Washington DC
For the last two years, I have been honored to travel to Washington, DC, and meet with our Utah Delegation to discuss issues important to the residents of Moab. Here are a few of the many topics discussed in Washington, DC.
UMTRA funding - We are nearing completion of the pile removal. We must stay in front of our legislators and ensure that we continue to stress the importance of maintaining funding for the pile, which is crucial for the safety of our residents. We are also working with the Department of Energy and our Utah state legislators to hopefully have this land transferred to Grand County, allowing us to utilize it for future improvements in our area.
Housing - We continue to work with Washington to develop solutions that address our housing needs in the area. One of the solutions was working with Senator Lee on the housing act. While this piece of legislation has taken many twists and turns, working with Senator Lee to find affordable solutions for Moab residents remains a priority and is something we continue to work towards.
Flood Mitigation - As we have all seen in recent years, Moab has been severely impacted by flooding issues. Helping to control these floods will require more than what our small community can financially support. I do not think it is out of line to ask the federal government to help find solutions. The replacement of just one bridge in Moab is upwards of $10 million. Asking for help is not out of line, especially when these floodwaters are coming from federal lands and we are not seeing them do much to stop these waters from reaching Moab.
Essential Air Service - While in Washington, I met with our Senators and Congress representatives to discuss how critical the EAS contract is for our small town. I have also met with the Department of Transportation to discuss the contracts and explore ways to ensure we secure a contract that meets our community's needs, both for residents and tourism.
I believe that over the past few years, I have been able to cultivate a strong relationship with our Washington delegation. I know that you care about Moab, and I will work hard to continue this relationship to make sure Moab is well represented at the capital.
Moab Times Independent Questions From 2022
Week 1-
- How will you overcome the neighborhood defending (or NIMBYism) that plagues efforts to reform the city's zoning?
I support locals defending or speaking up for what they want in their neighborhoods. Changes in such things like density could have a negative impact on the current residents and they need to have a voice. Reform of city zoning in the future may be limited to future undeveloped parcels while working with developers. We must work to develop affordable housing for full-time year round residents. If elected I look forward to working on the Walnut Lane project and other projects that will hopefully help alleviate the stress of Moab families finding a place to live.
- Should Moab allow more housing development to complement the demand from second homeowners? If not, how would you protect full-time locals in the local housing market?
Options for second home owners already exist, I do not think we should complement the demand. Development should compliment full-time locals and protect options for full- time residents. It would be great to see incentives for sellers/developers to sell to locals before second home owners. The vision for Walnut Lane is exciting and will benefit Moab families. In the County, the HDHO (High Density Housing Overlay)the county passed in 2019, which restricts occupation to those working full-time and residents of Grand County is a good move. We need to continue working towards affordable housing for low to middle income families in Moab.
Week 2 -
Moab already taxes lodgings at the maximum rate allowed by the state, and the city has limited space for commercial development. The city's primary lever for affecting the local economy is through changes to its zoning and land use regulations.
And here are the questions:
- What will you do to bring quality jobs to Moab? If the efforts require funding, how will you pay for them?
I think we all have our own idea of what a quality job is, to define that is up to each individual. I personally would like to see more people have the opportunity to have a steady year round income and to flatten the yearly boom and bust of employment in our town. Economic Diversification should be a priority for city leaders and something I will focus on if elected. The city funding “quality jobs” seems like an irresponsible use of city/taxpayer funds.
- Does Moab need to shrink the tourism industry, increase overall growth through greater commercial development, or do something else?
No! The only people that will benefit from shrinking tourism is a small portion of Moab that can afford higher property taxes, a higher cost of living, and don’t work in this industry to support their families. For better or worse, tourism is currently a major part of how residents (roughly 60%) make a living in Moab, to shrink it would have a catastrophic ripple effect on our community. I also think there is room to broaden and diversify the economy of Moab and Grand County, and we should move in the direction of having an economically diverse, year-round economy.
Week 3-
- How have these and other demographic changes affected the social and economic fabric of Moab? Are those changes for the better?
Migration has played a role in the social and economic fabric of Moab, with new people moving in we are seeing greater diversity and social differences. I do not feel this is any different then what you find in other cities similar to Moab. I do think this has had some negative effects on Moab. With more people and outside money coming to town it has put additional pressures on the limited housing available making it hard for long-time residents and essential workers to find housing options, which in many instances causes them to leave for more affordable regions.
- Will you pursue policies to change the course of these demographic trends? Why or why not?
I would be very open to pursuing policies to change this course. We need to find ways for families to afford to stay in Moab. It is critical that Moab residents not be priced out, which is what is happening. Moab has grown so quickly in the commercial segment that we are now behind the ball in the housing segment, and until we can close this gap we are only going to see people with discretionary incomes being able to afford new homes. We need to find a way to ensure the residents of Moab can find affordable long- term housing solutions.