Eagle Mountain First: Making Eagle Mountain City a Top Choice City

Citizens of Eagle Mountain City, I am honored to seek your trust and vote to lead this city to a bright future.  Our best days are before us, and I truly believe with concerted vision, effort, and execution, we can make Eagle Mountain a top choice city in the state of Utah.  Our vision should aim for nothing less!

I encourage you to read through the content on this website, as I outline for you the vision, policies, and priorities I will execute to achieve the Eagle Mountain First Initiative.  My experience and education uniquely qualify me to accomplish the aims of this campaign, and I urge you to join with me in the “Eagle Mountain First” family of supporters.

What do Eagle Mountain First priorities look like?  Exactly those to make us a top choice city - where people choose to live as a FIRST choice, not as a default choice:

Infrastructure: with 49% population growth in just 5 years, we’re suffocating on our roads, and people either avoid buying here (or are moving out) as a result.  This must remain a top priority and focus, along with slowing the growth of our city until the infrastructure supports it - a cause which I championed as a planning commissioner, speaking out against several hundred (maybe even thousands) of proposed lots, and voting to restrict the sale of city water to residential developers, preserving it for civic and commercial development.

Land Use & Affordable Housing: closely tied to the above.  Today’s infrastructure woes come from city leadership decisions from years ago.  We must make wise land use decisions to properly balance growth with infrastructure.  Land is one of our biggest advantages over competing cities in the Wasatch Front, and land happens to be my expertise.  Let’s use our biggest advantage - land - in creating a top choice city.

Economic Development: Live where you work!  No city can be a “top choice city” without this.  Read on to see my plans for economic development.  This issue also ties into infrastructure: more local jobs means fewer commuters on highways.

Recreation / Nature: the city continues to brand itself with the outdoor, nature, recreation vibe, and I’m ALL IN.  The city nailed its rebranding effort, and we need to make sure our land use decisions align with this unique branding that sets Eagle Mountain City apart from other cities in the Wasatch Front.  Read on for all this entails!  We can’t lose sight of this branding!

Culture / Arts / Community: I have extensive experience building successful cultures in organizations and businesses.  I’ve learned that people join my company for the training & experience, but they stay for the culture. Likewise, citizens may move to the city for various reasons, and I believe they’ll stay for the culture (if we can correctly maintain and build it!).  Read on to see extensive thoughts on promoting the arts, community, and culture, and what 4 words I teach my real estate agents that create the sticky culture my brokerage is known for.  Culture begins up top, and I’m ready to do for Eagle Mountain what I’ve done with other organizations.

Infrastructure - to make Eagle Mountain a “First Choice” city

As a commissioner on the city’s planning commission, I’ve spent extensive time reviewing the city’s master transportation plan.  The plan notes the city’s explosive population growth, with a population of 49,738 in the year 2022, compared with estimates I’m now seeing that exceed 74,000 people, marking at least a 49% growth in less than 5 years.  Ask yourself this question: have we also seen a 49% growth in our roads?  This growth rate remains unsustainable.  As a city, we must take decision actions to balance the growth of the population with the infrastructure.  Congested roads undermine quality of life, hurt our branding, and cause Eagle Mountain to be a “last choice” city instead of a “first choice” city.

Fortunately, our current city council has worked diligently to solve the road issues, and I applaud their magnificent efforts.  I fully support whatever it takes - including bonding - to build out the Mid Valley Road.  I applaud the city council’s efforts to commission the studies necessary, expand the lanes, and work on designating this road as a state road to aid with funding.  With only 2 main east-west roads, Eagle Mountain City desperately needs the Mid Valley Road, and we need it as fast as possible, and we need to work collaboratively with Saratoga Springs to ensure this road’s alignment optimizes the traffic flow for our 2 cities.

As far as the nearby state roads, I’m grateful the Mountain View Corridor & 2100 N freeways will finish soon (year 2026).  We need to continue to work collaboratively with the state of Utah & Mountainland Association of Governments (MAG) to ensure continued attention to the state roads servicing northern Utah County.

Frankly, the current city council has focused great attention on the roads needs, and I continue to pledge my support, negotiating talents, and willingness to enter into a bond, in order to help bring the road projects across the finish line.

In addition to the above, as a planning commissioner I supported increased bus transit in our city, recommending approval for a park and ride (and bus stop) utilizing the area under the powerlines along Pony Express Parkway.  As a commission, we evaluated many different options to ensure the selected location best served the needs of the city.

In addition to roads, the city must also budget for upgrades to its sewer treatment facilities (approximately $120M), which issue is currently being evaluated by an outside consulting group.  I pledge to support their findings and recommended course of action.

Lastly, the city will soon need a city hall & downtown area.  That said, the new city hall building falls much lower on the priority list than these other infrastructure issues, and I commit to ensuring the prioritization of the most pressing infrastructure needs.

This all being said, improving our infrastructure remains pointless should we continue to grow at unsustainable paces.  In other words, the infrastructure battle has two sides to the coin: demand (population) and supply (the capacity of the infrastructure).  As a planning commissioner, I’ve worked DILIGENTLY to manage the demand side of that equation.  Specific, quick examples as to actions I’ve taken:

• In March of this year, I spoke against 844 units being proposed by a builder south of the Parkway Fields community.

• Last year, I voted against a new subdivision with hundreds of units next to Brandon Park.

• I have spoken and voted to maintain commercial & industrial areas as presently designated, not turning them into residential areas.

• I supported the city council’s efforts to no longer sell city water to residential developers, instead preserving that water for commercial and municipal needs.  This action will likely slow the pace of new residential subdivisions.

To be clear, I’m only anti-developer when I feel the developer’s proposals aren’t in the best interest of the city.  Otherwise, I applaud the development community which takes on significant risk to bring us the communities we enjoy.  That said, we can no longer allow residential building to outpace our infrastructure.  I’ve spoken against hundreds (thousands?) of housing units since becoming a planning commissioner early last year, because our citizens have had enough of the road congestion, and we need to give time for our road (and sewer/water) systems to catch up.

