For the first time in eight years, Orem has a mayor's race that is too close to call.
Mayor S. Blaine Willes, who collected more than 80 percent of the vote four years ago, is the first Orem mayor to seek re-election since 1977. And he faces an uphill battle.In somewhat of a surprise during the October primary, former Councilwoman Stella Welsh outpolled Willes by 46 votes to emerge as the front-runner for the Nov. 7 election.
The incumbents on the City Council fared comfortably better. Council members Joyce Johnson, H. Keith Hunt and Jim Evans finished a full 300 votes ahead of fourth-place finisher Steven L. Heinz. The other two challengers, Mark Clement and Ken Tropple, emerged as even darker horses.
But that was one month ago in a near record-low turnout. With the Olympic referendum on the ballot, voter turnout is expected to increase significantly Tuesday. This could result in a few surprises.
Mayor
Stella Welsh, 129 N. 1000 East, has been an Orem resident for 29 years. She served two terms on the City Council - the first woman ever elected to that position. Besides her council work, she was a member of the Planning Commission, the Library Board and the Chamber of Commerce. She served three years on the board of the Utah League of Cities and Towns. She is a board member of the Utah County Housing Authority.
Welsh has several axes to grind. First, she says the City Council is too indecisive. She says the council should not have used $220,000 annual property-tax increments and other incentives to help finance a new shopping center at the corner of State and Center streets. Tax increments are the difference between old property taxes and new property taxes of more expensive developments. The increments can be turned back to the developer so they can pay costs.
Welsh opposes tax increments unless new developments do not compete with existing city businesses.
Welsh said that because she does not have a 40-hour-a-week job, she could devote more time to the mayor's job and appear at more public occasions, such as ribbon-cutting ceremonies. She could also devote more time to issues than Willes. An endorsement from former Mayor James Mangum said, "It's about time the mayor be more available to the people."
She also lists endorsements from former council members Earl Farnworth, Glen Zimmerman and Richard H. Jackson.
Welsh wants more emphasis on housing. She said she would work to get a low-income senior citizen housing development into the city.
Orem, she says, needs a larger library, needs to extend Orem Boulevard to 800 North and should beautify the city's entrances _ all of which are on hills. She also would devote time to planting more trees to help clean the air and beautify the city. On beautification issues, she would concentrate on State Street.
Welsh does not mind bringing the Olympics to Utah but does not favor using taxpayer funds to build venues.
She is opposed to the $8 million bond election in February. She feels if the city could raise that much money, it would be better spent for infrastructure.
She feels emphasis should be placed on attracting businesses to the southwestern part of the city.
S. Blaine Willes, 1735 S. 100 East, has been a resident of Orem for 28 years. Before serving as mayor, he spent one term on the City Council. He has served as treasurer of the Utah League of Cities and Towns and has been chairman of the Utah County Council of Governments.
Willes supports the Olympics and thinks it will have a viable economic impact.
He also favors the bond issue. He voted for the election for the public discussion. The proposed technology park may bring in 3,500 new, well-paying jobs, he said.
Willes counters those who say technology parks could now be placed in the southwest part of the city. Developers never have expressed interest in locating near Geneva Steel, and the tepid success of the business and manufacturing park there supports his view, he said.
Willes said, "I don't think anyone who knows me believes I am indecisive. I know exactly where I want to go." What has changed since past councils is allowing more citizen input at meetings, which does take a little longer. "I think its the right thing, however."
The mayor thinks tax-increment financing on the shopping center was a good idea because it was an investment for the future that will allow an estimated $3 of new tax revenue for $1 of tax increment given to the developer. He feels that bringing in new business benefits those already there and encourages further development. He uses the shopping centers that developed near University Mall as an example.
Willes said the city has set aside funds for beautification of State Street to be used when the Utah Department of Transportation decides to resurface the road. He said the city has optioned ground and obtained federal funding for a low-income senior citizen housing development.
