PLEASANT VIEW — The slate of Weber County League of Women Voters debates and forums came to a close in Pleasant View on Tuesday evening.

Incumbent Pleasant View City Council candidates Sara Urry, Ann Arrington and Dave Marriott along with challengers Derek Draper and Robert Knapp were all invited to the debate as they contest three at-large seats. Urry, Marriott and Draper were all in attendance for the forum. Weber County League of Women Voters Executive Cirector Terri McCulloch announced that Arrington had reached out and noted work obligations would make attendance impossible while Knapp refused to take part for reasons that weren’t elaborated on.

Multi-use housing

Candidates were asked how they felt about mixed-use housing options where an apartment complex includes retail on the first floor.

Urry said that the city can only do so much in encouraging such developments.

“There’s only so much that we can make and require developers to do unless it’s in our ordinance or (what) the state allows,” she said. “We can’t necessarily force them to do certain things, so we do what we can to make sure that our residents right here are protected.”

Draper used the example of The Junction in Ogden, a development that he opposed in the beginning.

“Now that it’s done and (seeing) what it’s doing, I think it was a spectacular idea,” he said. “I think that’s a great idea what they’re doing. … I think that’s great if we can get the proper businesses in. We can’t just have a manufacturing and business on top. You would basically want to have like The Junction where it’s the restaurants or spas and those types of areas.”

Marriott, however, said that the concept is wildly unpopular with local residents.

“There isn’t anybody in Pleasant View that wants high-density or multi-use housing,” he said. “They want a nice, quiet community like how it’s been. It’s peaceful. We have residential isolated very well from commercial, retail and manufacturing.”

Public safety

Candidates were also asked about their thoughts on public safety in Pleasant View and how they’d improve it.

Draper, a former Ogden police officer, said he believes the Pleasant View Police Department is lacking in some areas.

“The Police Department has no FTO (field training officer’s) program, so when you bring someone in, they get to know your policies and procedures,” he said. “I’ve personally had the police come out, made a report, they filed it the wrong way and they were an inexperienced officer. Right after that happened, they promoted him to detective. I even brought it up to council and gave a copy to the chief of police saying, ‘This is violation of your own policy, you can’t do it that way.’ ‘Oh, you know how it goes.’ I don’t know how it goes because I work in police work and I know I would’ve got disciplined for that kind of action. Not having a training officer’s program leaves your officers exposed because they’re not familiar with your policy.”

Marriott said there’s been efforts to boost safety that go beyond the Police Department.

“We have safe zones where people can exchange their children with their ex-spouses and we have places in the safe zone where you can go to sell property and exchange property,” he said.

Urry said that the city’s Police Department is very responsive and open.

“Our Police Department works very closely with our city administrator and our police chief with our mayor,” she said. “We get a report every time at City Council meetings of the things that are going on. If we need to go into a closed meeting, we do, but we are very aware of the crime, the conflict and the challenges our police department faces here.”

The candidates were also asked about transparency, communication, preparations for growth and the potential of merging with a neighboring city.

For a full replay of Tuesday’s debate, visit the Weber County League of Women Voters’ Facebook page.

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