American Fork city council campaign signs

American Fork City Council Debate Audio – October 7, 2017

10/14/2017 / David Rodeback

Here is audio from the October 7, 2017, city council debate in American Fork. The mayoral candidates were not present but sent short statements to be read; they are included below.

This post has just the questions and the audio, with no attempt to summarize responses, no fact checking, and no commentary or analysis. My own thoughts are coming soon, but separately.

If you enjoy disclaimers, go reread the disclaimers from last time we did this together. For the rest of us, on with the show.

Attendance was about 12, not including candidates. That’s unusually low and somewhat disappointing, but we’ll hope for a larger audience watching the video recordings and listening to the audio here. The Chamber of Commerce, which hosted the event, has posted a video recording on YouTube. Here also is the Daily Herald‘s report of the event. (Apologies for the unpleasant ad experience there.)

The moderator was Joe Phelon [“FEE-lawn”] Chairman of the Board of the American Fork Chamber of Commerce. Questions came from the audience, and some may have been submitted by email in advance.

All four candidates attended. They were seated in alphabetical order by first name:

Barbara Christiansen
Jeff Shorter (incumbent)
Kyle Barratt
Staci Carroll

Josh Walker, Barbara Christiansen, Jeff Shorter, Kyle Barratt, Staci Carroll

Josh Walker (Chamber of Commerce), Barbara Christiansen, Jeff Shorter, Kyle Barratt, Staci Carroll

Comments on post are welcome, so long as they are readable, civil, and germane.

Statements from Mayoral Candidates

Mayoral candidate Carlton Bowen was traveling and unable to attend the event, so candidate Brad Frost chose to be absent as well. Both sent short statements, which Chamber President Josh Walker read.

Carlton Bowen

Brad Frost

Introduction

Moderator Joe Phelon explained the format and rules.

Joe Phelon

Opening Statements

Candidates had two and a half minutes for their opening statements. (Order: Barbara – Jeff – Kyle – Staci; we’ll use first names here for ease in navigating the audio.)

Barbara Christiansen (standing), Jeff Shorter, Kyle Barratt, Staci Carroll

Questions and Answers

Candidates were given one minute each to respond to each question, with a 30-second follow-up or rebuttal available on request. Some questions are edited for grammar or clarity.

Question 1: What is your stance on tax incentives to attract business growth? (Barbara – Jeff – Kyle – Staci)

Question 2: If you could go back in time and reverse the results of any past city council vote, what would it be, and why? (Jeff – Kyle – Staci – Kyle follow-up (out of order) – Barbara – Staci follow-up – Jeff follow-up – Barbara follow-up)

Jeff Shorter

Question 3: How high a priority are road improvements for you, and how will you pay for them? Did you vote for or against the road tax, and how would you vote today? (Kyle – Staci – Barbara – Jeff – Kyle follow-up – Staci follow-up – Barbara follow-up – Jeff follow-up)

Question 4: If Brad Frost is elected mayor, there will be an open two-year city council seat. Do you feel that the person who takes third place in the election should be appointed to that seat? Why or why not? (Staci – Barbara – Jeff – Kyle)

Barbara Christiansen, Jeff Shorter, Kyle Barratt, Staci Carroll (standing)

Question 5: It seems to be surprisingly difficult to get through the inspection and approval process to open a new business. How can we expedite that process, while assuring quality and safety? (Barbara – Jeff – Kyle – Staci)

Question 6: Give an example of a time you failed, how you handled the situation, and what you learned from it. (Jeff – Kyle – Staci – Barbara)

Kyle Barratt

Question 7: How important is public transportation to our future, and how can the City insure that it is handled intelligently? (Kyle – Staci – Barbara – Jeff – Staci follow-up – Kyle follow-up)

Question 8: What are the best and worst things about American Fork? (Staci – Barbara – Jeff – Kyle)

Staci Carroll

Question 9: Should the City continue to fund and manage Steel Days celebration or look at other options, for example, the private sector? (Barbara – Jeff – Kyle – Staci)