During those college years, he worked full time in an auto body shop, which fueled his current fascination with classic cars, especially Corvettes. He also played in a rock 'n' roll cover band called Marionette, which eventually became successful enough to play for crowds throughout the West.

"I had hair down to my shoulders, and I made a living playing bars," he said about his past life as a local rock star, a life he suspects would surprise people.

When he eventually finished college, he found employment opportunities lacking and started the graphic design firm Taki Casuals, which has proved a boon for him and made him a successful local businessman. It also gives him the chance to travel, as he supplies T-shirts, posters and other marketing materials for movies at international film festivals such as Cannes while keeping his roots firmly grounded in the city he's lived in his entire life. It's also where he met his wife, Tamara, whom he took to the senior prom, lost touch with for 11 years, and then reunited with and married.

It was a mounting concern about the future of his hometown that initially drove him to run for a City Council seat in 1995 — a race he lost. However, after the council member who defeated him resigned to move to Texas a few months later, he was appointed and has held the position since.

"I love the Cache Valley and think it's a beautiful place," he said. "But I get concerned when I see our air quality, and that we don't manage our growth."

Those concerns, coupled with his strong opinions and firm resolve to do what he thinks is the right thing, have won him both staunch supporters and feisty critics within the city. Regardless of their opinions about him, however, one thing is clear about Steve Thompson, city councilman: He does not move quietly.

'Tough questions'

During his tenure as a city councilman, Thompson has dealt with tightening budgets, liquor law controversies and a quickly growing city. It was the proposed construction of a new power plant, however, that set him apart, both as a councilman and in his relationships with fellow elected officials.

Logan Mayor Doug Thompson (no relation) described his relationship with Steve as "worth a comment when we get along." Much of their tension stems back to 2001, when the council approved the expansion of a municipal power plant as a way to lower the power expenses for the city. Steve Thompson was the only dissenting vote — which he cast because he said the city did not follow its own rules about permits — and also joined a lawsuit filed by residents against the city that, according to the mayor, cost the city money and opportunity.