kevin Homer: Homer, a retired computer programmer, is seeking office for the first time, though he says he regularly attends City Council meetings.

Photo supplied

Roy City Council hopeful Kevin Homer.

He decided to run, he said, because he felt ignored. “I felt like I was not being listened to,” he said.

He holds some “very conservative ideas,” he said, and puts a focus on the import of guarding against government overreach. He puts a particular emphasis, he said on the Utah Lieutenant Governor’s Office website, on the principals of individual liberty and limited government outlined in the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution.

“It seems like most levels of government don’t like to act constitutionally these days,” he said.

More specifically, Homer maintains that local government gets involved in areas that should be the domain of the private sector, singling out city recreation centers and municipal loan programs geared to businesses.

He also worries about local government reliance on federal grants and other funding, saying it contributes to the federal deficit, a concern.

His priority if elected, he said, would be initially trying to win other City Council members over to his viewpoint about scaling back government. Unless he can “change the hearts and minds” of others, he won’t be able to do much to pursue his vision.

Kurys didn’t respond to queries seeking comment and didn’t post candidate information on the Utah Lieutenant Governor’s Office website.

Mail-in ballots have been sent out and voting culminates Nov. 2.

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