No election for Santa Clara; incoming council members talk quality of life, affordable utilities

Santa Clara Historic District, Santa Clara, Utah, Oct. 12, 2015 | Photo by Hollie Reina, St. George News

SANTA CLARA — Affordable utilities, economic growth and maintaining the quality of life found in the small city of Santa Clara are topics near and dear to four candidates who sought to fill three seats on the Santa Clara City Council. Monday, one candidate withdrew and the remaining three will fill the seats without a balloted election.

Incumbents Herb Basso and Mary Jo “Tode” Hafen join newcomer Jarett Waite to serve the people of Santa Clara. Former candidate Wally Ritchie withdrew.

While each has a unique set of experiences, educations and backgrounds, all expressed a love for the community and a desire to protect its heritage while at the same time moving toward a vibrant future.

Herb Basso | Submitted photo, St. George News
Herb Basso | Submitted photo, St. George News

Herbert K. Basso

Incumbent, Herbert K. Basso is currently serving on the Santa Clara City Council. A longtime resident, Basso, along with his wife, Wendy, opened Ka’ili’s Restaurant in the historic Roulett/Graf home located in the Santa Clara Valley in 2013.

 As a councilman, Basso lists his primary commitments as:
  •  Keep Santa Clara a safe community
  • Advocate for wise economic development
  • Preserve the agricultural component of our town
  • Promote the preservation of Santa Clara’s history and small town ambiance
  • Assure that growth is paid for through impact fees
  • Protect rights and freedoms of individual citizens

On the Santa Clara City government Web page, Basso cites his Christian values as guiding factors in his actions and commitments and believes that while everyone may not agree on every issue, each citizen has something of value to offer Santa Clara in making it a great place to live. He said:

What I want to accomplish in or out of office is that I want to be part of shaping Santa Clara’s future; one that is safe, that has a growing economy while perpetuating our unique small town quality of life. It doesn’t just happen. A community has to work at it, protecting what we have, being active in policy development, being vigilant in caring for our neighborhoods.

Mary Jo "Tode" Hafen | Submitted photo, St. George News
Mary Jo “Tode” Hafen | Submitted photo, St. George News

Mary Jo Hafen

More commonly known as “Tode,” Hafen has lived in Santa Clara for most of her adult life and has learned to love the beautiful little city. Hafen has had the opportunity to be involved as a volunteer with many organizations through the years and values the relationships made along the way.

Hafen is nearing the end of her second term serving on the Santa Clara City Council. For the past four years she has been Mayor Pro Tem.

“My goal as a Santa Clara city council member is to do my part in making our community a safe, healthy, wonderful place to live,” Hafen said. “It is an exciting time to be involved with the city as the community is vibrant and the future looks bright.”

That would include, Hafen said, a continuous effort in keeping reliable utilities available at an affordable rate and doing her part to encourage a healthy economic development while protecting the lifestyle enjoyed in Santa Clara.

Hafen recognized that every community has its challenges including Santa Clara but praised the beautiful neighborhoods and amazing families that exist in the city. She said:

If not elected, I would continue to serve my city in any way I can. I would support the many dedicated leaders, including the mayor, council members, staff, volunteers, and citizens that share their time making Santa Clara a wonderful place to live.

Jarett Waite | Submitted photo, St. George News
Jarett Waite | Submitted photo, St. George News

Jarett Waite

Jarett Waite is a self-described, tech-savvy entrepreneur. As owner of Laser Mania Family Fun Center in St. George, Waite said he wears a lot of different hats including marketing, maintenance, bookkeeping, staffing and community outreach – skills which, Waite said, will aid him in better serving the community as an elected representative. He said:

I love living in Santa Clara and would be honored to serve as a city councilman. If elected, my main goal will be to keep close tabs on the city’s finances. The city is currently doing much better working within its budget, but new revenue will soon come in from the commercial development on Rachel Drive as well as RAP tax revenues. I want to ensure this money gets spent wisely and based on requests from the citizens. I have already received some excellent suggestions during my campaign. I will also explore options to pay off the bond on our city building faster.

I’m also very concerned about energy costs in Santa Clara. They have historically been high here, and I want to assist the power department however I can to find cost savings and improve efficiencies. I have also done an extensive amount of research into the costs and benefits of grid-tied solar power to the bottom line of utilities, and feel that I could provide a balanced perspective to this issue.

Waite said that if not elected he will continue working with the solar owners in Santa Clara to ensure a fair policy is passed by the City Council as well as continue to attend City Council meetings especially as a new fiscal budget is released.

Santa Clara City Council Candidate, Wally Ritchie, Santa Clara, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Wally Ritchie, St. George News
Wally Ritchie | Submitted photo, St. George News

Wally Ritchie – candidacy withdrawn

Wally Ritchie has lived in Santa Clara with his family for 11 years and in Southern Utah for 18 years. He formally withdrew as a candidate Monday, citing personal reasons, Dickie said.

Ritchie was formerly employed by the city of Santa Clara for five-and-a-half years as its city manager, Dickie said, and currently is employed by Ivins City as its finance manager.

Before withdrawing, Ritchie said that, if not elected, he would continue to be involved as a private citizen in helping the city to be sustainable.

“I think that being involved in the community helps to achieve this goal,” Ritchie said. “Attending meetings, volunteering in the city, and expressing my thoughts to the City Council are ways to help bring this to pass.”

Election by acclamation

In light of Ritchie’s withdrawal, candidates Basso, Hafen and Waite will be seated in the open council seats by acclamation. There will be no general municipal election for Santa Clara, Dickie said. A formal resolution to that effect will be made during Wednesday’s City Council meeting.

St. George News Editor-in-Chief Joyce Kuzmanic contributed to this report as to Ritchie’s withdrawal of candidacy.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2015, all rights reserved.

 

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