Briefly outline your work history, education, and personal (family) information.

My BS and PhD degrees are from BYU and the University of Nebraska, respectively. I currently work at BYU where I teach and have active research programs in basic and applied science. My wife Marci and our three kids have lived in Woodland Hills since 2003.

What major factor has prompted you to seek the position of city councilperson?

I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore... Joking! I love it here! But check out our last public opinion survey (web.me.com/whbyron) for a glimpse of our diversity. Some things that are closest to one person's heart are the bane of their neighbor's existence (i.e. ATVs). Does this mean we can't reach a consensus? No. Look at the section, "What do you like about Woodland Hills?" The answers are nearly unanimous - we love Woodland Hills for its natural beauty and the people who live here. By nurturing and protecting these resources our City Council has a solid foundation for working towards consilience.

I think sometimes City Council members and the Mayor can get so close to the issues they are championing that they lose their objectivity. Council Members and the Mayor must be able to separate emotion from reason and work in good faith in order to work out solutions that are in our best interest. I think this is something we need, and something I'm good at.

What particular strength, ability, or perspective do you bring to the council?

I think the skills in my scientist's toolbox will serve me well. My day job centers on my ability to sort through data and make inferences about their validity. Similarly, when someone wants to sell me on an idea, I want him or her to show me the data and convince me that their plan is best. But since money is tight, we usually can't afford to commission exhaustive studies before we invest in solutions to a problem. Often we feel we have to jump on what looks like a good deal while the getting's good. Sometimes we get lucky. But you don't have to look far to find examples of where 'jumping on a good deal' has come back to bite us in the butt. I think I'll be good at working through these kinds of things.

What do you consider to be the two most important responsibilities of a councilperson?

Administration and representation. My administrative responsibility will be to do my homework, get good data and advice, synthesize these into a plan of action, and then convince the citizens of Woodland Hills why I think my plan is best. Then, as a representative, I need to listen to what people think of my plan. If my final arguments aren't convincing, ignoring an overwhelming majority opinion and unilaterally pushing a program or ordinance does not build community, but instead disenfranchises my neighbors. I'm here to roll up my sleeves, lay the options out on the table, and argue for what I think the best course of action is. But I'm not so arrogant as to assume that you've elected me to do your thinking for you. See my web page for a discussion of majority rules, minority rights.

What do you believe to be the two most challenging issues that will face the city during your four year tenure on the council?

Maintaining our roads and our water system on a shoestring budget is the biggest challenge we face. But this problem is rooted in an even greater challenge - deciding on a common vision for our city's infrastructure, and establishing sustainable funding mechanisms. How fancy should our roads be? How much risk are we willing to live with concerning our water system? Some folks want reengineered streets and are willing to be taxed or assessed right now in order to pay for it. Others would rather have dirt roads than have their taxes go up. Most people want lower taxes, but a new well, new roads, new water lines, reengineered drainages, etc. Who wouldn't? I'm with them. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect our city to be able to do more with less.

Let Jack Marshall (Public Works Director) and his crew develop a 2, 5, and 10-year repair, replace and upgrade plan for the city's roads and water system. Jack could generate a "dirt road plan", a "maintain what we've got" plan, and a "keeping up with the Jones'" plan, for each of the 2, 5 and 10-year benchmarks. Next, we work with the city finance committee and finance director to set out some realistic, sustainable budget models that would be required to meet the different 2, 5, and 10-year development options. Once that is done, we are in a position to take these proposals to our residents and say, what do you want, and how much are you willing to pay for it?

Are you satisfied with the manner in which the city budget is developed and administered? Yes____ No__x__; if no, how would you change it?

I'd like to give our talented finance committee the freedom and encouragement to do what they do best, take their recommendations seriously, and discuss them in an open forum.

Do you believe that city residents should be more involved in the decision making process? Yes__x__ No ____; if yes, please indicate how you would achieve this.

Let's get back to letting volunteers help develop and manage projects in our city. We are bursting at the seams with talented, energetic people eager to participate when asked and respected. Volunteerism allows us to do more with less, but more importantly it fosters more open discussion and greater participation in addressing community issues.

The city's water system seems to be a constant source of problems; how would you address this problem?

Although funding structures are different, I'd address this problem the same way I'd address our road problems (see above). Additionally, our shared well leaves us pretty vulnerable. We should talk with Elk Ridge and Salem about sharing an additional well, and other ways to leverage resources and expertise to come up with solutions that will benefit all of us.

What percentage of the council meetings do you anticipate missing due to family, work, or other obligations? How do you envision this affecting your effectiveness as a councilperson?

I'll miss two meetings a year while I'm in Antarctica doing research, but recent ordinance changes allow me to vote by email. I don't think my travel schedule will be a significant hindrance to performing my City Council duties at all.