This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Coping with an evolving Utah Valley State College and managing overall growth are the issues facing candidates in Orem's City Council election.
The Nov. 6 election could prove historic, because Carl Hernandez and Tom Fifita Sitake could become the council's first Latino and Polynesian members, respectively. Also running are incumbents Margaret Black and Mark Seastrand, and challengers Brent Sumner and Michael Whimpey.
Hernandez, 44, sees this diversity as recognition of Orem's changing demographics.
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, Orem's Latino population more than tripled between 1990 and 2000, from 2,040 to 7,217. He said his ethnicity gives him some insights into that segment of the population - the city has nearly 91,000 residents - but he doesn't believe that is the only reason people should vote for him. Rather, he said, they should base their vote on his qualifications.
He is currently an assistant dean at Brigham Young University's J. Reuben Clark Law School and also teaches at BYU's Marriott School of Management. He also has worked as a deputy city attorney in Bakersfield, Calif.
Sitake, 57, said his Tongan heritage allows him to understand the city's Polynesian residents' needs, but he doesn't see it as the defining quality of his candidacy. He sees himself as primarily an Orem resident who wants to serve the greater community.
Hernandez said UVSC's transition to university status next year is something the city needs to address within its master plan to ensure the school's effect on the city can be managed. Another thing he would like to see is greater community dialogue on UVSC issues - with both the city and college leaders listening to the public.
Sitake said the city needs to work with the university and residents to ensure that all parties benefit from the relationship.
Affordable housing is also a concern for Sitake. He said one way to make sure people can afford to buy a home in the Utah County city is to keep local property tax rates as reasonable as possible.
Sitake is director of rehabilitation services at the Utah State Hospital and a member of the governor's Pacific Islanders Advisory Council.
Black, 59, was appointed to fill the vacancy created when Councilman Stephen Sandstrom resigned to serve in the Utah House of Representatives. Black said UVSC's plans to become a university creates some challenges that the council is beginning to meet.
She pointed out that the city recently approved plans for married-student housing at the Parkway Crossing complex across Interstate 15 from the campus.
"We are working on this so we can preserve single-family neighborhoods," Black said.
Transportation is also a concern, Black said, especially with the 800 North street project, She said the city has done what it can to mitigate the effect construction is having on local businesses, but it is restricted by the Utah Department of Transportation's constraints.
Seastrand, 48, replaced late Councilman Doug Forsyth in January 2006. UVSC's university status is both a boon to Orem as well as a challenge, he said. While it means greater economic opportunity for the city, Seastrand said a Utah Valley University also means more traffic and housing concerns.
Seastrand supports efforts to restrict student housing to the area west of I-15, where Parkway Crossing sits and a planned transit station will be built. He said Orem is already ahead of Provo on one campus-city issue. The city has a permit-parking program in place for the neighborhoods around the college.
Sumner, 58, is UVSC's director of student publications. He said soon-to-be-university's growth, anticipated to eventually reach 40,000 students, is good for Orem's economy. But the city needs to work with the university to ensure this grow is well-managed. He supports efforts to foster communication between the two institutions and finding common solutions.
He also wants the city to do more to help the businesses on 800 North cope with the access problems created by the UDOT construction.
Whimpey, 34, believes he brings a unique perspective to the council. He lives in southwest Orem and is a civil engineer for the Central Utah Water Conservancy District. He said the city needs to take steps to ease the effect UVSC's growth will have on his neighborhood - both in housing and traffic.