Council Moves Forward; United, Non-Contentious Attitude of Service Adopted

January 23, 2014

The Council Chamber was full and a business like atmosphere was felt in keeping with the character of our new mayor. Council Members appeared to have fallen into step with the direction mapped by Mayor Pike. A change in methodology was taking place, a comfort zone had been found in the upcoming appointment of Bette Arial as the new council member.

Perhaps the most telling sign of change was the transfer of power taking place. Ever so slight the large ship of city government is beginning to turn. As I walked towards the Council Chamber I passed City Manager Gary Esplin, who appeared somber and tired as he walked away.  I was somewhat saddened, yet I knew that this day was inevitable. A meaningful change was in progress. A positive change of how business is to be done.

The excitement and apprehension was immediately felt upon entering the packed Council Chamber, not only the usual humdrum of activity but you could also feel the serious nature of what was to take place.

I was fortunate in that I was able to sit next to Tara Dunn whom I have come to know and appreciate and who like many others I have come to recognize as a good friend, one with courage and ethics that I admire.

Slowly and methodically the process of revealing the identity of Mayor Pike’s replacement on the council moved forward.  Due diligence having been applied, all requirements having been satisfied. BETTE ARIEL was appointed and sworn into office.  A GREAT CHOICE!

Bette is a woman with proven credentials of competency and a person who represents high moral values. A person I am sure we will all come to appreciate.

I believe Bette is a good fit as she has worked side by side with Mayor Pike on Dixie State University Board of Trustee’s and they appear to be able to work well together and share a conservative approach to governing.  

It will be interesting to see how our new council addresses the pressing issue of overseeing how City Code Enforcement issues are addressed. Perhaps Conflict of Interests and Ethics will be included in the process and the findings be made known to the public…TRANSPARENCY IN BLOOM.

YES, the next few years will be interesting as we watch the political future of Mayor Pike unfold and watch the behind the scenes activity of the supporting cast.

Many issues and challenges confront the developing City of St. George and we look forward with great anticipation on how we are to conduct ourselves if we are to succeed.

The issue….. Raised by Tara on the oppression of those…..Not of the Mormon faith in City Government will most certainly not go away. The solution may be found in VOTER turnout and in how we as individuals treat our fellow man.

Please forward your concerns on how our city is governed and what your section of the community may be in need of to me.

Thank you, Ed

Transparency Arrives

Like a fresh breath of spring, TRANSPARENCY entered the City Council Meeting and the new broom (Mayor Pike) began spring cleaning. As he eased in to the agenda, a new management style became clearly evident.

You could tell by the look on the faces of those present that they were comfortable and eager to join the process of doing the peoples' business.

Mayor Pike began the meeting by inviting Councilman Almquist to lead us in the Flag Salute and Councilwoman Randall was asked to conduct the Invocation.  Regardless of how you many feel about opening exercise, we can ALL celebrate the fact that we yet have the FREEDOM to do so.

The Administrative Conference Room, where Workshop Meetings are routinely held, was filled to capacity. I could not help but notice that at least 3 candidates who applied to fill the vacated council seat created by Mr. Pike’s promotion to mayor were present. The remaining 21 applicants who indicated a desire to serve on the council were, to my knowledge, not in attendance for reasons unknown.

I had the pleasure of sitting next to Mari Smith who represented Southern Utah Home Builders Association.  On December 1^st. Mari was called to replace Carol Sapp as the new Executive Officer for SUHBA. Best wishes to Carol and Mari.

The first order of business was council approval for the County to be given authorization to use a city building located on the Old Airport site. Dean Cox, County Administrative Manager (and husband to applicant wishing to fill vacated city council seat) made the request due to a recent fire that destroyed USU Extension office. A fine example of inter-agency cooperation.

Next on the agenda; Bloomington Community Council, led by Mr. Gayle Maxwell, submitted a request for the City to support their efforts to have 4 Pickle Ball Courts built in their community. Bloomington residents would contribute as much as $25,000 to the project they estimated to cost approximately $52,000.

The City estimated the cost to be closer to $190,000 and some discussion took place as to drainage and lighting costs and as to who’s cost estimates were most accurate. It was concluded that further discussion between the two parties needed to take place to determine the actual cost of the project.

My friends, here is where it really became interesting.  I thought that City Manager Gary Esplin presented himself at his finest. Mr. Esplin adopted a position as the Senior member of this administrative body and acting as a true professional and credit to his office, he methodically directed the discussion giving new council members a lesson on how the expenditure of city funds can be accessed and successfully budgeted. The lesson highlighted his expertise on use of Capital Funds, Park Impact Fees, and funding opportunities in this or next year’s budget.  The matter was continued to the next regular meeting.

The very important issue of Mixed Use Zoning was examined. Mr. Randy Wilkinson, Developer for a major and historic Downtown project, was present and it was determined that further detailed discussion was warranted. The matter was continued with City Manager Gary Esplin voicing his opinion that he had no objection to getting an RDA for the area in question.

THE MOST PROMISING AND ENCOURAGING words of this council meeting were spoken by Mayor Pike. First, the mayor requested each council member to share/give their input on any issue they might deem important and directed them to report on activities of Committee’s and/or Boards on which they sit and represent the city. These reports are to routinely take place at the end of ALL future council meetings.  The importance of this action CANNOT be over emphasized!  It ushers in an era of TRANSPARENCY and provides a sorely missed element of government…PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY.