So, regarding the “demand” side of the infrastructure equation, I have remained a dominant voice to move forward the best interests of the city.  Once elected to the city council, I’ll then apply my efforts to help solve the “supply” (road) side of the equation, making the infrastructure improvements an absolute TOP priority.

Land Use and Affordable Housing - to make Eagle Mountain a “First Choice” city

Citizens of Eagle Mountain City,I ask you these very serious questions: what qualities do you want in the individuals who will guide the vision and make decisions about land use policies in the city?  Who would you hire to negotiate large land deals for the city?  Who would you trust to review and debate contracts with developers and multi-billion dollar companies?  Ask yourself, who would you hire to do these things?

What I implore you: PLEASE, settle for nothing less than what I can offer you:

• Master’s degree in real estate development (#1 graduate in the class)

• Business management bachelor’s degree (cum laude)

• Certificate in urban planning (... I wish they called it “rural” planning!)

• Hundreds of millions of dollars in real estate sold

• Hundreds of closed transactions

• 10,000+ negotiated pages of contracts

• Self-employed business ownership (12+ years)

• Numerous business accolades / awards

I’m grateful for the quality field of candidates running for the city council seat, though I must ask you - the voter, who will make the “hiring” decision - do you care about the above qualifications and proven experience when deciding who you want to represent you in negotiating with developers and making land use decisions?  Whom do you trust will absolutely maximize the results for the city, instead of the developer?  Do these qualities even matter?  If so, PLEASE HIRE ME BY VOTING FOR ME.  Aside from perhaps one other candidate, I stand alone with this compilation of experience and skills I bring to the city, and I offer myself to you as your servant should you choose to hire me for this.

My simple ask: you have 2 choices for city council candidates this election cycle.  Based on the above facts alone, make me one of them.  Choose me as your champion and servant.  Frankly, I never wanted to get in this race, but as I pondered what I have to offer the city, I had no choice but to give myself as an offering, knowing this service will require a great sacrifice of time away from family.

It is upon these very questions above that I can rest my case!  And yes, as you read further, I’m much more than a one-trick pony, bringing to you a comprehensive vision to cause Eagle Mtn to stand out among all cities.

Having underscored how a portion of my strengths that will benefit the city, I now outline land use principles & policies I will espouse as your city councilperson:

• “City 1st”: I state it this way because cities should ensure that developments meet the city’s interests and needs, not the developers’.  Yes, we’ll 100% respect and advocate for rights that developers have - we need the development community and I appreciate the risks they take to build out our city.  However, where the city has negotiating power, the city should use that to ensure the city’s interests are met.  Pulling back the curtain further on this: developers tend to have a monetary motive involving short-term profit.  Landowners likewise tend to have the monetary motive of short-term profit.  I have no problem with that - they should look out for their best interests.  We just need to make sure the city likewise looks out for ITS best interest, and approves those developments that likewise advance the interests of the city!  Developers and landowners have a short-term profit & perspective, whereas the city lives for decades with the long-term consequences.  Advocating for the city’s interests should remain a top priority of the city council!

• Developer collaboration: I strongly advocate the city council’s involvement in negotiating with developers EARLY in the process, instead of LATE in the process.  I want to help the developers save time, money, and resources, by bringing us developments that will benefit the city, and we’ll greatly streamline this process by city council members engaging in discussions early with developers, instead of late in the process after the developer has spent significant time and money preparing the development for approval.  We need to give developers guideposts to aim for, and help them understand the needs of the city.  We should proactively educate the developers as to the goals / aims of the city, so the development community can get behind our vision - the EAGLE MOUNTAIN FIRST initiative.  I will remain a STRONG voice in helping developers achieve EAGLE MOUNTAIN FIRST, instead of “developer first.”

• “No seas”: you’ve seen it and you know what I mean - “seas” of condos & townhomes.  These subdivisions carry shallow roots, promoting transience, and generally have increased crime with less “pride of ownership.”  I don’t think it’s wise to create large subdivisions of dense multi-unit housing for this very reason: transience.  I’m not opposed to condos & townhomes - we just need to scatter these among detached single family home subdivisions.  I believe this will create a stronger, healthier community.  (*NOTE: even a sea of endless detached single family homes may experience imbalance and lack optimization.)

• Balanced housing: we must balance the housing in 2 ways.  First, we must balance housing growth with infrastructure growth.  Second, we must remain mindful to have a balanced variety of housing types in the city.  Keeping this in mind, the city currently has 25k - 30k vested units - enough to basically double the current population of the city.  Considering what new subdivisions to bring into the city, we must balance the proposed housing types with what’s already vested.  I call for the city to provide an immediate accounting for these vested units!  I want to know the number, location, and lot sizes the city has already approved, so we can properly plan for and balance these vested lots!

• Balanced housing, part II:  I support considering subdivisions that mix a variety of housing types together - townhomes along with single family on small, medium, and large lots.  Again, such housing must grow along with infrastructure capabilities, and the unit mix should favor increased lot sizes.  Such a development could allow for families to upgrade homes while staying in the exact same neighborhood, promoting strong neighborly connections and stability in a community.

• Manage vested rights: Multi-decade development agreements must be handled with exceptional care and significant concessions from developers - if considered at all!  This limits the city’s ability to pivot should the city’s needs change, or should technological advances create more desirable solutions.  Prior city councils greatly erred when approving vested rights with no sunset clauses.

• Senior housing: our city currently has NO age restricted housing, and yet we desperately need this demographic in our young city.  Senior citizens promote stability, spend locally, and transmit critical intergenerational knowledge to the next generation.  There are a TON of young kids in Eagle Mtn - let’s create senior housing subdivisions so the grandparents can be close by.  NOTE: I’m currently working on code to make this happen in the city.

