Here are some of Therin’s views:
Why I Believe I’m the Right Candidate for Mapleton
Key Points that separate me from my opponent
Unique leadership experience and collaborative style
A “people’s mayor” who leads from the ground up
Greater availability and presence at city events
Practical priorities on budget and capital needs
Leadership Style & Experience
Over the past 30 years, I have spent two decades in leadership roles in product development, mechanical design, and manufacturing engineering. I have extensive experience in project management, contract negotiations and leadership. For the past 10 years, I have served consecutively on the Planning Commission and then City Council, gaining direct experience in city governance, negotiations, and municipal issues and decision-making. I also bring a fresh perspective to city staffing, particularly in addressing turnover challenges in Public Safety but also my years of management experience in various disciplines and trades, qualifies me for leading city department teams.
I am completing a master’s degree in Construction Engineering Management, which I pursued to strengthen my ability to evaluate city projects and engage in informed discussions. This background prepares me to step directly into the role of mayor and lead effectively from day one.
My approach is collaborative and people-centered. I combine business acumen with an approachable leadership style that encourages input, builds consensus, and makes residents feel heard. I am confident that this blend of skills positions Mapleton to continue its progress while fostering greater community connection.
A People’s Mayor
For over a decade, I have volunteered side by side with residents at city events, service projects, and activities. This hands-on involvement has helped me understand the concerns, strengths, and hopes of hundreds of families. As our city grows, I believe Mapleton needs a leader who models and fosters a unified, inclusive community culture.
I respect Mayor Hakes and value our relationship and ability to work well together. My candidacy is not driven by opposition to him but by a belief that Mapleton now needs a mayor with a more personal, community-oriented style of leadership. With strong momentum already underway, I am ready to step in and continue building on this progress—while adding a more personal, connected touch to city leadership.
Being Present
One of the greatest strengths I bring is my consistent presence at city events. I attend nearly every city-sponsored event, actively participating and engaging with residents.
Leadership is not always just about negotiations and meetings—it’s about rolling up your sleeves, pulling weeds, painting hydrants, and serving meals alongside neighbors. These are the moments that matter most to residents, and as mayor, I will continue to prioritize them.
I also remain committed to statewide advocacy through the Utah League of Cities and Towns (ULCT). I have been an active voting member of its Legislative Policy Committee and will continue to represent Mapleton’s interests at the state level. While connections with state leaders are valuable, nothing replaces consistent involvement and advocacy in the trenches.
Capital Needs & Budget Priorities
My vision for capital projects differs from my opponent. While I support the idea of a future community center, I believe our immediate priority is a second fire station in south Mapleton, where rapid growth is occurring. This project is more affordable, land is already secured, and it could be built without raising taxes or issuing bonds. Our response times, especially to urgent medical calls down in that area has become a concern.
I believe Mapleton must live within its means and avoid unnecessary debt. At the same time, I support creative revenue strategies—such as deploying wildland firefighting teams—which could generate significant new funds without burdening taxpayers.
Clarifying My Stance on Conflicts of Interest
I want to be transparent about my views on conflicts of interest. I've shared these thoughts in personal conversations and cottage meetings, and now I’m making them public.
I do not take issue with mayors owning local businesses such as restaurants or clinics—these typically involve minor conflicts, which are common and often manageable. I’ve consistently expressed this view and will continue to do so. I respect my opponent’s contributions to the city and recognize that many of them have been significant and beneficial.
However, I believe direct bids from a mayor’s own companies raise legitimate concerns, especially when they result in personal financial gain. In contrast, subcontracting through a general contractor introduces a layer of separation that makes such arrangements more acceptable. For example, if mayors company is hired by a general contractor to do a portion of work within a project that the general contractor was hired to do by the city.
I want to be clear: I mean no disrespect to Rino Excavation or any businesses owned by Dallas. A question I’m often asked is whether it’s better to have a mayor with conflicts or one who saves the city money by offering discounted bids on projects? My answer is: why not have both? Mayor Hakes’ companies can continue to offer competitive pricing without him holding office, allowing Mapleton to benefit financially without the concerns.
