'Future planning' is a top concern in Logan primaries

LOGAN — Economic stability and growth are hot topics for this year's election, with a majority of candidates citing "future planning" as a top concern.

Residents will vote in the Oct. 4 primary to determine who they think should move on to the general election.

The races pit two incumbent city council members against multiple challengers and feature a wide-open mayoral contest because two-term Mayor Douglas Thompson chose not to run again.

Candidates Chris R. Laurence and Paul Morgan are seeking Steve Thompson's City Council Seat No. 4 and Tami W. Pyfer hopes to hang on to Seat No. 5 against Marc M. Karpowich, Tom Kerr and Ryan M. Yonk.

Next week, the field of five Logan mayoral candidates will be narrowed to two and the seven council member candidates will be cut to four.

Candidates responded to questionnaires from the Deseret Morning News; summaries of the mayoral candidate responses follow.

Mayor:

• President of S & P Woods Enterprises Inc., Steven P. Woods, 45, is the chairman of the Cache Chamber of Commerce and a 12-year member of the Community Issues Committee for Utah State University. Woods said Logan is in a permanent fiscal dilemma. "The problem is that Logan offers more services to it citizens than any other city in Utah but has lower property values and lower property tax rates than most comparable cities," Woods said. He said Logan has three choices: Cut programs and services, raise taxes or a combination of both. Additionally, Woods said Logan must try to deal with growth, traffic and other problems while maintaining community, neighborhood and family values.

• Logan City Councilman Steven C. Taylor, 50, a local business owner, said fiscal responsibility is the most important issue facing Logan. "We should provide a budget strategy report with forecasts to the council for approval with monthly inputs and adjustments," Taylor said. He wants to avoid short-term budgeting and adopt a budget process that has a long-term vision. Air quality should also be a high priority for the city, Taylor added. He wants Logan to work with other governments to reduce inversion concerns. Also, he said express routes in the transit system used to move large groups of residents, especially from USU to downtown, would reduce traffic and parking problems.