Utah’s gravitational tendency for civility was on full display during a Monday night mayoral candidate forum in Provo. Challenger Marsha Judkins and incumbent Mayor Michelle Kaufusi were polite to each other, stuck to the topic of the questions being asked and even stayed within the two-minute time limit.
More than once, state representative turned moderator Tyler Clancy was in disbelief on that final point.
“You’re clearly not career politicians,” he said, and was met with laughter from the crowd of locals gathered to hear the candidates talk about their visions for Provo.
The two main topics of the night were economic growth and public safety.
When addressing the latter, Mayor Kaufusi spoke about the improvement in the city’s water quality since she took office in 2018.
“When I think of safety, I just don't always think of public safety. I think of safety with your drinking water, and we addressed the drinking water with our optimal recharge program. Safety means your sewer system. We now have a state-of-the-art sewer system,” she said.
Judkins used her former position on the Legislature’s Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee to emphasize the importance of supporting local police and firefighters.
“We need to take care of it now and make sure that they have access to health treatment and their families have access, that they have retirement and that they have good pay,” she said.
Judkins claimed Provo is currently experiencing law enforcement shortages and is at least “10 officers down,” pointing to budget issues.
“It's also really important that we have enough officers so that we can all feel safe.”
When the topic turned to economic development, Kaufusi spent most of her two minutes describing her previous triumphs.
“We have delivered eight balanced budgets with not even once a recommended tax increase,” she told the audience.
However, the Provo City Council did approve a property tax increase to fund the city library last year.
When asked for her take on economic growth, Judkins acknowledged that Provo has budget problems and often spends more money than it makes.
“Next year we will be in the hole,” she said/ “And by the end of 10 years, we’ll be at $72 million in the hole, which is a 10 times greater deficit than has ever been.”
She promised a more realistic mentality and more transparency when it comes to budgeting.
“That's what we need to be talking about, because if we are to go by the budget projections that our city financial analysts have put together, we need to be talking about it.”
A broad cross-section of folks showed up at city hall to hear from the mayoral candidates.
Aaron Wheatley came with his two young children. He’s lived in Provo for most of his life and said all he wants is for his kids to have as close to a perfect upbringing as he did.
“I love Provo. I love growing up here. I also really like the changes that have happened here in Provo, lots of changes through the years, but I'm also interested, maybe concerned, trying to plan for the future too,” he said, as his daughter Grace ran as fast as she could up the city hall’s three flights of stairs.
“Provo in general, we're really fiscally conservative. People like to say, ‘’We don't like spending money, we don't like being taxed.’ I'm concerned that we're not making the proper focus on the future.”
Wheatley said he already knows who he wants to vote for, and that the night cemented his decision.
Fellow voter and resident Michelle Wages hasn't got a clue who's getting the tick next to their name when she opens her ballot.
“I'm just looking for more answers on what's really happening. What will really make my vote count? Because I want my vote to count,” she said.
An important issue for Wages is the city’s focus on small businesses.
“Those are the businesses that make our city run. That's where they start, right? We have so many people who have their start-up. They start here in Provo, in their garage, in their basement, and then they and then they get bigger from there,” she said.
She also wants Provo to dial back the regulations she says homeowners and small businesses face.
“I hear lots of complaints from people who want to just expand their houses, how much the red tape sucks and how it's so hard to get a permit and things like that. I think that making some of those things easier – to start a business, or to put a new deck on your house – would be nice.”
For Wheatley, as a parent now raising kids in the same place he grew up, he wants to see his city move with the times.
“I have two kids, and I want them to have a great life. I don't want me to have a good life at the expense of them. I'd rather the other way around.”
Kaufusi and Judkins emerged as the decisive winners from a pool of four candidates in the August primary. The election is Nov. 4. County clerks are set to begin mailing ballots Oct. 14.