Murray voter guide 2023

City Council

District 1

Paul Pickett

Occupation: International area manager for BYU-Pathway.

If elected, what would you do to provide more affordable housing options to your residents? Would you support higher-density housing?

I believe in the free-market system where the government interferes only when absolutely necessary. Housing is one of those needs. Higher-density housing has its place in our community and should be carefully designed and supported by the proper infrastructure. Careful consideration needs to be given by each city’s zoning commission to make sure that high-density housing fits the master plan of that community. The developer must also be required to put in the necessary improvements to support the higher number of residents. This includes widening the streets that feed the apartment complex and providing sufficient parking for two cars per apartment. Schooling, grocery stores and public transportation should also be considered when granting building permits to high-density housing.

What is your city’s responsibility in addressing homelessness, and what would you do within the boundaries of your community to help unhoused Utahns?

When discussing the subject of homelessness, we need to separate this into voluntary homelessness and involuntary homelessness. Every city in the valley has been inundated by voluntary homelessness who panhandle for a living. Many of these are individuals who suffer from mental illness, drug addictions or poor social skills. And, sadly, among these, are a group of “fake” homeless who simply realize they can make more money from panhandling (tax-free income) than from a job that requires them to pay taxes. This group is the most visible, and they drain many of the resources meant for those that are left homeless involuntarily. We need to provide mandatory mental health and drug rehabilitation programs at the state level. The involuntary homeless are the quiet, hidden ones, who deserve our attention and our resources. I would categorize them and provide the most help to the involuntary homeless people.

Besides affordable housing or homelessness, what is the biggest challenge your city faces, and how would you address it?

Murray is in an envious position of being the center of the valley. We are the crossroads of the Crossroads of the West. As a result, we are a desirable location for people to live in. We all know that location is the most important deciding factor in real estate and a driver of the housing cost. Murray needs to carefully take care of this most valuable resource and prudently plan the growth, so it provides a balance between housing needs and expansion of the commercial tax base. The master plan in Murray needs to be revisited and planned accordingly. Among these is the development of downtown Murray. We have one shot to get it right.

What is a fun or unique fact about yourself?

I am the only candidate for Murray City Council who has attended a U.S. military academy (the United States Air Force Academy).

David W. Rodgers

Occupation: Urban planner.

If elected, what would you do to provide more affordable housing options to your residents? Would you support higher-density housing?

I have a background in land use and transportation planning and will work with city staff to ensure that Murray continues to be a place residents want to live, work and play. The most common housing type in Murray is single-family homes, and there have been quite a few apartment buildings that have been built over the past few years. My goal as a City Council member would be to focus on working with developers to make more affordable housing by prioritizing a variety of different housing types. I would like to see more medium-density housing, such as smaller-scale apartments or duplexes and triplexes, that are affordable for people who want to move to Murray, or kids who are growing up and want to stay close to family. Murray should be a place where everyone who wants to live here is able to.

What is your city’s responsibility in addressing homelessness, and what would you do within the boundaries of your community to help unhoused Utahns?

Murray has a geographical advantage of being the place everyone in Salt Lake County passes through no matter which direction they are traveling. Due to our great location, which has both road and transit connections through the city, we have an opportunity to help make sure people know where they can go for help. Murray City has great employees who work hard to make sure members of our community know what resources are available to them at any given time and treat everyone they interact with with dignity and respect. I would like to continue in that direction by being more proactive in making sure that we as a city have facilities available where people can come and rest when needed, and help share that obligation with surrounding communities. We all need to work to take care of one another.

Besides affordable housing or homelessness, what is the biggest challenge your city faces, and how would you address it?

As Utah continues to grow in population, it is the role of a city to ensure that quality of life remains high for both existing and new residents. I believe success in that category comes down to the quality of services that the city provides. I want to work to make sure Murray City employees are paid what they are worth, so we can attract and maintain the best talent. I want to make sure public safety response times remain short and that people feel that if something happens, someone will be on the scene to help, whether that is during a power outage, if snow needs to be plowed, or other emergencies. Access to public utilities is one of my top priorities. I will also work to provide transportation options in the city, so people are able to get around the community without being stuck in traffic.

