Explosive growth is top issue in Heber City

HEBER — Candidates for municipal elections here are most concerned about balancing the area's explosive growth with its traditional small-town atmosphere.

Each of the three mayoral candidates — Kent L. King, Shari K. Lazenby and David R. Phillips — and six of the 10 City Council candidates said they are the best choice for office, but few offer specific plans for the complex issues Heber will face in the next four years.

The Census Bureau released figures this week that showed Heber is the second-fastest growing small city in the country — it swelled 15.1 percent from 2000 to 2003. Because of that growth, residents are anxious to keep their rural lifestyles but have come under tremendous pressure to urbanize.

Some City Council and mayoral candidates said that Heber cannot provide increased services to its growing population without increasing its commercial base, yet the city has thus far resisted allowing large retailers. Candidates offer no clear solutions for keeping the community's reputation as a quiet alternative to Salt Lake Valley hubbub and Park City prices with revenue from now-nonexistent businesses.

Voters will choose two of the three mayoral candidates to advance from the Oct. 4 primary election to the Nov. 8 general election. Also, four of the 10 registered City Council candidates will survive the primary to compete for two at-large seats.

Candidates responded to Deseret Morning News questionnaires; summaries of their brief biographies follow.

Mayor

• King, 41, wants two things for Heber — better activities for youths (in the form of a recreation center) and a stronger business base in town. "It seems apparent that our youths need a place to go and participate in positive activities," said King, a mortgage broker. "Recreation facilities such as a recreation center, aquatics center and skate park would provide such an environment." Businesses that close or leave threaten the possibility of higher property taxes, but the city needs better job opportunities for its residents, he said.

• Lazenby, 34, wants city government to start treating constituents like customers. Lazenby, who owns a shoe store, said Heber officials should respond better to residents and business owners through "a mission-driven work environment that gives them the authority to perform their jobs more effectively." That approach would help the city "be better prepared to serve and find obtainable solutions" to its problems.