• Affordable housing: I’ve dedicated an entire section to this critical topic.  See below.

• Executive (high end) housing: Eagle Mtn currently lacks housing at both ends of the spectrum.  We MUST build more executive housing.  Why?  Executives bring businesses with them.  Part of my economic development platform includes general planning for executive housing.

• Commercial & industrial zones: we need to keep these as they are, and NOT change them to residential uses.

• Nightly rentals: I support nightly rentals.  However, I don’t support “no rules” for nightly rentals.  The city currently has no code governing these.  Let’s actually create make-sense rules on these, granting as many rights to the homeowner as possible, while properly balancing for potential nuisances specific to nightly rental use.

• Affordable large lots: this seems like an oxymoron.  One reason why affordable large lots don’t exist is because large lots are scarce.  Increasing their supply and/or building smaller homes (with room for future expansion) WILL BRING DOWN THE COSTS.  I’d love to see this happen, and I present more reasons for that later in this section.  

• Architectural standards: as a planning commissioner, I have continued requiring developers to build to the architectural standards of our code.  Many have tried to skirt around doing this; I haven’t let them.

• Building codes: I’m actually open to bringing down the cost of housing by experimenting with a variety of material types and construction methods (e.g., modular).  I think the city could explore this more.  I’m open to reviewing ideas from builders regarding any section of the building code that can improve processes, as long as the end results benefit the consumer & city.

• Accessory dwelling units: I’m a HUGE supporter of these.  I speak more about these in the section on Affordable Housing.

• Sense of place: developments need to create a “sense of place.”  Developments with a “sense of place” have heart, mind, character, unity, branding, community, signage, etc..  Think about how Spain colonized Central America, with cathedrals, plazas, and civic functions identifying the heart & mind of an area, providing a sense of gathering.  Now think of various Utah cities with iconic gathering places - Park City Main St, Provo Center St, others?  The city can set the tone by aiming to have our downtown be the MOST ICONIC in the state (more on this in subsequent sections) - with on-point branding that screams EAGLE MOUNTAIN - and also encourage developers to create senses of place within their developments.

• Equine & ADDITIONAL animal overlay zone: I’m highly in favor of Eagle Mountain’s equine overlay zone, and I advocate for studying and creating an overlay zone that applies animal rights at a higher than normal level, even to lots under a half acre.  I don’t have nuances developed for this yet, but I do believe that some lots (e.g., quarter acre) could perhaps have a miniature pony or smaller goats.  Eagle Mtn can distinguish itself by creating some areas of the city with expanded animal rights even for lots under a half acre (details yet to be studied and created!).  Animal rights should NOT be the domain only of the wealthy: youth benefit GREATLY from animals, and we must figure out solutions to provide animal rights for lots under the traditional half acre size, while still respecting nuisance laws.

• Properly placed density: if you were the planner for the entire Utah County, where would YOU place denser subdivisions?  Doesn’t it make sense to place these near employment centers and main transit corridors?  This means higher density would locate near large employers in Lehi, and along the I-15 / TRAX / FrontRunner corridors.  This isn’t to say that Eagle Mtn should have a variety of housing types (see the sections above on balanced housing), but let’s keep this philosophy in mind when discussing density in Eagle Mtn, as both TIME and PLACE should remain factors.  If a time comes when large employers move in, the city could then more easily accommodate density around those employers.  If the time comes when mass transit arrives, it makes sense at that point to stick density around the mass transit.  Until such time, let’s “balance” our housing with what makes sense (and infrastructure supports).

• Compete on VALUE, NOT PRICE.  What do I mean by competing on price?  That means competing for residents based on having the most affordable housing options.  Eagle Mtn CANNOT do this and ever become a TOP CHOICE city, and if you hire me, I’m aiming to do just that - help Eagle Mtn become a TOP CHOICE city.  Think in your mind about cities that have competed on price for residents; what do those cities look like?  You want Eagle Mtn to look like that?  Now, what does it mean to compete on VALUE?!  This is the key difference - the secret sauce!  Competing on value means that residents choose to live here not because of the price (even if affordable price remains an element) but because of OTHER FACTORS.  It’s these other factors upon which we must build our community, and I will outline in this platform NUMEROUS VALUE-ADD factors upon which we as a city MUST compete for our residents.  I know this FOR CERTAIN: should we compete based on our VALUE-ADD to residents, we will build a CHOICE city - even a TOP CHOICE city.  THIS is what Eagle Mountain First means!

The effect of LOT SIZE on a community - and family: let’s talk about how lot sizes affect cities.  In the past, I deeply researched the differences between South Jordan (excluding Daybreak) and West Jordan, comparing crime, school rates, property values, and lot size.  Do you know what I found?  South Jordan had better school ratings, lower crime, and higher property values.  What did they also have?  Larger lot sizes (on average)!  And this correlation goes beyond just South Jordan & West Jordan.  (And when I say “large lots” I’m talking quarter acre + … I’m not talking “huge” lots, just decent sized quarter acre lots).  Larger lots provide a variety of benefits 

• Private place for families to gather and build bonds.

• Opportunities for kids to learn responsibility & hard work by caring for the yard.

• Opportunities to store recreation vehicles, which in and of themselves create bonding moments.

• Place to store trailers & tools.

• Opportunities to plant gardens (or greenhouses), providing healthy food and (again) learning experiences for kids.

• Opportunities to build a basketball / pickleball court - promoting family bonding & health.

• Space to raise chickens - again promoting responsibility and therapy among kids, as well as another food option.

• Stability in a neighborhood & schooling system, reducing the likelihood a person will need to move soon.

• … and more.

For the record, I lived for 15 years in West Jordan with my wife and 6 kids.  We loved our time there, making the most we could from the .10 acre lot that we had.  However, as our economic situation improved, we purchased a property in Eagle Mtn with more land because of the numerous opportunities it provided us, as referenced above.