What is a fun or unique fact about yourself?

Reptiles are the coolest animals out there and I know lots of interesting things about snakes, lizards and birds.

Aaron Thompson

Occupation: Risk management.

If elected, what would you do to provide more affordable housing options to your residents? Would you support higher-density housing?

Utah is the sixth-most expensive state to own a home in America and Murray residential stats equally convey this extreme imbalance. Nearly half of Murray residents do not own a home and the city does not have enough affordable housing ownership options. If elected, I would build a coalition with the mayor, members of the Murray City Council, planning and zoning, and the Redevelopment Agency committee to find more affordable housing ownership options by asking them to start an asset-mapping effort to inventory and allocate available Murray vacant parcels, transit-oriented areas, underutilized real estate, or other property opportunities available. I would ask Murray to encourage the commitment of developers to provide more affordable housing ownership options by providing increased affordable housing incentives. I would advocate for more affordable condos and home options and, upon careful consideration of the impacts, I would support responsible high-density housing possibilities.

What is your city’s responsibility in addressing homelessness, and what would you do within the boundaries of your community to help unhoused Utahns?

Murray maintains a civic responsibility to ensure a thriving, sustainable and long-standing environment that preserves the health and welfare of its community and residents where they can progress, grow and work for opportunities to obtain an improved standard of enjoyment and living. To combat homelessness, I would ask Murray to adopt a “Housing First” model bringing federal and state, public, nonprofit and private stakeholders together to review the systems currently in place to identify the chronically homeless in Murray, and clear a path for permanent and stable housing, while swiftly identifying locations for winter overflow matching residents with appropriate and affordable housing. I will collaborate with Murray’s leaders in conjunction with the Utah Office of Homeless Services, the Utah Homelessness Council, the Utah Housing Authority and the Utah Legislature to coordinate a service system that supports long-term housing stability that creates enough permanent housing to meet the demands.

Besides affordable housing or homelessness, what is the biggest challenge your city faces, and how would you address it?

Murray faces complex challenges in aging infrastructure, exponential growth of the downtown, and a dilemma on how to preserve its history through the city’s historical and heritage sites. Similar to other cities, Murray is on a complicated trajectory to fund and sustain basic services of police, fire, garbage and recycling, water, sewer and streets. Available residential and commercial land resources in Murray are becoming more scarce that may limit the amount of increased financial support the city would be provided through property and sales taxes to maintain basic city services. Murray has a property crime rate that is two to three times higher than the national average. Murray needs to take into consideration integrating more mixed-use real estate with owned residences on the upper part of the building and local businesses that can thrive on the lower level. As well Murray could benefit from local police precincts in high property crime areas.

What is a fun or unique fact about yourself?

I started skateboarding in middle school, still skateboard numerous times each month and recently skateboarded in the Murray Parade.

City Council

District 3

Clark Bullen

Occupation: Director of implementation at CUI benefits.

If elected, what would you do to provide more affordable housing options to your residents? Would you support higher-density housing?

It is not a city’s responsibility to provide housing for future residents. Citizens would prefer we incentivize economic growth through entertainment and dining destinations, encouraging businesses to locate in Murray and commercial zoning.

Murray already has 20% more renter-occupied units than Salt Lake County on average. We have a lot of high-density housing that was recently built and in development. We have even more property that is already zoned for high density, including up to 1,040 units at the former 49th Street Galleria property. Murray doesn’t need more high-density housing

If we have available space and we can’t figure out how to incentivize more commercial activity in that area, then we should be focused on medium density, including condos and town homes that could be owner-occupied.

The best way to provide affordable housing is through preserving and renovating existing housing according to the Utah Housing Preservation Fund.

What is your city’s responsibility in addressing homelessness, and what would you do within the boundaries of your community to help unhoused Utahns?

