Heber City’s Community Alliance for Main Street hosted the event so people could get to know the candidates for Seat D, which represents most Heber residents.
Tori Broughton is running as a member of the United Utah party. She currently serves on the Heber City Planning Commission.
She said she fell in love with Heber while visiting to compete in a rodeo in high school, and now as a full-time resident, she cares deeply about the community.
“I love Heber,” she said. “I don’t want to change it; I just want it to be its best self.”
Kendall Crittenden is running as the Republican candidate and the incumbent county councilmember. He’s held the seat for 20 years and is seeking a sixth term.
“I’m not going to make a bunch of promises of what I’m going to do,” he said. “I, however, do promise to continue to do as my record proves: work hard to represent the citizens of Wasatch County.”
Jami Hewlett, who’s running as a Libertarian, did not attend the forum. She is an alternate on the Heber Planning Commission.
The candidates’ visions for downtown Heber were top of the list in the conversation. Broughton argued that a rising tide lifts all boats.
“Heber City can have an amazing downtown, while Charleston and Midway and Daniel all have an amazing downtown as well,” she said. “We can all share opportunity in this valley.”
She said she wants to work for a safe, pedestrian- and bike-friendly downtown with a focus on local businesses.
Crittenden said collaboration across the county is essential for Heber’s success. He pointed to county programs like the Trails, Arts and Parks tax, which has supported numerous cultural events and organizations in the city.
He said he’s grown to change his mind on the topic of public transit: at first, he was resistant, but now, he believes it can help reduce traffic and help people who don’t have other means of transportation.
Broughton said she supports expanding High Valley Transit in the community and said the county could do more to educate older people about how to use micro-transit to improve access.
Both candidates said the bypass is imperative. Crittenden said he opposes any route that goes through the North Fields. Broughton said a lack of interlocal collaboration has made progress on the road near impossible.
An adequate supply of affordable housing is a challenge for the county.
Crittenden cited his experience on the Wasatch County Housing Authority and his work with the Mountainlands Community Housing Trust to help create more workforce housing in the region. At the same time, he said he doesn’t want to see high density.
“They’re sprawling, they’re spreading; we need to keep it local,” he said. “We need to work on small apartments and houses that people can afford, but I don’t want to do it at the benefit of destroying these nice lots in downtown Heber.”
Broughton said she advocates for increasing density where appropriate, such as adding apartments above businesses or dividing large lots to build smaller, single-family homes. She said if done thoughtfully, adding that kind of housing can help ease Heber’s growing pains without dramatically changing the community’s character.
The candidates also discussed topics including the county’s changing demographics and how they plan to work with other local governments.
The general election is Nov. 5.
A recording of the forum is available on the Community Alliance for Main Street's social media page.