Importantly, I’m not asking for your vote simply because I lack conflicts of interest. That’s not the foundation of my campaign, nor does it diminish the good work Dallas has done. Winning votes based on rumors or exaggerated claims is not who I am. I’m asking for your support based on my own qualifications—my experience, character, vision, and dedication to our community.
I’m deeply grateful for the support I’ve received so far and respectfully ask for your continued backing in the upcoming general election on November 4th. I believe in what I bring to the table - and I hope you do too.
A Fair Challenge
Some have asked why I am running if I believe Mayor Hakes has done a generally good job. In fact, one question I got states: “What is it that he (Dallas) has done or not done that you feel is grounds for replacing him as mayor?” My answer: in a democracy, providing an alternative is reason enough. Voters deserve a choice. Wanting to provide another qualified option is not the same thing as gunning to get someone out of office.
I respect Mayor Hakes’ contributions, but I also believe I bring fresh strengths—greater availability, community involvement, budget priorities, and a unique leadership style. This election is not about removing someone from office; it is about choosing the best path forward for Mapleton.
The real question is: who is best to lead Mapleton for the next four years? I believe my record, my experience, my leadership style, my passion for this community, and my vision make me that candidate.
Open space
Preserving open space, the country setting, and the Mapleton small town feel is one of the most talked about and most emotional plea’s heard all over town. I have always felt exactly the same way. Having a small town culture and “elbow space” is the reason Jenny and I chose to raise our family here. I’ve dedicated much of my life over the past many years to serving this community and to helping in every way I can to preserve that very “feel”. I’ve met so many wonderful people who were born and raised here in Mapleton and so many of them have graciously welcomed me and my family here over the years. It is so tempting and natural for us to want to not let many more homes be developed here so as to prevent losing that element. I’ve come to learn that there is a big dichotomy surrounding this issue. On one hand we don’t want any more development to encroach on our way of life, yet so many of us ourselves moved here and encroached on those who were here before us; and even further yet, the vast majority of us believe vehemently in limited government. That government should not get involved in our personal lives nor infringe on our rights. Especially our property rights and what we want to do with it so long as it does not directly bring undue burden or strain on others. These opposing thoughts plague our situation here in Mapleton.
After serving on the Planning Commission for 4 years and after witnessing dozens and dozens of different land use decisions, I have come to develop certain views on this issue. I believe the local government should do everything it can to uphold the vision of our community forefathers by preserving open space and discouraging development. The Mapleton General Plan and Vision Statement ooze of these concepts. The tools that the municipal government have to do this are limited and that is by design. We want small government. What the city council can do, and I believe should do, is scrutinize zone change requests that do not follow these guidelines. They can refuse to change the definitions of zones and area designations that do not align with what we as a community want to see our town become. The General Plan map must be reviewed often (I believe every ten years) in order to better fit our current and future goals for Mapleton. Aside from that the government must step aside and stay away from infringing on our citizens right to develop his/her land as they wish so long as it is in accordance with these zoning and land use policies.
I will commit to every Mapleton citizen that I will follow these principles when making any decision on any issue regarding land use.
Quality of roads, sidewalks
Sidewalks…. Do we as Mapleton citizens want the true country feel that includes asphalt to dirt road edges and dirt shoulders? Do we want curb and gutter and sidewalks constructed on every roadway? Or do we want a balance of both somewhere in the middle? I’ve learned the hard truth is that the city’s budget just cannot afford to pay for curb and gutter throughout town. Should the city take on a burden of a bond to pay for that? What we’ve been doing for decades is just the thing that most all other cities do and that is to force developers to pay for these roadway improvements as developments happen. That takes the burden off us as tax paying citizens to pay for sidewalks on the other side of town that we’ll likely never walk on but it also means that our city roadway shoulders don’t get improved for years and even decades. I personally believe that yes many of our roadways do not provide a safe walkway for our children to walk to school. We should do everything we can as city officials to provide safety corridors for our children to walk to school and we have and we continue to do that whenever possible. Last year we spent taxpayer dollars to put in sidewalks near Hobble Creek Elementary and this year we are using tax dollars to put in sidewalks near Mapleton Elementary. However, there are many other pressing things that our tax dollars should go towards at this point in time than paying for curb and gutter and sidewalks in areas that are just not needed. If my kids have to walk on a weedy shoulder, I’m just fine with that so long as that shoulder is wide enough to provide a safe distance from lanes of traffic. If there is no shoulder and they are forced to walk too close to dangerous traffic then yes, we need to do something about that!