I grew up on a property with an approximate quarter acre lot.  It’s on this lot I learned responsibility, priorities, hard work, and skills as I cared for the lot and the garden.  I’m grateful for the tiny basketball court in my backyard, and enough space to throw a ball with my brothers and friends.  I’m grateful for the space it provided our dogs and cats, along with the healthy companionship we gained from the animals.  I fear we’re losing our rising generation - the greatest value among us - to electronics, and oh how I wish we could add the aforementioned responsibilities, that can only come by living on a decent sized lot!

Here’s where the rubber meets the road on this: developers will almost always seek the highest density the city will give them.  It’s in the developers’ interest to do so.  And yes, although I’ll aim to create a balanced housing environment in Eagle Mtn, the balance needs to be in what the developers’ aren’t naturally asking for: increased lot sizes.  I’ll stand as your STRONGEST voice to ensure the city doesn’t imbalance too much with tiny lots.  As I wrote in my campaign 2 years ago:

“No, I’m not concerned about our kids’ future ability to buy property.  However, I AM concerned about the ability of our kids to afford a home with a lot size large enough for animal rights - governments are making these lots extinct.  “Large lots” need to fear the government like trees fear loggers: the “deforestation” of large lots is well underway, and large lots are headed the way of the dodo bird.”

At a size of 50.43 square miles, Eagle Mountain has more land than any other city in the entire state of Utah aside from 3 other cities.  That’s over 32000 (thirty two thousand!) acres of space.  When Salt Lake City needs to accommodate more residents, it can only build taller buildings.  When Eagle Mountain needs to accommodate more residents, it can still spread out into thousands of acres.  This highlights one huge reason why I feel we need to audit the 25k-30k vested lots - so we can then understand how to properly balance those out.

First and foremost, I know what it’s like to be penniless.  The Great Recession bankrupted many lending companies, developers, and real estate professionals.  During those challenging years, I committed to not file bankruptcy despite the seemingly hopeless circumstances, and I endeavored to pay back all of my creditors.  Not only did I live paycheck to paycheck, I survived by cash advancing on credit cards and borrowing from friends and family, to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars.  My net worth - if I sold everything I owned - was a negative 6-digits.

So I know EXACTLY the burdens of financial stress, especially as this period of my life lasted for multiple years.

Additionally, for 15 years of my life I lived next to 98 units of government subsidized housing, befriending and ministering to those families because of my ecclesiastical responsibilities.  I spent several hundred hours serving that community over the course of my time there.  It was during this time of my life that I came to appreciate the safety net that exists to help the poorest among us.  However, I also came to realize how this net acted more like a sticky web than a net, creating intergenerational poverty through enabling repeated poor decisions by these individuals that trapped instead of liberated them.  I also witnessed how this government housing project increased crime in the local neighborhood (drugs, theft, and multiple homicides) and strained the school system due to kids with behavioral issues.  You can imagine how this may have affected the desirability of the neighborhoods immediately surrounding this apartment complex.

I was taught during my master’s degree program to embrace government-subsidized housing projects as these would attract occupants such as teachers, police, firefighters, and other public servants, to enrich and strengthen the surrounding neighborhoods.  Such was not the case, and as with other ideas sourcing government as the solution, I found these projects - however noble the intent thereof on the surface - falling flat in the actual execution and results, sometimes even deepening, widening, and lengthening the cycle of poverty, achieving the OPPOSITE of its intended effect.

It’s with this background that I approach the topic of affordable housing, and will set forth herein the principles, policies, and plans that I admonish the city to adopt as it contemplates how to build wealth, safety, and security in housing for those among us struggling with the high cost of housing.

Principle 1: Create owners, not renters.  90% of millionaires became that way due to one single factor: real estate ownership.  We must build our city upon the value of OWNERSHIP - not just in real estate, but life in general - if we are to create wealth for all, and establish a successful society.  In application, this means the city should restrict affordable housing units to OWNER-OCCUPIED only, and the city should continue to use its RDA funds to assist buyers overcome the challenging hurdle of down payment money (more on that later!).

Principle 2: Use a sprinkler, not a spigot.  What do I mean by this?  We need to scatter the affordable housing units in small numbers among the community, instead of opening the tap and putting them in dense amounts all in a few locations.  Sprinkling these units in small numbers through the community ensures multiple things:

1. No overwhelming effects on any single community or school.

2. No “east side / west side” mentality.

3. Opportunities for moderate-income parents & kids to associate and befriend families in more prosperous economic circumstances.  There’s a measure of truth to the saying that a person’s wealth reflects the average wealth of the five people they spend the most time with.  “Sprinkling” helps that phenomenon happen.  As mentioned above, I observed how putting 98 families together created a sticky web instead of a safety net, because of how those families lacked the influence of prosperous neighbors and mentors.

As a side note, even though I generally oppose socialism, I have found that federally funded Section 8 housing vouchers (for low income renters) accomplish the sprinkling needed, as these vouchers allow families to find rentals in a variety of neighborhoods instead of condensing into one single community.

Principle 3: Don’t grow faster than the infrastructure.  One of the challenges associated with affordable housing is the inherent density that accompanies such housing - even if we sprinkle that density throughout the city.  Eagle Mountain desperately needs upgrades to its road and sewer systems, and city leaders must balance the growth of its population in such a way to not overburden the infrastructure.  Eagle Mountain will ONLY become a choice city if its infrastructure advances faster than its population growth.  We cannot sacrifice the desirability of the city on an altar that sits under the banner of affordable housing.  Further, such infrastructure needs also include EMPLOYMENT.  What sense does it make for moderate income households to purchase affordable housing in Eagle Mountain, to only have to spend inordinate amounts of money on gas money traveling to their places of employment?  Would it not make more sense to place such housing next to centers of employment?  Attracting quality employers - to eliminate long commutes - will help balance Eagle Mountain City’s ability to create sustainable affordable housing developments.

