When Tooele's voters go to the polls Tuesday, they will be asked to choose which quality they find more important in a mayor: experience or a fresh perspective.

City Recorder Patrick Dunlavy and City Councilman Steven Bevan are facing off to fill the seat being vacated by Mayor Charlie Roberts, who resigned in September, just a few months shy of the end of his second term, to take a job as public information officer for the Utah State Tax Commission.

And while Dunlavy touts his 38 years of working for the city as vital experience in his bid to be mayor, Bevan believes his relatively short six years as a City Council member means he still has "kind of a fresh look at things."

That fresh look has him eyeing a host of issues he wants to address as mayor, saying growth management and development of the infrastructure to begin using the city's recently purchased water rights are among his top priorities.

"We need to convert (the water rights) into actual water, get that water flowing so we can continue to grow and grow as responsibly as we can with enough water for the community," he said.

Bevan also emphasized a desire to focus more on the city's relationship to residents.

"We need to provide a little better community service as a city to the taxpayers. We need to be more community-friendly. We do a really good job, but we need to be better," he said. "I think the people need to be listened to more. We need to improve the citizen relationships with the management and employees (in city departments). We need to be more in tune to what the people's needs are."

He praised the city's fire and police departments but said Tooele's rapid growth means more resources need to be dedicated to keeping public safety employees trained and ready.

And he said he promises "to manage the city with traditional and family values and a common-sense approach."

Dunlavy agrees time spent working with the city is important, but he focuses on his tenure as the biggest advantage to elected him over Bevan.

"I'm the most qualified, most experienced and I understand the issues," he said. "Steve's a member of the council and he's been here a term and a half, but I've been here 38 years and served in three capacities, so I know the city. I think it's more than just knowing it, though, it's understanding it. I think I have a feel for the community and what's important for it. I'm not a politician, I'm a public servant."

He said his understanding of the issues includes all the ones he sees as most pressing: public safety, quality of life, economic development and public services, especially water development.

He agreed with Bevan that making the most use of water resources is vital, especially in a desert and especially in a fast-growing city like Tooele.

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E-mail: dsmeath@desnews.com