City council candidates

Anthony Charles

Note: Charles answered the two sets of questions together.

How have these and other demographic changes affected the social and economic fabric of Moab? Are those changes for the better?

Will you pursue policies to change the course of these demographic trends? Why or why not?

The state has taken our freedom and our rights to do what’s needed on tourism. To them, we are a class five county.

The reason the numbers are going down is because of noise. Being a born and raised in Moab, I have heard it all. People saying “f— this town, f— this state and f— the utv noise, we are leaving!”

So, that tells me that the noise is running people out of town. In order to keep people here, we need a universal basic income like Alaska. That should fix much of the housing issues for the year round locals and renters.

I see it as the people leaving because they are being forced out of their homes by the gangs of UTVs, two-stroke engines, extra loud Jeeps, etc. Everything is simple if you open your eyes and see what’s happening and what it takes to fix the problem.

If we all work together, we can make Moab quiet again and allow all the tourism to come back and not be ran out of town by the noise. If the loud, off-road vehicles become extremely quiet, we will see an uptick in overall tourism and locals not leaving.

Anthony Charles, candidate for Moab City Council

Josie Kovash

How have these and other demographic changes affected the social and economic fabric of Moab? Are those changes for the better?

Architect and design theorist Christopher Alexander proposes the ideal population for direct engagement between citizenry and government to be 7,000.

A growing Moab can mean losing such small-town characteristics. But, more importantly, natural resources and water supply are the true limitations to growth for Moab.

Seasonal workforce, transient residents, and visitor numbers are all important factors in assessing our real impact as a populace day-to-day, and we need to recognize natural resources as a non-negotiable constraint.

Any future growth should be slow, deliberate, and managed primarily to benefit Moabites and the health of the resources we rely on.

Josie Kovash, candidate for Moab City Council

Will you pursue policies to change the course of these demographic trends? Why or why not?

Data indicates we may be using close to 100% of our aquifer. We should learn lessons from cities like Capetown who overdraw on their water supply, and avoid pushing Moab toward that kind of crisis point.

With the additional wild card of climate change, we simply cannot gamble with water. I support limiting unnecessary growth and directing our focus to workforce housing and services needed for those who already live here.

There will always be more demand than supply when it comes to things like hotels, visitor amenities, and second homes, but we cannot negotiate numbers with finite natural resources.

Josie Kovash, candidate for Moab City Council

Jason Taylor

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 longtime residents and essential workers to find housing options, which in many instances causes them to leave for more affordable regions.

Jason Taylor, candidate for Moab City Council

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.

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.

Jason Taylor, candidate for Moab City Council

Randall Fox

How have these and other demographic changes affected the social and economic fabric of Moab? Are those changes for the better?

“Better” is a pretty charged word.

I know that there are longtime residents who would tell us that this is no longer the town that they hoped to retire in. However, we all live in a larger society that values change and growth, and many of us also value the input of migrants with their new ideas.

We seem to be maxing out on tourism income and should be looking towards the next step for Moab. Advanced education and the industry that it spawns seems like an obvious choice to me.

Randall Fox, candidate for Moab City Council

Will you pursue policies to change the course of these demographic trends? Why or why not?

I think that we can support enough new full-time citizens here to round-out our economy with my proposed enhancements to education plus the high-end manufacturing it will likely generate.

Marketing will be built-in for anyone manufacturing electric mountain bikes and electric off-highway vehicles here. Any machine that can survive on our terrain will excel anywhere else.

I believe that around 6,000 persons in the city and 12,000 persons in the county would be healthy numbers to shoot for, assuming that our water resources hold firm.

Randall Fox, candidate for Moab City Council

Luke Wojciechowski

How have these and other demographic changes affected the social and economic fabric of Moab? Are those changes for the better?

These changes haven’t affected Moab for the better, and should be alarming to anyone who cares about the long-term sustainability of our community.

We are losing people who are the foundation of our town. Each year, I see more people who love Moab and call it home — some for generations — who want to stay but cannot make it work. They don’t leave by choice, but by necessity when they can’t find a stable, long-term place to live.

This is directly influenced by the number of homes that are now “occupied” by people who don’t actually live here at all.

Luke Wojciechowski, candidate for Moab City Council

Will you pursue policies to change the course of these demographic trends? Why or why not?

Absolutely.

Moab is at a tipping point. We have to work quickly to enact policies that strongly prioritize dedicated housing for our residents instead of building more vacation homes.

If we don’t, one day soon we’ll wake up and our teachers, police, nurses, plumbers, guides, and non-profit workers will have been replaced by long-term tourists who aren’t active and involved members of our community and can’t fill critical roles that keep our society and economy afloat.

It isn’t too late to work together and steer ourselves back in a direction where decisions are made by and for residents.

Luke Wojciechowski, candidate for Moab City Council

Mayoral candidates

Aaron Davies

How have these and other demographic changes affected the social and economic fabric of Moab? Are those changes for the better?

I am more concerned with our response to perceived or predicted social and economic trends than our guess about the future.

I believe that our community will flourish the more inclusive we are. The more we make distinctions about who should live here, the more we perpetuate the anger, fear and hate mentality that has been growing.

Being inclusive also means working alongside those with whom we may disagree. I believe that moving towards this unity will bring us to the type of community we all want to live in. For more information go to aaron4mayor.org.

