Saundra McDavid

I watched the swearing in ceremony of the new Eagle administration with mixed feelings, which I’m sure, comes as no surprise. I have great admiration for the dedication of the outgoing Mayor and Councilmen. All of them have dedicated a good portion of their lives serving our City. It was an emotional farewell for a group of people who have led our city government longer than many of us have lived in this city. I know it was difficult to hand over the reins to a new and inexperienced administration and I applaud the election of Councilman Guerber as Council President. He remains as the sole voice of experience in our city government.

Al Shoushtarian and Michael Huffaker were elected to city council by more votes than anyone in the history of Eagle. The mandate of their election was that we have a voice of the people in our city government and I have no doubt that they will carry that mandate with them throughout their terms. More specifically, I hope our existing residents can now rest easier, knowing that their concerns will be weighted equally, if not higher, than those of the person wanting to rezone his land to a higher density. I hope that changes to the comprehensive plan are no longer viewed as a “sure thing” by anyone desiring to make more money by selling smaller lots. I hope the future plans to develop our city include foremost the plans to preserve our quality of life.

Norm Semanko was appointed into office with the accolades of the previous administration, and the faith of the two new city councilman; two very different camps. From what I heard, he appeared neutral and willing to listen to residents’ concerns during his interviews with the appointment committee. Mr. Semanko, you have an interesting two years ahead of you. I don’t know how you will appease both sides, but I hope you don’t break the faith of those who supported Al and Mike.

And this leads me to my thoughts on our new Mayor. Mayor Bandy had an opportunity last night to extend the olive branch to the thousands of people who supported me. I wasn’t personally expecting praise or accolades, but a simple sentence indicating acknowledgment of the concerns that were shared by my supporters. Surely he could have come up with something? I lost the election. He is no longer running against me. I encourage Mayor Bandy to rise above the un-statesmanlike comments he made about me and my supporters on the day after the election. It is time that he recognizes that there was a reason why so many people supported me, and I encourage him to reach out to those people. Mayor Bandy, take the opportunity in words and deeds to show that you will support all residents of Eagle, including those who supported me. You have an opportunity to bring this city back together. Please Mayor Bandy, use it wisely.

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