Proposed boundary change among top issues in Mapleton

MAPLETON — City Councilman Brian Wall added a bit of color to the Mapleton mayoral race this summer when he began posting his signs in July rather than waiting for the Sept. 15 start date.

As it turned out, the city's ordinance could be construed to fit Wall's interpretation of the law, and his signs remained up.

Wall, 44, said he was going to seek re-election on the council but then decided to run for mayor.

"My experience is in management and leadership," he said. "We need to be less reactive and more proactive."

A business administration graduate from the University of Phoenix, Wall is in the printing business.

The biggest issues facing the city are settling the boundary shift with Spanish Fork that would bring the Ensign-Bickford land into Mapleton, an action Wall opposes, and the multiple lawsuits with Wendell Gibby over Gibby's desire to develop his Maple Mountain land.

Meanwhile, mailers have been sent to residents saying the City Council and former two-time Mayor Dean Allen have endorsed Wall in an apparent effort to unseat sitting Mayor Laurel Brady.

Brady, 54, disagrees with Wall on the election-sign issue and the Spanish Fork boundary change. Brady is pushing for an opportunity to develop a more stable tax base along U.S. 6.

Brady said she sees developing a solid financial base, finding funding for a new public-safety building and expanding pressurized irrigation as key issues facing Mapleton. Overall, she wants to "preserve protect the city's character" as it grows.

"We've had three mayors in four years," she said. "Mapleton needs a seamless transition, not another mayoral learning curve."

Brady served on the Planning Commission before being elected to the top city job. She has a degree in government and law enforcement from BYU.

At age 42, April Clawson is finishing her elementary education degree at Utah Valley University and is running for the City Council, her first attempt for political office.

Clawson said her goal is to work toward increasing the local tax base and working with builders to get the community thriving once again.

Ryan Farnworth, 36, a lifelong Mapleton resident, said he would like to see the city achieve success but also keep its country atmosphere and hometown values.

Farnworth, a Spanish Fork police officer, opposes the boundary shift with Spanish Fork. Despite the cleanup, the Ensign-Bickford land that was home to explosives manufacturing since 1941 could still be contaminated, he said.

Sallie Korman, 63, is a regular at Mapleton City Council meetings. Korman took an early retirement in 2004 after working 34 years in the Vallejo City Unified School District in California.

Korman says Mapleton needs to develop income sources other than impact fees from developers and raising taxes and fees, she said.

Jim Lundberg, 49, precinct chairman for the Republican Party, said the City Council faces fiscal challenges, and he believes he can offer experience and knowledge to resolve them.

A graduate of Utah State University and the J. Reuben Clark Law School, Lundberg says the city is facing the challenge of meeting tough economic times without creating undue financial burdens for future generations.

e-mail: rodger@desnews.com