You've heard of the Answer Man? He's the Question Man. You're familiar with the Lawman? He's the Lawsuit-man.
He's developer David K. Mast - wealthy, confident and just as likely to take legal action as he is to speak his mind, both of which he does often. He's been more than just a thorn in the side of some Utah public officials - more like a harpoon. And he's hardly apologetic.The 44-year-old Salt Lake County native, co-founder and chairman of Concerned Taxpayers of Utah, has publicly challenged the likes of the Utah Sports Authority, the Utah Transit Authority, Micron, Salt Lake County, the city of Draper and even the National Basketball Association.
Most recently, Mast charged Draper City Councilman Lyn Kimball and Mayor Elaine Redd with conflicts of interest because they are buying lots in the South Mountain development. Kimball admitted a conflict and has since refrained from voting on South Mountain issues.
Earlier this year, his group challenged the proposed county purchase of the South Mountain golf course, filing a lawsuit and placing a full-page ad in local papers. Mast accused Commission Chairman Brent Overson of breaking the law by holding secret meetings with South Mountain representatives. Overson called the allegations "misstatements and bare-faced lies."
Mast regularly confronts the Draper City Council in public meetings. He said his willingness to take on City Hall has prompted "over 100 calls" from residents asking him to run for mayor next year, an idea he is considering.
"They probably look at me as a radical," Mast said of city officials. "They feel uncomfortable around me because they know I will bring it to the residents of Draper's attention that they've made mistakes.
"I just feel I'm in a position that I can not only say something about an issue but I can do something about it. I have money. I can put ads in papers. I can litigate if I have to."
Mast, who has lost track of how many lawsuits he's filed in his lifetime, has already filed one suit against Draper this year and plans to file another. He said he began using litigation as a way to solve problems as a general contractor on military projects. Government staffers told him to work for a lesser fee, then sue to get what he should have been paid. He continues to rely on the legal system because it is the only way to "know the whole story."
Mast himself has been accused of distorting the facts and exaggerating, but even former adversaries respect him. Chuck Akerlow, who went to arbitration with Mast to settle a dispute about a road Akerlow hired him to build for the Centennial development, said Mast is "a very bright guy."
"Whether you agree with his political views or not, he is at least a person who has the courage to express them and do something about them," Aker-low said. "He's good for this community. There needs to be more people who stand up and make public officials account for what they're doing."
Mast said his taxpayers organization has more than 100 members and is not simply a front for his own views, as Overson has asserted. He does fund most of the group's endeavors, however.
And because Mast stands to make about $9 million from his Draper Heights subdivision, the group's efforts aren't likely to subside. And Mast wouldn't have much trouble funding a mayoral campaign.