Principle 4: Restrict the sales price by AMI (area median income).  I support a plan likewise being discussed by city council member (and mayoral candidate) Jared Gray, to tie the sales price of affordable housing units to the AMI.  This will ensure the units remain affordable to future generations, and allows for equity growth (and wealth creation) for current owners as wages grow over time.  Council member Gray likewise desires to connect density with AMI: the more density a developer wants, the more affordable the developer will need to make the home.  This said, this principle must obey Principles 2 & 3 above - “Use a sprinkler, not a spigot”, and “Don’t grow faster than the infrastructure” - otherwise Principle 4’s density bonuses could create unintended (and unwanted) results.

Principle 5: Homeownership is earned, not given.  This may sound direct, but it’s true.  The issue is this: government should only provide rights that the people initially had to begin with.  For instance, I have the right to defend my property.  As such, I can give that right to the government (through the creation of a police force and the military) to enact that right for me. However, I don’t have the right to steal my neighbor’s horse, and as such I can’t authorize the government to enact a law wherein I get to take my neighbor’s horse, and yet our government has evolved into the very entity implementing such actions.  This simple example outlines the hollowness of socialism and underscores the principle that homeownership is earned, not given. I believe any platform on affordable housing isn’t complete without the acknowledgement that parents have responsibilities to teach their kids successful habits, and the kids then have the responsibility to make good decisions to choose occupations and place themselves in a situation where they can afford to purchase a home.  Families and communities (not government) can step in where possible to help create ownership solutions.  Note: for an amazing PRIVATE (not government) solution to affordable housing, keep reading below.

Principle 6: Promote multi-generational households.  In conjunction with Principle 5, I believe that families have the primary responsibility for housing their children - even if those older than age 18.  I’m an ardent supporter of accessory dwelling units (ADUs, also known as mother-in-law apartments), and openly advocate for flexible laws regarding ADUs.  Multi-generational living solves affordability issues and allows for families to strengthen tighter bonds as they live together and serve one another.  In fact, depending on the down payment and size of the ADU, an ADU could cut a person’s mortgage IN HALF.  True affordability!

Principle 7: Challenge state-required affordable housing policies.  Inasmuch as the state allows the city to follow the first six principles above, I can get behind the state on that.  However, the state legislature continues to place burdensome mandates upon cities against their will when it comes to affordable housing, and even though the state has given cities a few options in how to handle such housing, their requirements feel like a one-size-fits all solution that simply doesn’t maximize the potential of each city.  Further, the state continues to tie certain funding to the willingness of the city to implement the state’s affordable housing policies.  I reject such mandates and overt manipulation, and implore the city leaders to advocate for change in state-level policies.  Bottom line: I trust the citizens of Parowan to elect leaders that know what housing policies are best for Parowan.  I trust Salt Lake City’s citizens to vote for leaders that know what housing policies are best for Salt Lake City.  Let Hurricane be Hurricane, and let Moab be Moab.  Above all, let Eagle Mountain’s citizens choose leaders that will implement the best housing policies possible - unfettered by state control - to maximize what Eagle Mountain can truly be.  This being said, if the city’s lobbying efforts fail to alter unwanted state laws, I admonish the city to choose from among the state’s affordable housing menu the options that best meet the principles outlined above.

I’m confident that as the city applies the above principles, the city will create a broad base of wealth, strength, and prosperity in the city!

… which now all leads up to this next question: “Craig, what are YOU doing RIGHT NOW to help with affordable housing?  Eagle Mountain City needs a leader, not a talker!”  Glad you asked … pull up a chair and listen for a few minutes.  My answers:

1. I co-authored the Eagle Mountain City RDA Mortgage Assistance Program.  You’ve likely heard of various down payment grants in many cities for first-time home buyers.  However, how many people do you know who actually used such grants?  Hardly any.  Reason: the grants have strict requirements making them impractical and unusable.  During the last election cycle (2 years ago) I learned how the city was losing over a million dollars per year of RDA money to the county because it didn’t have a plan in place for how to use that money for affordable housing.  I find such lack of stewardship irresponsible, though I’m grateful the newly elected city council asked for my help in creating such a program.  Alongside Jacinda Montano (owner, Ultimate Home Lending) we worked with the city to coauthor the most usable, effective down payment assistance program ANYWHERE in the state of Utah, with a key element being that we set the AMI (area median income) high enough (at 120%) that many people can actually approve for it.  For example, a household of 4 can make upwards of $109500 and still qualify!  According to the statistics I’ve seen, that means nearly half of the city could likely qualify for the grant had they just now been buying into the city as a first-time buyer.  Perhaps the city could do more to make this grant known among its citizens.  (I just want to take a moment to say “thank you” to Meta and Tyson Foods for supplying this money, which will continue to grow in years to come.)

2. I am the exclusive real estate broker for Rocky Mountain Homes Fund (RMHF).  RMHF proves that private organizations can accomplish what government cannot, and I encourage anyone struggling to rent or purchase at today’s prices to check out rmhf.net, and see how a private organization can create a pathway to homeownership for you with monthly payments significantly below market.  I’m honored to champion this organization, and actively contribute to it by donating a significant portion of my commission earned through representing them, and I’m proud to have brought this program to the residents of Eagle Mountain City.  We’ve helped dozens of individuals and families access a path to homeownership where they previously could not, and I continue to pledge my support to this organization that hits at the very heart of the affordable housing challenge - without any government involvement.

3. As a member of the city’s planning commission, I voted consistently with the principles outlined above, some of which I detailed in the prior section on Land Use.

Ultimately, I applaud when private citizens and organizations solve the problems around us.  Too often we rely on the government - and socialism - to solve the problem.  And, just as I observed through 15 years of experience serving among families in that 98-unit government subsidized housing complex - “the best laid plans of (government) and men often go awry,” but that’s an essay for another day.  I commit to lead out on affordable housing issues to ensure Eagle Mountain achieves the best outcomes possible for all citizens.

