Economic development in Logan and the city's debt are two major issues Logan city voters will consider when they go to the polls Nov. 7 to elect a new mayor and two City Council members.
Although each candidate agrees there is an increasing need for a broader tax base, they are all looking at several options to accomplish this goal.Mayor
As president of a downtown business and resident of Logan for 25 years, Russ Fjelstead, 1162 Thrushwood Dr., said he feels his experience would assist him in encouraging the present industries to develop high-tech jobs so that young residents may stay in Logan.
"The mayor of Logan City must be a decisive leader," he said
Fjelstead is currently serving as chairman for the Cache/Rich Tourist Council and has been a member of the Cache Chamber of Commerce and Logan city commission. He said he will aggressively seek to develop tourism in Cache Valley by promoting cultural and recreational events.
"Logan City needs an aggressive marketing plan to promote economic and tourist development. We need to continue to maintain a high-quality lifestyle in this great city," he said.
Claude Burtenshaw, 1439 E. 800 North, is a retired Utah State University political science professor and 12-year member of the Logan City Council. He has lived in Logan for the past 27 years and has been involved in politics most of his life, he said. Burtenshaw said he is running for mayor because many residents in the community urged him to run and because he would like to continue the current mayor/council relationship and the close relationship with the city's residents.
Burtenshaw said being a mayor is a full-time job, and as a retired professor he believes he can be available full time. Burtenshaw thinks economic development should involve all areas of the city, including the university. He also said he would like to cap Logan City's $26 million debt.
"I am not involved in any business that will compete with my responsibilities as the mayor," Burtenshaw said. "I will try as best as I can to represent the citizens of Logan for the benefit of Logan."
City Council
Four candidates are seeking seats four and five.
Louise Brown, 977 W. 330 South, a candidate for the fourth seat, is a lifelong resident of Logan and has been a member of the Logan Zoning and Planning Commission for six years, serving as chairwoman the past two years. Brown has also served on a Logan neighborhood council and has been called upon by groups to serve as a representative.
Brown said she wants the council to remain approachable so that even more citizens are comfortable about expressing their views to the city administration. She said because she does not have a full-time job outside her home, she is more flexible and accessible to the public. She said she would like to reinstitute the neighborhood committees, which act as a liaison between the community and its organizations.
"One of my greatest desires is for people to feel comfortable enough to just call me," she said.
Through her work on the zoning commission, Brown has also seen a need for planning ahead for possible incoming businesses. She said Logan has lost several potential businesses because it was not ready. She said the city needs to have foresight and develop areas for new manufacturers.
"We need to work aggressively on developing manufacturing areas in Logan," Brown said. "I see a potential problem on the horizon if we do not update the current plan. There will be collisions of residents and business in areas."
Brown's opponent, Mike Morrill, 193 N. 400 East, is currently a division head at a manufacturing plant in Logan. He said he has had seven years experience in corporate business management which would make him competent in management of city business and assets. He believes the city should be managed like a business in competition with others. As a business, he said, it is the city's job to service the citizens of the community just like a business serves its customers.
"I believe city leaders and managers can best take personal ownership of their responsibilities by knowing our city's strategy, staying lean and competitive and addressing the future of the city and its people," Morrill said. "Finance and strategy must work together."
To alleviate the city landfill problem, Morrill said Logan should consider using a reduced-fee incentive for households that set garbage out in recyclable bundles similar to a method used in California. He said the city or private business is given a profit incentive to collect the materials and cash them in.
"This could increase the life of the Logan City dump site and would also allow more time to efficiently expand Logan's landfill capacity," Morrill said.
Mike Arnold, 1145 E. 50 South, a candidate for the fifth council seat, is the manager of the Logan office of a national investment firm. He has been working with United Way for the past four years and will be president of the Cache Valley chapter next year. He has also served on the Cache Valley Economic Committee.
Arnold said his financial experience can be helpful to the City Council because "a lot of what the City Council does is budgetary." He said he would like to continue the council's progressive policies.
He said competence is the main issue in the election.
"It is a duty of a citizen who has the talent and the time to run for office," Arnold said. "This is a commitment I am willing to make."
Arnold said as a council member he would continue to help fund and support the economic development committee, and make more land available for industrial parks. He said Logan is a good place to locate a business and he would like to see an increased number of new businesses in Logan.
Janice Pearce, 626 N. 80 West, also a candidate for the fifth seat, has been a resident of Logan for the past 32 years. She has served on many business and health committees, as national president of the American School Health Association and president of the Utah and Logan Federation of Business and Professional Women. She said serving on these committees has given her a great deal of experience in policymaking.
Pearce said she would like the city to look at a city transit system because there is a special need among elderly and handicapped citizens. She said she believes a transit system is feasible.
Correlation of the current alcohol and drug-abuse programs in Logan is another issue Pearce is emphasizing. She said stopping drug abuse should be an organized effort of families, education, law enforcement and youth committees.
"My experience in the area could be very useful to the City Council."
Pearce also said she feels her role as a council member would include working with citizens and being available to hear their concerns. She added that using citizens on task forces and committees would help make that bond between the administration and citizens stronger.
"I have the experience, maturity, character and ability to be able to serve the citizens in making sound and conscientious decisions," Pearce said. "I work well with people in problem-solving kinds of capacities."