2009 Election: Chad Tilley profile

<em>Editor’s note: CacheValleyDaily.com sent a questionnaire to all of the candidates for mayor and municipal council in Logan. We will publish the responses as we receive them.</em>

<strong>Candidate: Chad Tilley Position: Logan Municipal Council</strong>

<strong>1. Why did you file as a candidate for city service?</strong>

The decision to run for public service took much encouragement from others, many bad experiences with government, and many days/weeks/months thinking about it. I have no political ambitions, but over the last two years have decided no one looked out for me and numerous other individuals like me. I tend to mind myself and not impose on others. I would not be here today if others would have treated me the same.

<strong>2. What do you feel are the key issues facing Logan in the next four years?</strong>

What I feel to be a big issue and those currently in office have touted, how great we are doing and look at us isn’t this wonderful, when in fact we could be doing better. I am not sure exactly how many businesses, companies and potential employers have been chased out of town. I have dealt with many builders/developers in my business and no of several that will build/reside any where in the valley but Logan. Why? Do we have all the employers we need is our population stagnant and not growing? We need to attract or entice businesses, companies and good paying employers into this city. For those employers already here we need to be friendly with and help them where feasible to keep them here. When the major employers get wiped out by policies, economic down turns, or any other reason cities die! The big joke about Michigan is the last person out is to shut off the lights. But closer to home we have places like Corrine and Garland just over the hill in Box Elder County. Sugar factory closed shop and the booming town of Garland has not yet recovered. Corrine when the railroad built a causeway across the Great Salt Lake bypassing the town became a ghost town and is now finally coming back thanks to a Wal-Mart distribution center and the area now getting a great employer like Proctor and Gamble. The people’s constitutional rights! As a sworn in public servant you take an oath to uphold the US Constitution and the Utah State Constitution.

<strong>3. Please describe one or two examples of decisions made by city leaders in the past five years that you disagree with, explain why you disagreed and how you would have handled the situation if you were serving in an elected position at the time.</strong>

As I have attended some of these neighborhood meetings I have felt that the goal of the current administration is to remove affordable housing close to USU. I live in the beautiful/blighted neighborhood of Adams Park and a great achievement announced at the neighborhood meeting a few months back is that they have gotten rid of 14% of the rentals there. So now I guess there are 14% that could have lived near USU where they could have walked to the university if they were students, 14% that now live further away that now have to drive and add to the already current parking issue. 14% whose transportation adds to the already current air pollution problem which every fall and winter is very apparent. I would rather look at a future date and try to determine what the needs will be and how best to plan to meet those needs. The university is not getting smaller, the parking problem near the university is not getting smaller, and with the growing population the pollution from vehicles is not diminishing. Not exactly sure what the best solution would be but the administration is headed the wrong direction. If you followed the park strip issue at all you know I believe the city’s approach and implementation of the park strip resolution to be completely wrong. A quote from William Penn “Force may make hypocrites, but it can never make converts.” That is a great summary of the park strip issue. At the public meeting before the passage of the park strip resolution indicated that there has been some problems around with vehicles parking over the sidewalk. I would have enforced the law that is already in place. People parking over the sidewalk should be ticketed and repeat offenders should end up having the vehicle towed. No new law would have been needed. Now if there were other issues that I am not aware of should be addressed. Most issues I heard during that time frame already had a law in place to address the issue. When you get a flat tire you change the tire, not replace the whole car!

<strong>4. Please describe one or two examples of decisions made by city leaders in the past five years that you completely agreed with and supported, and if the issue is a lingering issue, you would continue to support if elected.</strong>

To become fiscally minded and reign in excessive spending and indebtedness is a correct approach to any entity, whether it is a business, a household budget, or a city/state/federal government. There will always be spending issues with any government. We need to be careful anytime we spend the taxpayer’s money. As a Realtor we are highly regulated as to the protection of our client’s money. As a government we need that same level of accountability to the tax payer for their money we are using.

<strong>5. Describe in your words what you believe the role of city government is.</strong>

Government’s role is to protect the rights of the people. All those granted in the constitution. As a sworn in public servant that is what you are saying you will do. Since the creation of that document and to different degrees depending on where we live, we have let government take some of those rights away. I vote for freedom. I stand on the side of individuals before government. Give credit where credit belongs, I decided to stay in the Logan area well before this current administration was in control. Logan has always been a beautiful place. Read several early settlers accounts and you will know that. God created this wonder. As residents we help to maintain it. We the people are to blame for the good and the bad. Mayors and city councils come and go, but the people will always be here. A quote I just heard today and am not sure of the source yet states “A government that can give you anything you want has the power to take everything you have.” Let us be smart and keep government in its place, as a servant to the great people who live here and not the master who gives us everything we want.

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