I likewise call upon the federal government to balance its own budget.  The world-renowned economist, Milton Friedman, taught that government overspending increases inflation, and acts like a tax without legislation due to the increased costs passed on to the consumer through inflation.  Our affordability issues today directly stem from massive government spending in prior years - particularly during the COVID years - to which both parties (Republican & Democrat) have blame.  Do you see the irony with this?  The federal government created the affordability issues felt within cities due to overspending, and the state now enacts legislation forcing cities to come up with solutions to problems that they (the cities) didn’t create!  Yes, we’ll put together a plan at the local city level to help our citizens, but our solutions may feel temporary until someone cuts out the true cancer (government overspending).

This then leads to a discussion about the property role of government when it comes to affordable housing, and I’ll just provide some brief thoughts:

I feel the government’s proper role in affordable housing should focus on supporting an efficient supply chain (to keep goods costs low), enacting monetary policy to curb inflation while keeping rates low, supporting creative financing solutions through the GSEs, stacking density next to mass transit & employment centers, increasing property owners’ rights to earn money from their own properties (e.g., simplifying ADU laws, expanding the # of zones that allow for nightly rentals, allowing property owners to rent portions of their lots for items such as trailers, etc. - all of which must be done with enough controls to mitigate nuisances & unappealing aesthetics), embracing new building techniques, and encouraging the private sector to step up with solutions such as the housing fund referenced above.

Although some of the above solutions fall outside the purview of a city council election, many of the solutions reside within the legislative authority of the cities.

Housing: final thoughts

THREE votes make a majority on the city council.  As such, it takes just 3 (three!) city council members to control land use & housing decisions in this city - JUST THREE!  I implore you: consider the risk of voting in a set of council members not experienced or firmly grounding in sound principles of land use, developer negotiations, and intricate development agreements!

Upon this battle alone: PLEASE hire me.  PLEASE include me on the team.  PLEASE give me the opportunity to serve you.  This isn’t about me: this is really about YOU.  And you have no stronger voice or fighter in this than me.

… and lest you think I’m a one-trick pony, please read on to see my comprehensive plan for helping Eagle Mountain be a TOP CHOICE city in the state of Utah.

Economic Development - to make Eagle Mountain a “First Choice” city

The city must remain laser focused on economic development in order to support the city’s booming population and inherent infrastructure needs.  My experience as business owner & leader of a large real estate brokerage sets me apart in a crowded field of quality candidates in the following ways:

• Having sold hundreds of millions of dollars of real estate, I understand why people live where they live, and what economic factors exist in each locality to support the populations that live there.

• During my career, I have established an extensive network of developers (residential & commercial), and real estate professionals, who represent businesses and housing types that Eagle Mountain needs.  I will leverage these relationships to help Eagle Mountain flourish.

• I have built a successful company in a very competitive industry, which has required making critical decisions on branding, strategy, marketing, recruiting, staffing, finances, training, etc.  My leadership has grown the company and helped it remain profitable even during challenging economic times.  I will help run and grow the city like I’ve run and grown my company.

• I have closed several hundred real estate transactions, including over 10,000 pages of contracts during my career.  I will bring expert, high-level negotiating power to the city as it deals with businesses, developers, and landowners, aimed at maximizing the benefit to the city.

In summary, I’m a proven, battle-tested business owner who will bring leadership, negotiating skills, contract talent, business acumen, vision, and numerous relationships to accelerate Eagle Mountain’s success.

Before I end this section, I want to highlight 5 sectors in particular that the city must continue to support:

• Data centers: although these don’t employ many people, they provide a HUGE economic benefit to the schools and city.  The data centers remain key to helping Eagle Mountain pay for its massive infrastructure needs, and fueling additional opportunities such as building an eventual rec center.  As such, we must continue to find ways to help these data centers thrive in the city.

• Airport: our airport remains a SIGNIFICANT competitive advantage for Eagle.  Technology WILL increase the ability to commute via air, and we must protect & grow an airport within our city. I’m open to seeking a new location for the airport, but in the meantime until another solution is figured out, we cannot allow residential encroachment to eventually handcuff the current location.  Our airport gives our city a MASSIVE edge - not just for recreation, but for future economic benefit.  Our high school is the AVIATORS: let’s stand together and protect having an airport in the city.

• Construction: one of Eagle Mtn’s thriving industries is construction, with many high paying blue collar construction jobs.  Unfortunately, due to energy issues, Meta must pause its construction activities, affecting numerous individuals and families who call Eagle Mtn home.  We must work to bring make-sense energy solutions to the city in order to help entities like Meta to continue to expand, supporting and growing our strong blue collar workforce.

• Executive housing: see above on the section on Land Use.  Eagle Mtn desperately needs more executive housing.  Executives & business owners like to live near where they work.  If we can attract business owners to the city, we increase the chance of bringing their businesses to the city as well.

• Land: Land isn’t a sector, per se, but we must preserve large areas of it for the time when certain businesses / colleges are looking for a populated area that also has large chunks of land available.

Recreation / Nature - to make Eagle Mountain a “First Choice” city

This must remain a winning issue for Eagle Mountain!  We can brand ourselves and take advantage of Recreation and Nature in ways other cities can’t (or won’t).  Aside from economic branding, economic development, and simply being good stewards to God’s creations, I find this topic particularly important for the kids of our city.  I stated this before in a city council meeting, and I’ll say it again: our kids’ indulgent use of electronics marks one of the greatest pandemics of our time.  Rates for anxiety, depression, and obesity continue to rise among our youth.  Although multiple factors could play into this, I submit the overuse of electronics as a primary culprit.  We need kids doing productive outside activities - such as caring for animals, riding bikes, working in the yard, playing sports, etc. - and our city must remain committed to building such an environment.  Specific priorities (in no particular order):

Recreation Center.  Yes, I said it - I support a rec center, and the data centers and energy developers hold the cards that will help this happen.  As referenced above in the economic development section, the data centers will provide SIGNIFICANT tax revenues to benefit both schools and our local fund, and I commit to help this city have a rec center.  Yes, we need to wisely prioritize critical infrastructure needs first, but the day will come that EMC will have a rec center, and I don’t want any politician’s name on it anywhere!  The rec center fits in life with priorities I hold dear to support a lively, active, healthy community.

