Pleasant Grove councilmen compete for mayoral post

PLEASANT GROVE — As Mayor Mike Daniels steps down, City Councilmen Bruce Call and Jeffery D. Wilson are vying for the job.

Call is particularly excited about Pleasant Grove's Blue Energy project, which proposes to use the water runoff from Battle Creek Canyon to power mini turbines and generate enough electricity to power city buildings. Call said he will work with other Utah cities and even Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, to make the idea a blueprint for cities along the Wasatch Front.

Wilson said the main reason he's running for office is to restore integrity and honesty in governing the city. He wants to restore transparency in dealing with taxpayers' money and unite the City Council and administration better with Pleasant Grove residents.

If elected, Wilson also said he wants to increase the city's police force. He says the force is currently understaffed, and a full police force is needed to ensure residents' safety as the city expands.

Call and Wilson both have been on the City Council since 2008.

After purchasing a home that had been in her family for years, Laurel Backman-Riddle spent months working with city officials to prevent a developer from putting up a 10-story building next door. In the process, she served as chairwoman of the downtown advisory board and has now decided to seek a City Council seat.

Backman-Riddle said she wants to keep a fair and open dialogue in city government, avoid favoritism and give residents a chance to get involved in their community and voice concerns.

Milton Fugal, a member of the city's Board of Adjustment since 2001, is also running for a City Council seat. Fugal said he wants to help improve city zoning and ensure the continued vitality of downtown and Main Street, including building a cultural arts center and a new library.

Lee Jensen, a city councilman for the past four years, said he will continue to make sure Pleasant Grove's legislative decisions promote a business-friendly city. Jensen, a longtime educator who has a master's degree in administration, also said the council needs to listen better to residents and be more receptive of their input.

Kimberly Robinson, a Pleasant Grove high school graduate who has since earned a nursing degree, has spent most of her past civic service working with foundations and humanitarian teams that travel the world. Robinson said she doesn't like Pleasant Grove's anti-business reputation, and she wants to bring in more outside businesses rather than raising property taxes.

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