Municipalities should invest in projects like The Other Side Village that provide housing, resources and community to the unhoused, all in one location. Organizations like this one help people get back on their feet and find employment. Murray is low on available space but could partner with other cities (including one with a location) and charitable organizations to support this effort.

Besides affordable housing or homelessness, what is the biggest challenge your city faces, and how would you address it?

The future of downtown Murray is at stake. This is our chance to determine the vision of downtown Murray for the next 50 to 100 years.

We need a downtown that attracts people from all over the valley. We need a unique sense of place that businesses want to be a part of. We have a great location with great access. Downtown Murray is an extremely valuable area; let’s not sell ourselves short.

Citizens want to preserve our historic buildings and build others according to a historic design guideline (similar to Holladay). They want a gathering place with a plaza, green space and a water feature. They want unique local eateries, boutique shops and entertainment options. The citizens made this clear in the survey they took last year. We need to make sure the city knows this is what we want and we will fight for it!

What is a fun or unique fact about yourself?

I was a featured extra in the first “High School Musical” movie.

Rosalba Dominguez

Occupation: Creative director and owner of Table 22, professional development coordinator at Utah Afterschool Network.

If elected, what would you do to provide more affordable housing options to your residents? Would you support higher-density housing?

Affordable housing is a community issue, and I truly believe the city, constituents and developers can come together to provide options. When people from all backgrounds and income levels have the opportunity to live in Murray, it enhances our city. In my tenure, I have spent time learning about the city’s infrastructure, land use and budget to understand the role local government can play to address this issue.Fear of new housing development and their community impacts is real. Through consistent outreach and transparency, we can find creative solutions to build harmonious communities that have the support of residents and reflect the rich culture in Murray. This is also not limited to a percentage of mixed-income housing units, including retail space to increase our tax base. As many cities in Utah, we are faced by the Legislature and commerce to create spaces within our city for higher-density housing but we can take lead as Murray, to what that could look like.

What is your city’s responsibility in addressing homelessness, and what would you do within the boundaries of your community to help unhoused Utahns?

Personally, I am a big believer in community involvement to help our fellow neighbors with homelessness, that includes church leaders, city leaders, business owners and, in some cases, property owners coming together to solve this issue. There are several examples of out-of-state cities providing tiered housing for those seeking addiction services and/or being displaced. Another program is partnering with churches providing use of their space including cooling and heating centers, parking lots for parking as safe havens for families with children or women who live in their cars. We need to develop attainable metrics to reach our goals that are not limited to our future land use plan and our cities budget. Safety is also a concern and we can make sure that people feel safe in their neighborhoods while also protecting the safety of those who are homeless. This is not a solution we can continue to do in silos as a city or state. We need others to step in with us or include real funding, i.e., housing vouchers, stipend, food pantries, true mixed-income developments, more community centers. These are just some examples.

Besides affordable housing or homelessness, what is the biggest challenge your city faces, and how would you address it?

We have a large multigenerational community in Murray, especially in District 3. With new housing developments throughout the state, communities need to provide tiered, mixed-income housing for our elders. On the campaign trail, we have heard from our elders that they want a robust retirement community within city limits, so they can be close to their children and grandchildren. As everyone knows, no one wants to leave Murray, but without generational housing, there is nowhere for them to go.

What is a fun or unique fact about yourself?

I love spending time in my garden, growing herbs and veggies for our family and sharing with our clients.

Scott Goodman

Occupation: Manager at GE HealthCare, command sergeant major in the U.S. Army Reserve.

If elected, what would you do to provide more affordable housing options to your residents? Would you support higher-density housing?

Murray has exceeded its capacity for high-density housing. It would be in the city’s best interest to offer more affordable single-family dwellings for the first-time buyer to achieve the American dream, and I would support more mixed-use housing due to Murray’s central location.

What is your city’s responsibility in addressing homelessness, and what would you do within the boundaries of your community to help unhoused Utahns?