Road quality…. This is something that I noticed right away when we moved here years ago. The roads were atrocious compared to other cities. That being said I’ve watched keenly how our city council and staff handled this particular issue and I’m happy to report that I’m actually quite impressed with how the Public Works department has handled road surface quality over the years. After a citywide survey was taken the results were overwhelmingly in favor of putting money towards improving our roads. The staff immediately put together a 5 year plan to resurface key roads, however there just wasn’t the funds to do it so the city council voted in favor of a monthly road fee from every household. This happened at the same time the council voted to lower our sewer rate and so it wasn’t much of an impact. The plan turned out to be a big success. A large number of significant roads in Mapleton have been resurfaced and increased penalties have been implemented to anyone wishing to trench into these new surfaces. Now staff is hard at work creating a long term maintenance and resurfacing plan for all Mapleton roads so we can all know exactly when our respective roads are scheduled to be improved. I think they are doing a great job with the funds we have. If citizens still have negative feelings about where we are at with road quality I would support looking at re-prioritizing funds to speed up the process and ensure more timely maintenance of roads in general.
Building a stronger working relationship with Springville City
I’ve lived in the Springville and Mapleton area for almost 21 years now. I’ve lived among and had wonderful experiences here with residents from both cities. I believe we have a wonderful situation as we share so many mutual interests. I’ve also witnessed some tension between the two communities. We have differences and that is healthy. Both cities citizens have differing opinions on many issues. One thing I know is that when people work together well, the results are always good and productive for both sides. I am committed to working with Mapleton staff and officials and Springville staff and officials to strengthen our already strong working relationship. One area that I’ve witnessed some tension is in the use of Springville’s assets such as their public library, their recreation center and Bartholomew pond. For Mapleton residents to feel entitled to free or discounted use of these facilities is like me looking over into my neighbor’s yard and thinking “hey, that’s a nice lawnmower, I should be able to use that whenever I want to mow my lawn.” Now, I realize that Mapleton residents spend a good majority of their shopping money in Springville and that that sales tax revenue all goes to Springville, however, we also need to remember that Springville residents pay fees and taxes towards bonds and costs for those facilities that sum much higher than Mapleton resident’s contribution in the form of sales tax. The question is just how much have I really paid for my neighbor’s lawnmower?
I believe that with my working relationships with current Springville administration we can sit down, crunch the numbers and determine just how much Mapleton can bring to the table in negotiating what both parties would agree is fair. I have already spoken with Springville council members and feel that they are willing to have these discussions. I believe we can improve our working relationship in this area and many others, and I hope that you agree. I hope that most of you are willing to join in this positive goal. I welcome your thoughts and feelings about this issue!
Common Questions I Get
What makes you qualified to serve as Mayor of Mapleton City? I have four years of experience on the Planning Commission, I’m half way through my second term as a City Council Member, I've served the community as a volunteer in many areas of the city for the past 10 years where I've learned about city issues past and present; I've attended or watched just about every Planning Commission and City Council meeting for the past 10 years and been able to watch what past council members have done right and what I believe was done no-so-right; For years now, I've been heavily involved in community service where I've been able to meet a very large number of Mapleton citizens and talk with them about what they like about this wonderful town and what they'd like to see improved. Of all the candidates running this election year, you won't find one of them that has come close to the amount of community service that I've done over the years and because of that, I believe I have the best understanding of what Mapleton citizens want, whether they live in the north, south, new south, east or west part of town. I see issues from both sides and have a talent for objectively analyzing perspective in problem solving. All these traits coupled with my knowledge and experience in running a successful business and my experience with city government operations, qualify me to serve as a Mayor.
