Election 2009: Genola candidates say town must get out of debt

GENOLA — Questionable government ethics, alleged violations of the Utah Open Meetings Act and more than $1 million in new debt spurred Emily W. Clinger to run for mayor of this farming community.

Clinger, 47, questions the actions of the Genola Town Council on several issues, including how a cemetery bond turned into a $1.2 million debt for the town.

"We are a farming community," she said. "We have no retail or businesses."

Clinger said there's pressure from both outside and inside the community to grow and develop, which would impact Genola's rural setting. Clinger has served on the Planning Commission and Board of Adjustment.

Retired teacher Danny Throckmorton said he's running for mayor in an effort to unify the community. Throckmorton also cites balancing the budget and paying for the cemetery and new fire station bond as key issues in the town.

Genola also needs to upgrade the culinary and pressurized irrigation waterlines so they meet state code, he said.

Town Council candidate Craig E. Coleman, 51, has served three terms as Genola's Republican Party precinct chairman and one term as vice chairman. Coleman is a graduate of BYU, with a doctorate from Penn State. The biggest issues facing Genola, he said, deal with land use, water and finances.

Sandra Thomas Greenwood, 60, has five generations of her family living in Genola. A nurse for more than 25 years, Greenwood returned to Genola four years ago to build a home on family property.

When developers proposed a 1,000-acre annexation to bring in a large housing development, she fought against it — and won.

Greenwood acknowledges the community's debt and wants to work to resolve it through better budgeting.

Mark Davis, 54, a cabinetmaker, is on the Planning Commission and served on the Town Council from 1983 to 1987. Davis said he's focused on protecting property rights.

"I've seen things on the Planning Commission where people wanted to do things with their property but couldn't because the regulations prevented it," he said.

Improving roads and water also are high on Davis' list of priorities. Because Genola is a rural farming community, the homes are spread out, making it difficult to provide services and keep the tax base low.

A heavy equipment operator, Hale Robison, 54, has a working knowledge of the roads and water issues in Genola and says he can help improve them.

Robison worked as a police officer for 12 years when the town had its own police force. He says Genola needs to move forward.

"It won't stop growing," Robison said. "We will control it, but we must have ample water."

e-mail: rodger@desnews.com