The mayor said he has devoted substantial time to moving the landfill to relatively remote Cedar Valley and to preserving Orem's water rights.
Willes said he would not be running if the race were for a full-time mayor. "What's important is that you get the job done," Willes said. "You look at the city, and it's in good shape . . . The facts are we're just getting the job done, and that's what I'm in there for."
Four of the current council members and one candidate have supported Willes on the record. The other two declined to endorse anyone publicly. Besides the four, Willes lists an endorsement from Lt. Gov. Val Oveson.
City Council
Orem residents will vote for three candidates. In addition to the six candidates who survived the primary, David Hewitt is mounting a write-in campaign.
Joyce Johnson was the leading vote-getter in the primary, just as she was in elections four years ago.
She also disagrees with those who say the council has been indecisive. She said the only issue that people bring up is the 800 East stop-sign issue, where the council first removed two stop signs, then voted to replace them about one month later. She said that is a "pretty broad statement" to make on one issue.
Johnson was not in favor of the large tax increments nor in favor of condemnation at all to help bring prices down for a commercial developer, although she is not opposed to the idea of increments.
Keith Hunt, the other four-year incumbent, finished second in the primary election. He said he was also opposed to the large tax-increment that the council passed to fund the shopping center.
Hunt believes in using tax increments for economic development. He said his experience as a small-business professor makes him believe that development helpsexisting businesses in an adjoining area.
Hunt said he helped improve city efficiency by devoting the first meeting of each month to policy and longer-range issues.
"I was the principal advocate for using a Utah developer for the Timpanogos Research and Technology Park rather than the Midwestern developer preferred when I came on the council," he said. "Our local developer has been excellent, the midwestern developer went bankrupt."
Jim Evans barely lost in City Council elections two years ago and was appointed to fill a vacancy left by Paul Washburn, who moved from the city. Evans applied for re-election weeks before anyone else in the city filed for the council seat.
Evans supported the tax increment for the shopping center, but he suggested to other council members that condemnation be used on a particular business that kept raising its prices. He said, however, that he almost always opposes condemnation for economic development.
The candidate said the greatest accomplishment of the city during his term was the creation of the city's strategic plan.
"The final thing I'd say is: I indicated that people need to pay rent on their citizenship. In the last year, I've made a down payment on that, and I need to continue to do that for the next four years."
Steven L. Heinz said he is running to pay back the community in which he grew up. Several community business leaders encouraged him to run in earlier elections, he said, but this is the first time he has thrown his hat in the ring.
He was fourth in the primary and, therefore, seems to have the best chance of upsetting an incumbent.
He is a strong supporter of the Olympics.
He expressed some concern about the deal to bring R.C. Willey to 1300 South. The deal included some financial incentives, but the project will not commence for more than a year. He said it isn't right for the business to tie up the property for that long, and the city should have been more careful in the way it arranged the deal.
Mark Clement got his political experience by fighting a losing battle to prevent rezoning along 800 North. The area, which had been for housing, was rezoned to attract regional retail shopping.
Clement is opposed to using tax funds to encourage developers to come into an area. He does not favor any sort of tax increments for outside developers, although he might use them to help local people expand. Newer businesses hurt established, local businesses, he said.
He feels that zones should be set more concretely and only changed when a majority of the citizens in an area agree with a proposal. He also opposes all condemnation for commercial purposes.
Ken Tropple was behind in the primary until the second to last return came in. He barely came in sixth, but has been campaigning hard.
Tropple uses the 800 East example as one way to show that the council has been indecisive. He would have removed the stop signs to help move traffic, added crosswalks or bridges so children could go to school safely. "We need to be decisive on it."
He feels that not enough effort has gone into attracting technology to the southwest part of town. He said Provo's East Bay Park was once a garbage dump. The southwest section of Orem could be similarly developed with effort.
Tropple said if people are happy with the way things are going in Orem, they should vote for the incumbents, but if not, it's time to look to new leadership.