What do you plan to do in the way of community outreach? I believe this is one of my strengths that helps me stand out as a candidate. I’ve proven over the years that I don’t do a lot of talking about issues, I roll up my sleeves and get involved. I have volunteered for years and continue to volunteer in many different areas around Mapleton where I’ve have the privilege of working alongside you the citizens. I love helping people and working with neighbors and friends to serve this community. In doing so I meet hundreds of people and hear their concerns. My commitment is to continue to do this. To bring transparency to the community, to reach out in person, phone conversations, social media and any other means available to help educate and inform all residents of current and upcoming issues, and most importantly glean from you what you as citizens want to see in our future decisions. I represent you.
What do you see as the major challenge Mapleton must solve in the next 2 years and how do you propose to solve it? I know a lot of us really see growth as a major challenge and it truly is. Dealing with the effects, good or bad, will be our biggest challenge, however in all my dealings within the city departments, I believe that there is another big challenge that most citizens aren’t aware of. There are some looming costs that are fast approaching and our lack of revenue will not be able to handle the payment of these costs. One of the biggest cost is the recent upgrade to the sewer plant that we share with Spanish Fork. New regulations have forced the plant to be drastically upgraded and Mapleton will have to pay its fair share of the cost of constructing it for many years. That cost is near $20 million dollars. We operate on a budget that is much smaller than most Utah cities our size. We have our Public Works department that needs money towards planned projects (specifically pressurized irrigation and road improvements and maintenance), we have a large influx of citizens and that is increasing the use of our recreational programs, we have a Police and Fire Department that needs to grow to stay ahead of the emergency needs that are rising, and so many more things that cost a lot of money. Residential property tax sources and development fees that we are gaining with all the growth are just drastically too little to handle the needs. I believe I have the skills, talents, understanding and connections with the right organizations and people to help not only entice a modest amount of low-impact businesses but also other creative revenue streams for the city that will not require a bustling commercial presence. I believe in living within our means.
What do you see as the major challenge Mapleton must solve in the next 8-10 years and how do you propose to solve it? I would say that the impact of the rapid growth is the biggest long term challenge. The way I would handle mitigating negative impacts is to plan for and to control the growth using the limited tools that city governments have. Our foundational principles in Mapleton's government strongly favor a person’s property rights. As long as a property owner follows the outlined requirements to subdivision policy and zoning regulations are met, there is nothing city government can do to stop them. That is our right as land owners despite anyone else's opinion. Therefore, the only real control the city government has is to establish keep the Master Plan and General Plan map updated, create solid zoning laws and regulations, then stick to them. Our predecessors have laid a very good foundation here in Mapleton that strongly discourages high density subdivisions, loss of open space and poorly planned growth. The best thing the city council can do is to review and update the Master Plan and the General Plan map making sure that every neighborhood is planned for in the manner the citizens feel is best, then scrutinize future zone change applications. This helps to prevent unnecessary increases in density in areas where it is not desired.
What is you your vision of the present growth of the city? Basically the same answer as the previous question. Unfortunately, growth is inevitable, despite our strong desire for Mapleton to stay small and rural. The best thing we can do is control it in ways where we can. To prepare for it by strategically preparing our infrastructure, increasing our tax base revenue to help pay for the impacts and for city provided services, and by setting design standards so that all the new homes and businesses are appealing and fit our community.
What is your position on current city taxes and assessed property taxes? The last time I researched it, Mapleton was one of the highest taxed cities in the state. Top 5 I believe. Part of the reason why is because of what I stated earlier, we as a community have not wanted businesses in town so we have had to pay higher taxes to cover the city costs. The city receives revenue from property taxes, from sales taxes (from the limited number of small businesses we have here already) and other fees. I feel like the dynamic of Mapleton has changed a lot in the past 10 years and now the majority of citizens would like to see some relief from such high taxes. I am committed to work on bringing that relief in conservative and creative ways that won’t adversely affect our country town feel but I also feel like we need to “live within our means.”