A city government’s responsibility is to ensure that its residents are safe, not to provide housing. There are charitable organizations that are designed to help citizens who are in need of help. City governments can, however, help these organizations by removing the barriers that are created by bureaucracies.

Besides affordable housing or homelessness, what is the biggest challenge your city faces, and how would you address it?

Preserving Murray’s culture and history would be near the top of my list.

What’s a fun or unique fact about yourself?

I love to mountain-bike and have done so since the 1980s before it was “cool.” I am also part of the less-than-1% of the population who serve in the armed forces. I get a rush jumping out of airplanes.

Leann Parker-Reed

Occupation: Educator.

If elected, what would you do to provide more affordable housing options to your residents? Would you support higher-density housing?

I believe housing is a crucial issue for each city. But focusing ONLY in high density is not the answer. To make a quality city, housing should be varied. Trending scenarios like high density should not be the norm. Cities should consider their current citizens as well as the possibility of new citizens, while planning the look, feel and utility of their cities. Give citizens more choice in their living and community experience. Citizen input is an important aspect of community development and should be sought in all aspects of a healthy, vibrant city. Businesses also benefit from varied housing because more citizens stay in a city they love.

What is your city’s responsibility in addressing homelessness, and what would you do within the boundaries of your community to help unhoused Utahns?

Each city should have some responsibility in making a difference for the unhoused. There are areas that could be used to temporarily house those people and families who wish to have housing and are interested in a hand up, not just a handout. The city and county already have medical and rehabilitation services that could be part of the tools and resources to make a difference. Government entities, local businesses and established resources could collaborate to improve this situation in cities. It does take a combined effort. But it is possible to make a difference.

Besides affordable housing or homelessness, what is the biggest challenge your city faces, and how would you address it?

Mental health. I believe that the health and welfare of our citizens is valuable to the city as a whole. Citizens who are healthy and feel healthy are more productive. They spend time, energy and money in their hometown. This improves the quality of life for everyone. Cities that invest in health-related resources can expect more abundant progress. These related resources can include mental health and well-being, preventive care approaches, whole family care including pet health. Caring for all our citizens and offering important health services involve collaboration with current services and look to future services that maintain healthy lifestyles and options to improve health. Healthy people create healthy cities

What’s a fun or unique fact about yourself?

I am a proud mom of three amazing sons. I enjoy my family. I love elephants; they make me smile.

Janice Strobell

Occupation: Small-business owner; contract material supplier.

If elected, what would you do to provide more affordable housing options to your residents? Would you support higher-density housing?

With Murray’s central location in the valley, housing costs are at a premium. To provide more affordable housing options, Murray should continue our strong connection with NeighborWorks, which provides financing solutions that help with the purchase of a home. Murray would do well to support rehabbing of existing apartments and other residential units as opposed to tearing down to build new more expensive market rate rental units. Preservation is more efficient than new development. We also must require adequate green space in any new developments.

What is your city’s responsibility in addressing homelessness, and what would you do within the boundaries of your community to help unhoused Utahns?

Homelessness is everywhere, and we all have an opportunity to serve and lift the homeless. Murray needs to actively participate with the other cities in the valley and be a leader in finding solutions. We can seek to develop public-private partnerships that will assist with sheltering the homeless while providing services that alleviate some of the greatest hardships that contribute to homelessness: addiction, mental health, unemployment, food scarcity.

Besides affordable housing or homelessness, what is the biggest challenge your city faces, and how would you address it?

One of the biggest challenges facing Murray is how to manage growth while enhancing the character of our city and its neighborhoods. Murray takes great pride in its independent spirit, and we can build on that spirit while honoring our past and welcoming those moving here. We have a unique historic downtown that deserves revitalization. Input from our citizens is vital for developing balanced plans that will support thriving neighborhoods and create an attractive downtown for all.

What is a fun or unique fact about yourself?

I had a blast being a part-time ski instructor at Brighton Resort from 2014 to 2018.