               ATTITUDE is a little thing that makes a BIG difference.

Thank you, Ed

Service is the Motto for New Mayor and City Council

January 6th

City Council Chamber was packed to capacity with friends and supporters of our newly elected Mayor and Council Members. Sworn into office by Utah Fifth District Judge, Eric Ludlow, our new mayor and council proceeded to take their newly assigned seats at 12:13 P.M. You could feel the excitement and the newly created energy take hold. Mayor Pike clearly voiced that he and council members would be dedicated to the service of St. George residents and those in surrounding communities with a continued spirit of cooperation with other agencies and State and Local elected officials.

We have all been correctly taught that ATTITUDE is most important in all that we do, be it interpersonal relations or in addressing assigned duties and responsibilities. So it is that we are able to appreciate the tone that has been set by Mayor Pike and now made evident in the demeanor of Councilwoman Randall by her seeking to quickly learn all aspects of her newly attained position. Councilman Bowcutt has equally adopted and displayed an attitude commensurate with the motto of service declared by our mayor. Joining this orchestration is Councilman Almquist and Hughes, who are acting to support the direction the Mayor is taking.

My Friends... The future REALLY looks and sounds promising. Especially when one stops to appreciate the words uttered by the Mayor in which, he invites the public to come forward; “communicate your concerns” to the Council, “put US to work,” we want to be open and Very Transparent as we move forward. The mayor emphasized the point by stating “You are the stockholders. We are just the board of directors”.

The Stage is set and the performance begins.

January 9^th

The mayor, true to his word and seeking to hit the bricks running on this first fully calendared meeting asked that the Council’s first act be to establish, as promised…The Veteran Advisory Committee.

Councilwoman Randall is to represent the Council on this committee which is expected to meet regularly in its efforts to promote the health and welfare of veterans who may be in need of assistance and while doing so also serve the interest of the community at large. “A PROMISE MADE AND A PROMISE KEPT”

Mayor Pike then moved to relinquish his position on the St. George Housing Authority and appointed Councilman Hughes as his replacement on this very important Board.

My Friends, towards the end of this Council Meeting time was taken to recognize and praise the accomplishments of Larry Bullock, Director of Public Works who is to retire next month having completed 35 years of service.

Mr. Bullock has planned retirement activities all of which will be absent of required date of completion and budget considerations.

KUDOS to Mr. Bullock for a job well done! Thank you for your years of service to the City of St. George.

The Council agenda included many other items and will in future articles be presented in the Senior Sampler.

One such item that is considered very important to the development of the Downtown Area was the Public Hearing to consider approval of an amendment to the City Zoning Regulations, Title 10, Section 10-10-5.K and 10-8-7.G to allow the City Council to waive the ground floor commercial requirement in MIXED USE projects subject to certain conditions.

Detailed discussion of this meaningful change is expected to take place at the next City Council Workshop Meeting. 

Please feel free to forward me your concerns,

Thank You. -Ed

St. George - The Coming Together of its People

The year 2014 is upon us and as we stand to the side and view the historical events taking place at City Hall, we can take heart in knowing that the city economy is on an upswing.  The increase in building and development brings with it an increase in revenue to city coffers and opens the door of opportunity.

What an opportune time for the coming of a New Mayor. My observation of the smiling and friendly face identified as Jon Pike brings joy to those of us that care deeply for our community and hunger to be made a welcome part of this wonderful city.

Folks, I can’t tell you the number of times I have been contacted by those who have moved into the city over the past several years who have expressed their feelings about wanting to be as valued as those who were born and bred here, who want to contribute, who want to be respected and listened to, and to no longer be thought of as an outsider.

The opportunity to expand and grow not only applies to important economic principles but also to social issues; regardless of political, religious, or ethnic backgrounds.  The time is NOW for the city to take the next step in bringing us together.

I would like to share my observations of the person now known as OUR MAYOR, Jon Pike. The person I have closely observed in countless meetings in which his genuine, CARING attitude brings forth the feeling of acceptance and willingness to engage all facets of the community while at the same time being practical and displaying a good business sense.

Having said this and having taken note of Mr. Pikes stated goals for our city (which I support) I feel it important to identify priorities for the spending of growing City revenue.

As reported in recent City Council Meetings, and duly noted, the City has spent large amounts of money acquiring property for development of the Arts. This begs the question; Should this include a Performing Arts Building that will be built to accommodate all forms, such as the St. George Musical Theater?

Is it to be a priority to improve Bus Services. My friends, in the December 12^th City Council meeting the issue of increasing revenue for Sun Tran (city bus service) was discussed. The need to finance the hiring of 3 new full time employees, thereby removing part-time positions, was made known to be necessary to maintain appropriate level of service.

One method to bring in needed money is to sell advertising space on buses. Large spaces, maybe 84 inches x 84 inches at a cost of 11 to 13 cents per inch, depending on the number of days the ad runs may bring in as much as $144.000 (Ads on 4 Buses for a year).

The editorial content of ads is an important factor as Free Speech Issues become very meaningful in that local cultural values may be impacted. What do YOU want to see and read on a passing bus?

The establishing of PRIORITIES and funding sources, and where and how our monies to be spent are of interest to tax paying citizens.

These are but a few issues that our new Mayor and City Council will be asked to address.  Please forward you thoughts and concerns on these issues to me.

Thank You, Ed