Cedar City Council candidates tackle variety of topics during debate at Southern Utah University

Written by Jeff Richards
August 3, 2023
Cedar City Council candidate signs line the steps leading up to SUU's Hunter Alumni Center, Cedar City, Utah, July 31, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — The seven candidates running for Cedar City Council took turns answering a variety of questions during a moderated debate on Monday night.

Cedar City Council candidates take turns answering questions during a two-hour moderated debate at SUU’s Hunter Alumni Center, Cedar City, Utah, July 31, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The two-hour forum, which was attended by more than 100 people, took place in the Hunter Alumni Center on the Southern Utah University campus. Hosted by SUU’s Michael O. Leavitt Center for Politics and Public Service, students Aidan Gates and Katie Warner served as moderators.

The five-member Cedar City Council has three open seats in this year’s general election. However, only one incumbent is running: Tyler Melling is seeking his second four-year term.

Joining Melling in Monday night’s debate were fellow candidates Robert Cox, Brittany Fisher, Kathy Long, Mark Mumford, Sarah Ridgel and Carter Wilkey.

All candidates were given just 60 seconds to answer each of a dozen questions. They also gave opening and closing statements that were likewise limited to one minute apiece. For each question, the order of the responses varied, having been randomized by the moderators.

Question topics included ways to help small businesses, transportation solutions, recycling, SUU student housing, a proposed downtown parking structure, the Recreation, Arts and Parks (RAP) tax, encouraging development on the city’s north end, women in leadership, cost of living wage increases for city employees and water conservation.

The final two questions came from audience submissions. The first one asked the candidates if they were in favor of the RAP tax, which is on the ballot for reauthorization this year.

Audience members applaud Cedar City Council candidates at conclusion of two-hour debate, Cedar City, Utah, July 31, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Although six of the candidates said they were in favor of the RAP tax, Cox said he was undecided about it.

“The bad thing about RAP tax is it puts politicians in a position to pick winners and losers,” Cox said. “You’re going to have some contention over the RAP tax, and so I’m undecided on how I will vote on that at this point. But I do believe that there’s pros and cons, and I think we need to research that and find out what’s best for our city.”

During his response, Melling said the RAP tax is “probably the least bad” of existing taxes. 

Added Melling: “There has been some heightened interest this year, not only because it’s being renewed on the ballot, but also, you know, differing values and how those funds are allocated and how that’s determined.”

Melling said objective and measurable criteria should be applied when considering how such tax money should be spent, so that “we’re not relying on feelings or personal values and how we allocate those funds.”

Wilkey started off by saying he is in “full support” of the RAP tax. 

“I think it’s a thing that makes our community great,” he said.  

Promotional image courtesy of Utah Shakespeare Festival, St. George News / Cedar City News

“It’s one-tenth of a percent. So for every $100 you spend at the store, it’s 10 cents (that) goes towards the RAP tax,” Wilkey added. “And that money equates to over a million dollars a year that goes towards our recreation, arts and parks.”

After listing several areas that RAP tax funds have been spent in Cedar City over the years, Wilkey concluded by saying, “I do support the RAP tax 100%. I will be voting for it. And I hope that others do as well.”

Long expressed a similar sentiment, voicing her support of the RAP tax and highlighting how it benefits the arts.

“The arts programs that we have are wonderful, but they need to be given just a little push, just a little help,” Long said. “The recreational programs that we have are great – they need a little push also. So the rap tax gives them that ability to to continue and to be progressive, to progress onward and help our lifestyles.”

Mumford said he considers recreation, arts and parks fit in well with Cedar City’s role as a festival city, bringing in tourism.

He likened the different uses of the RAP tax to people’s food preferences.

“The RAP tax goes to fund a whole bunch of different things,” Mumford said. “Not everybody wants to participate in every activity and they shouldn’t have to. I don’t personally like broccoli, all that much more than I used to. I prefer green beans and spinach. So, if there are a lot of different options out there, people can choose what they want to do, aAnd I think that’s great. We need to have options.”

Like Mumford, Fisher also mentioned Cedar City’s tagline, “Festival City, USA.”

I think that there is a huge economic impact with that RAP tax money for the community,” Fisher said, briefly highlighting a few important areas where such funds have been allocated, including the Rotary Club and the Utah Shakespeare Festival..

Voting booths inside Cedar City Council chambers, Cedar City, Utah, June 28, 2022 | File photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

“Over the last 10 years, over $10 million has been collected for those route taxes, and over half of that has (gone) back into the city,” Fisher added.

Ridgel said that RAP tax funds helped her family afford Shakespeare tickets this season, utilizing the 50% locals discount.

Ridgel, herself a small business owner, said that the RAP tax plays a vital role in the local economy.

“We have to remember that small businesses, they have to survive with that economic growth that comes with all of those people that come for all of our arts,” she said.

Next came the 12th and final question for the candidates, which also came from an audience submission and was related to supporting property rights.

Following that, the candidates gave their 60-second closing statements, summarizing their reasons for running and asking for the voters’ support.

The event was streamed live on the SUU Leavitt Center’s Facebook page and can be rewatched there, by clicking on this link.

This year, due to the need for a special election to replace resigning U.S. Congressional Rep. Chris Stewart, Utah’s Election Day has been pushed back two weeks, to Nov. 21. Accordingly, the primary elections are also taking place later in the summer than usual, with Sept. 5 being the primary election date.

In the non-partisan Cedar City Council races, only one person out of the seven will be eliminated in the primary, with the other six advancing to the November general election ballot, where the top three vote-getters will win seats on the City Council.

Primary ballots will start going out in the mail in mid-August, according to the Iron County Clerk’s office, meaning voters will take approximately three weeks to fill them out and return them, either by mail or by dropping them off a selected ballot box locations. In-person voting will also be available.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons and one granddaughter. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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