Mountain Biking Trails. Our mountain biking trails provide a unique recreational experience that attracts residents from across the Wasatch Front.  We need to support amenities that bring outsiders to the city who will shop at our stores and support local businesses.  As such, we need to do all we can to preserve and PROMOTE these mountain biking trails.  Much like the state promotes ski tourism, Eagle Mountain should brand itself for mountain biking.  As the city develops, we must keep these trails safe and available to the public.

ATV Trails.  How many cities in the Wasatch Front have ATV trails within such close proximity?  Again, the presence of these trails help people choose “Eagle Mountain First” and we should continue to protect and promote these trails.

Wildlife Corridor.  I fully support the efforts to create a wildlife corridor in Eagle Mountain City.  I’m running a self-funded campaign and prefer you make donations to the Eagle Mountain Nature and Wildlife Alliance instead of donating to me.  For me, creating the corridor provides the following value:

• It boldly creates something other cities DON’T have that will attract both residents and tourists.  As word gets out, I feel some people will move to Eagle Mountain simply because of the way our culture respects wildlife.  This corridor makes us unique - a reason people would choose “Eagle Mountain First.”

• It teaches our children to respect the earth and God’s creations within it.  I learned to respect my environment on my journey to becoming an Eagle Scout, and would love the corridor to help pass along that respect to the next generation.

• It displays an example of how a city can develop while still protecting the natural wildlife within it.

• It provides a trail that citizens can likewise enjoy.

Critical to the creation of this corridor, the city must also correctly reward and respect the landowners whose land the corridor passes through.  Though I generally prefer a less dense city, the city should consider density bonuses or transferable development rights for landowners who contribute land for the corridor to succeed.

“Eagle Mountain First” means the city provides something unique to residents they can’t get in other cities, and this wildlife corridor highlights one of those unique gifts to the community.

Nature.  I support the protection of washes, hilly topography, and open space requirements in our subdivisions.  I proudly support the kestrel project, and have a kestrel box on my barn.  I look forward to helping Eagle Mtn preserve its identity as a place to go to experience nature.

Open Space / Parks / Trail Systems.  I’m grateful for the parks Eagle Mountain has created, including the unique value provided by the skate park & mountain bike park.  Eagle Mountain must continue to thoughtfully plan out open space for park amenities, and also continue creating interconnecting trails among its various subdivisions for walking and biking.

Animal Rights.  I’m an ardent defender of animal rights and personally have horses, goats, chickens, and cats.  This is yet another winning issue for EMC, and Eagle Mountain can truly set itself apart by its support for animal rights due to its supply of land.  Buyers will choose “Eagle Mountain First” because they can get from Eagle Mountain what other cities cannot (or will not) give to them.  In an era where many cities tighten restrictions on animal rights, and don’t create any new subdivisions with animal rights, we need to fight this trend.  Many people desire animal rights … and they’ll choose “Eagle Mountain First” because we can produce lots with animal rights at a time when other cities won’t.  A winning issue for EMC?  Competing against other cities on animal rights.  To chicken owners, I say this: fear not.  I’m here to guard the chicken coop.  Your chickens are safe with me.

Water conservation.  Although I disagree with mandating residential builders & homeowners to zero-scape yards, the city must lead out with water conservation on its own properties, and ask businesses and churches to do the same.

Air Quality.  Air quality has remained top-of-mind for me as we’ve evaluated various energy producers’ proposals.  Yes, we need energy to supply our economic development and infrastructure needs, but we must remain vigilant regarding our air quality.

Recreation / Nature remains a winning topic that separates us from other cities.  Let’s continue to prioritize this!

Lastly, I’m excited about the vision for the Downtown plan, for which I’ve offered input as a planning commissioner.  You’ll see EMC’s love for outdoor recreation prominently displayed, making the heart of our city beat with the blood of its branding.  Not only will the outdoor branding shine through, the downtown will also serve to meet one of my other priorities: culture, arts, and community!

Culture / Arts / Community - the Eagle Mountain First way

I firmly believe that people choose “Eagle Mountain First” in part due to the family friendly culture our city has created, where kids play freely in the yards, lemonade stands dot the streets in the summer, and kids fill the parks on any given Saturday with rec league games.  I find joy watching runners, bikers, horses, and ATV riders enjoy the trail systems the city has created, and feel uplifted seeing the “I Believe In You” running signs!

Eagle Mountain has a distinct geographic advantage over other cities in that it doesn’t really have many shared developed borders with other cities.  If you look up and down the Wasatch Front, you’ll see city after city blending into one another, complicating each city’s opportunity to create a specific city culture.  Eagle Mountain, on the other hand, has a truly unique opportunity to create a culture of its own, unaffected by the cultures of neighboring cities.  Nurtured correctly, this culture can significantly attract buyers, helping them choose “Eagle Mountain First” over other cities.

What culture do I espouse?  My real estate brokerage has a 4-word motto that defines the company’s culture: LOVE, SERVE, CONNECT, TRANSFORM.  In fact, I created the real estate brokerage as a way to solely give back to the community, as it gives me an opportunity to help others succeed in an industry where most fail.

When my family lived in West Jordan, we created this same culture on the street where we lived.  Once a year, as a neighborhood we would bring our BBQ grills into the street, cook up food, and have a potluck dinner while the kids played and the adults chatted.  We looked forward to this annual gathering.  Represented in that street gathering were 5 religions, different political beliefs, mixed sexual orientations, & mixtures of family compositions from those with young kids up to empty nesters.  Despite these exceptionally varied backgrounds, we held one thing in common: we loved one another.  We valued people over policy and humanity over ideology.  We knew when each was gone on vacation and watched their homes; we shoveled each other’s walks; we visited each other during times of sorrow & sickness; we helped each other figure out home maintenance issues; etc.  I remember sitting back and marveling at how close a neighborhood could become despite its varied composition.  If that culture could exist there, we knew we could create it anywhere.  And honestly, with enough effort, we can create this kind of culture throughout the city.  