Aaron Davies, candidate for mayor of Moab

Will you pursue policies to change the course of these demographic trends? Why or why not?

I am not interested in telling people whether or not they are allowed to live here.

We have seen the problems made by people being greedy for money. There are equally damaging results when people are greedy for power. We need to move away from both.

Building a community based on mutual respect, personal responsibility, and kindness towards everyone will produce the harmonious and productive life we all want.

There are numerous examples throughout history where societies responded out of fear, made distinctions of certain types of people and created an atmosphere of hate leading to destruction.

Aaron Davies, candidate for mayor of Moab

Norm Knapp

How have these and other demographic changes affected the social and economic fabric of Moab? Are those changes for the better?

Along with growth comes growing pain. We have always pulled together as a community and need to continue to do so as we grow. Our economy is strong and, with proper management, will continue to prosper with our growth. We as a community and as a city entity need to come up with the proper plan to manage the growth and maintain our small-town appeal.

Norm Knapp, candidate for mayor of Moab

Will you pursue policies to change the course of these demographic trends? Why or why not?

I think growth is always a good thing. We need to come up with policies to properly manage that growth, while keeping our citizens best interests In mind.

Norm Knapp, candidate for mayor of Moab

Kent Green

How have these and other demographic changes affected the social and economic fabric of Moab? Are those changes for the better?

It is wonderful getting new people into town. However, many people are not here to start a family but to work seasonal jobs.

Sadly, most high school students graduate and leave this town forever. Because of this, we lose a little piece of our heritage and of Moab itself. From an economic standpoint, this will negatively impact our local economy, as the burden of the workforce will be placed on so few working-age people.

This is a trend that we need to get ahead of now.

Kent Green, candidate for mayor of Moab

Will you pursue policies to change the course of these demographic trends? Why or why not?

Affordable housing is at the heart of this trend.  We have nowhere for families to start out in this town, and we need to fix that.

If elected, I want to find realistic solutions to this problem, and would definitely pursue policies to create affordable housing in this town.

In the way of building a rental and first home inventory. We need to stop talking about doing it, and just get it done.

Kent Green, candidate for mayor of Moab

Stephen J. Stocks

How have these and other demographic changes affected the social and economic fabric of Moab? Are those changes for the better?

In 1990, Moab was in an economic crisis due to the uranium mine closure. Many families abandoned Moab, and their homes, because they could not afford them.

To save the families and promote social and economic growth, the community focused on Moab’s attributes: stunning public lands and recreation possibilities.

The overwhelming success outpaced the efforts to address the negative impacts to housing, wages, development, and infrastructure. Migration in of an older population seeking a nice place to retire was inevitable.

Change in a small community of this speed and magnitude is always hard on everyone. This was and is bittersweet.

Stephen J. Stocks, candidate for mayor of Moab

Will you pursue policies to change the course of these demographic trends? Why or why not?

The mayor’s powers are very limited.  Changing demographic trends is likely beyond the control of any mayor ─ especially one that does not vote on policy decisions.

We must remember that people move to Moab for countless reasons. Some move back home, some find an escape from the bustle of the big city, some don’t know how they got here but then get caught up trying to make a living while doing what they love.

Regardless of where people come from, if they want to move to Moab, we should welcome them.

Stephen J. Stocks, candidate for mayor of Moab

Bill Winfield

How have these and other demographic changes affected the social and economic fabric of Moab? Are those changes for the better?

Utah and the four states that surround us are among the fastest growing in the U.S.

We have a choice: Resist that reality and become an increasingly exclusive resort and retirement community for those with the deepest pockets, or accept it and grow in an environmentally sustainable, affordable way, building a local community that better balances tourism, and provides real opportunities for young people and families to build a life.

We should all be concerned that the number of children in Grand County hasn’t increased in 20 years; it reflects that Moab isn’t working for younger people. That’s not sustainable.

Bill Winfield, candidate for mayor of Moab

Will you pursue policies to change the course of these demographic trends? Why or why not?

My top priorities are:

  1. Critically needed acceleration of affordable housing. I am the only candidate with a track record of getting that done.
  2. Increased support for existing and new, local, small businesses so that Moabites can share in the wealth tourism currently brings.
  3. Develop new, higher-paying industries. It’s exciting that the governor and president have announced an acceleration into solar. With abundant land and sun, we need to be part of that. My father mined uranium: a dirty energy of the past. It would be great for Moab to lead in the creation of new, clean energy for the future.

Bill Winfield, candidate for mayor of Moab

Joette Langianese

How have these and other demographic changes affected the social and economic fabric of Moab? Are those changes for the better?

The population has increased by roughly 100 people per year over the past 20 years, but the visitation has increased by over 1 million people, according to the National Park Service database over the same time period.

Therefore, the major economic growth has been in the tourism industry, which has led to housing and essential service shortages. When looking at the changes in population it is important to consider the visitor numbers as well and make planning decision around those demographics.

Joette Langianese, candidate for mayor of Moab

Will you pursue policies to change the course of these demographic trends? Why or why not?

The trends that are being suggested are not significant enough to cause concern. However, the increase in visitation and second home ownership needs to be taken into consideration when developing policy to manage that demographic change.

The most important policy discussion is availability of water for future growth especially with a changing desert climate.

Joette Langianese, candidate for mayor of Moab