What will you do to encourage more businesses to open in Mapleton? I do support an increase in commercial presence in Mapleton for reasons stated above. There are limited ways city government can work toward bringing in businesses. The city planners years ago already did a decent job zoning responsible areas along the highway that are designated for commercial use. One thing I would support is looking into negotiating (temporary) tax incentives, discounted impact fees, and other creative incentives to help entice the right type of businesses into our commercial zones. Unfortunately, one of the biggest incentives for businesses is lots of homes and that is something that most of us want to limit. I believe the balance will be convincing them to build their business here but rely not only on our limited households but also on Spanish Fork and Springville residential capacity to help bring customers.
What is your position on the city pressurized irrigation system? Should the entire city be on it and if so, when? Should potable and irrigation water cost the same? The PI system is something I've been watching and studying for a few years now. It is an infrastructure system that is in a tricky scenario right now. There are so many neighborhoods that are dry piped but not hooked up to the system. The cost to run main lines to these neighborhoods is quite high because of the distance they are to the nearest source. Although the city always requires developers to install PI system piping throughout new developments the city cannot afford to pay for these main connections between the neighborhoods that are considerable distances away from each other and from PI sources. The city does have an incentive to get them hooked up, though. The more citizens we have hooked up, the less culinary water is used for landscape use and the PI income from these new users will help pay for PI development. The Public Works department is doing a great job connecting where they can and when they can with what funds they have. However, we will shortly come to a point where we will have to decide as a city whether or not to spend the money to run main connection lines to get large neighborhoods connected. I don't believe that PI water should cost the same as culinary. The whole idea is to provide cheaper water for outdoor use (yes for everyone who chooses to use PI) and high quality water for culinary use. I plan on working to get to this point as soon as we can. I also believe that those farms that are still holding strong and using open ditch irrigation water should be allowed to continue to use that source for as long as they want and for as long as that system is functional. This is not controlled by the city, it is controlled by the irrigation companies.
What are your feelings about the monthly road fee? How is the fund being used and monitored? This is actually something that I've been keenly watching for the past 5 years. I participated in a city wide survey and one of the most highly evident complaints from citizens was poor road conditions. I participated in evaluating these results as a Planning Commissioner and watched the City Council make clear decisions based on the results. It was very clear that the council made a conscious decision to act on the strong wishes of the citizens concerning road conditions. They decided to go with the $8 fee because it was a way to earmark the money specifically and ONLY for road improvements. They did a very good job at creating a 5 year plan to use the money and repair and resurface most of the main corridors in town. Now, did they follow through....? The answer is a definite yes. They succeeded in resurfacing all the roads they had budgeted for plus a few more because of some strategic savings throughout those years. I know there are a lot of citizens who struggle to see the progress because the roads they live on and drive on were not done, but the results were definitely positive throughout the city as a whole. Now that that 5 year plan is over what now? Well, the city Public Works department continues to work on priorities so far as we have the funds to work on them. Drastic increased costs over the past two-three years has diminished our ability to pay for as many road improvements as we had planned
What is your position on TDR's? I support the TDR program despite its issues. There are a lot of incorrect rumors that have spread throughout the city about TDR's but overall the TDR program has been highly successful in preventing development on the mountainside. We could very easily be seeing homes up on the mountainside like there are in Springville had it not been for the TDR program. There are many people who disagree with the increased density that it has caused down in the other areas of town but I feel that generally it has been a successful program. My plan is to work towards finding a fair exit strategy of the TDR program and to continue protecting our open space by being more careful of where we allow zone changes, if at all. We as elected officials and staff are already working on potential ways that we can build an exit strategy for the TDR program. Finalizing the last of the TDR certificates that are still out there on the open market is a priority for us. We all want to see this program finalized.
What is your position on the requiring of traffic studies, road studies and road improvements for developments? I am very supportive of requiring all of these. I have voted to require them on most all the issues I've been a part of on the Planning Commission over the years and I plan to continue to do so. The unfortunate truth is that the actual data from traffic studies and road studies isn't very useful in helping us and citizens see the true negative impacts of new subdivisions. These studies almost always only reveal the impacts of minimum required traffic flow rates and the roads ability to handle a designated number of vehicles. They don't really reveal the real impacts of congestion, noise, and safety concerns. I would like to work towards creating new studies that will help us better see the tangible data that affects us as citizens.