I believe Eagle Mountain’s elected leaders set the tone for the city culture, and I will strive to infuse LOVE, SERVE, CONNECT, and TRANSFORM into that culture to help create a vibrant, unbreakable community that focuses on people over policy, and humanity over ideology. 

The city can lead out in citywide service projects while encouraging residents to connect through shared meals and neighborhood activities.  Additionally, I feel our culture should continue to embrace its family friendly culture along with its rural roots, being friendly to farmer’s markets, animals, riders on horseback in our drive throughs, the wildlife corridor, and the rodeo.  Our culture should foster the entrepreneurial spirit that started this city by supporting local businesses and encouraging appropriate home-based businesses.  Our culture should learn how to “disagree better” and value relationships over politics, while helping all to feel welcomed regardless of religion, race, nationality, personal beliefs, etc.

In my company, I’ve found that agents join for the support and training, yet they stay because of the culture.  I envision Eagle Mountain creating a “sticky culture” where residents move here for various reasons - then stay because they love the culture.

In addition to culture, my family is a big supporter of the ARTS, which contributes greatly to culture.  My family performs non-denominational inspirational / pop music focused on the hashtag #faithandfamily.  You can follow us on YouTube and Facebook, where we have a combined nearly 500k followers.  Our family has performed in plays & pageants.  One of my daughters (Sunny) graduated from BYU in commercial music, and currently teaches songwriting at BYU and is a private vocal coach (sunnygracemusic.com).  One of my other daughters is in the MDT (music, dance, theater) program at BYU.  Each summer, our family shares this passion for the performing arts by hosting “Torch Camps” for kids from our home in Eagle Mtn.  Plays and performances build character, talent, and a sense of community.  We must continue to put our energy toward the arts!

It’s with this background that I will continue to advocate that our downtown plan include a stage & gathering area for local musicians and entertainment groups to perform.  I also wholly endorse the rodeo and encourage its continued expansion.  The rodeo makes us unique, bringing people from out of town to spend money here, and hits home with our “Pony Express” outdoor branding.  We must continue to expand the rodeo.  Further, I likewise fully endorse the need for strong communities (like 4H) as such groups greatly benefit our youth, and I fully endorse the farmer’s market and encourage its continuance and expansion!

I encourage those of you in the arts to reach out to me with ideas on how we can continue to nourish and expand the arts within our community.  What a magnificent way to enliven the talents of our rising generation and get them off electronic devices!

Lastly, as I sum up this section, allow me a moment to share a recent personal example where “serving the one” affected our community.  A few months ago, a family in our community brought forward an application to the planning commission that would expand their home by creating an accessory dwelling unit (ADU, or mother-in-law apartment), and additional entertaining / living spaces, to meet some specific needs and desires of that family.  The family had worked diligently for a long time to create a plan to maximize this expansion for their home & lot.  However, the plan required an exception from the planning commission since its new footprint would just slightly enter into the setbacks.  As a planning commission, the code prevented our ability to approve the plan.  I could see the heartbreak on the family’s face as we didn’t approve their proposal.   Months of work (and monetary resources) led up to this moment of seeming failure.  After the meeting ended, I contacted the family and asked for a meeting.  Although the planning commission had shared some thoughts publicly about what changes the family could make to possibly get the addition approved, I sensed the family felt such actions would likewise prove fruitless, and as such I contacted them, spending time with them to encourage them and brainstorm solutions that could possibly work.  I’m happy that the family tried again!  They followed the advice I gave, and a few weeks later came back to the planning commission with an updated plan, which plan the planning commission approved unanimously.

I only mention this example because I shared about how I teach my company the values of “Love, Serve, Connect, Transforms.”  This is a moment where I led from the front and embodied those teachings, ministering to the one even though my “job description” didn’t require it.  “Love” highlighted my motivation; “Serve” marked the action; “Connection” with the family occurred as a result”; “Transformation” will now occur for that family, as their dreams now materialize into reality!

We will measure the strength of this community by how well its residents love, serve, and build strong connections one with another, all of which will result in immeasurable transformations of our lives.  People need to say, “I changed for the better because I lived in Eagle Mountain.”

And such leadership begins up top with our leaders - the servants of all!

Public Safety: for several years, I have hosted and sponsored the Run for Heroes 5k in Saratoga Springs, raising thousands of dollars annually for Saratoga’s police & fire departments, as well as the Green Beret Foundation.  A few years ago, I also held such a fundraiser in Eagle Mtn, raising thousands of dollars for Utah County VIPS (Volunteers in Police Services).

Also, when I lived in West Jordan, I helped create a ham radio net within my local area, which met and trained regularly so we could prepare ourselves for times of emergency.

Public safety - and supporting those who willingly put themselves in harm’s way - is near and dear to my heart.  I reference this because we’ve recently experienced multiple issues at some of the parks in our city.  We must work swiftly and collaboratively to ensure our public places remain a place of safe recreation, and I applaud the efforts of Councilmember Wood for heading up this action.  I’ll stand strongly by him to help achieve these aims.

Consensus Building:frankly, unless a city council member can build consensus with at least 2 other city council members, that person will remain ineffective, as it requires 3 votes to get things done.  I have a PROVEN track record of building consensus having closed several hundred real estate transactions, which requires bringing together 2 parties with competing interests to help them achieve a meeting of the minds.  I have positive relationships with members of the current city council, and will build consensus toward the vision outlined in the Eagle Mountain First platform.  Nothing gets done without this ability - and in this, I’m battle tested and proven.