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Dear Lindon Citizens,

I wrote the following opinion piece, prompted by great concern over the upcoming election. I chose not torun for City Council again (as some have confused names, I am not Bruce Armstrong). I determined at theoutset that I would give my best while in office, wearing myself out, and then step aside, probably after twoterms. I am doing that, and I am confident that there are capable hands to whom I can hand off thisresponsibility. However, a few things really stand out in this election. First, some are campaigning in an

entirely different fashion. It has always been the case in Lindon that persons of good intent but of differentphilosophies stepped forward and presented enough of themselves so that people could choose, but neverhave we had campaigns that ran into the thousands of dollars, with websites, mailings, and hundreds ofsigns. For comparison, I think I had about 70 signs and printed up brochures on my home printer. Ifaggressive campaigning actually gets more information into peoples hands, that is good, and people needto know that you really do want to serve. But I see some of what is presumed to be information asabsolutely inaccurate, and for me, at some point it seems a line is crossed that reflects a belief that you haveto be elected because you are Lindons salvation. If you vote for someone whose total platform is to undowhat a long string of your elected officials have worked tirelessly to put in place, be sure that is what youreally want. Second, we see a real effort by some to convince Lindon citizens that their elected officials aregreedy and wasteful, with no recognition that Lindon has done great things because of our fortunate position.This is simply sowing seeds of discontent. Dont be surprised if such persons, if elected, continue to distortfacts to achieve their preconceived beliefs, rather than listening and working towards real solutions. (In the

last election two council members were elected on a platform of budget cutting, but because they were opento evidence and without personal agendas, have since admitted that their claims were wrong; they did not, infact, find a single thing to cut in Lindons budget that was not already part of the ongoing plan to handle thefinancial downturn.) Finally, I think there are issues of personality and general philosophy that candramatically change the style and direction of governance; for me, these are critical. We need statesmenand leaders, not critics or malcontents. Please vote, and vote wisely.

Bruce Carpenter

Lindon: On the Right Courseby Bruce Carpenter, Lindon City Council

Deseret News, November 3, 2011

I thank the citizens of Lindon for the opportunity to serve on our City Council these past eightyears. Observing and interacting with governments across the state taught me valuable lessons; andhow well these lessons are learned is a powerful force distinguishing successful cities which managewell and proudly serve from those which struggle. Let me share several lessons learned and then speakto the future of Lindon.

First, governments are formed to serve. As we become increasingly frustrated with federaloverreaching, we must guard against spill-over hostility towards government which performs well.Cities build infrastructure which serves us all, protect our daily lives, and guide the orderly progress ofpublic activities. We love to live in cities that do these things well, not do them less.

Second, ideologues and those with personal agendas tend not to participate well in the processof sound decision-making. General philosophies regarding government are helpful to guide priorities,but especially for local government they should always be tempered by listening to needs, changingcircumstances, and emerging understanding of how things actually work.

Third, can do attitudes lead to solutions, cant do attitudes lead to criticism, stalemate,

and stagnation. History teaches us that successful cities (natural resources aside) are always thosewith a strong public sector, a willingness to work together, and leadership with vision. These citiesaccepted legitimate taxation, worked together to create infrastructure (a century ago most taxation

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came in the form of cooperatively building roads, schools, etc.), and took responsibility for the qualityof daily life. The same is true today. Criticism is not solution, negativity is not prudence, and ignoringpublic need is not leadership.

Fourth, citizen leaders are humble. New ideas are often good, and course correction issometimes needed, but those who are convinced they have the answers fail to listen, work poorly withothers, and rarely grow in their ability to serve. Elected officials ought to wonder aloud about

decisions before them, probably campaigning mostly on their commitment to listen, learn, and thenchoose wisely. My impression is that great leaders are often reluctant campaigners, underscoring thetruism that campaigning and governing are very different activities.

Andfifth, citizens sometimes assume the worst about government, but respond to honestinformation. Any important decision pleases some and disappoints some. When leaders serve thewhole public, public activities collectively benefit all. All who truly wish to serve will happily supportgood activities, even if they receive no personal benefit.

Now to small, controversy-free Lindon. Our positive position arises from the goodness of itscitizens and the citys vision and steady course. We have a reputation of being well managed, prudent,

methodical, and responsive to citizens. There is a reason why Lindon was rated in national studies thelast two years as a best small town, why we have a distinctive look and feel that anyone can see, whywe attract top businesses, why we can supply the benefits that citizens seek, and most importantly, whyour citizens love to live here. There is room for continued improvement; indeed, fiscal responsibilitydictates that we move no faster than means allow. A key is that all major decisions in the last 20 yearsinvolved considerable public input, with a close eye to what we can afford and citizens really want.We count ourselves lucky to actually enhance life rather than cut critical services.

Lindon is blessed by a strong tax base which allows for a good level of service from only amodest tax burden. Some may try to convince you that the burden is high; but the truth is that our cityproperty tax, even with our recent increase (about $60 per year for the average home), is lower today,relative to family income, than most of the preceding 30 years. Only 14% of our property tax goes tothe city. With one city increase in 30 years, the amount a family pays to the city, after correction forinflation, is still less than one-half of what it was in 1980. Because of inflation, when cities do notraise property taxes to match, they grant a de facto tax decrease. Our one increase was fully open andwell-reasoned to (1) cover an increased public safety budget after moving to full-time fire protectionand (2) provide better fiscal stability by reducing dependence on the volatile sales tax (it worked, as wemove effectively through the economic downturn without drastic measures). Some may offer a bogusanalysis on per capita taxes which ignores the sizable taxes paid by business and industry (moreplentiful in Lindon than many cities) and is simply a criticism that the city has developed a strongbusiness tax base (where is the thanks?). If Lindon citizens moved their homes to another city, theircity portion of property tax would be about the same; similarly, our other taxes are at the same rates asessentially all other local cities. InMoney Magazines recent article naming Lindon a best small

town, Lindons property tax (including school and county tax) was reported as averaging $1,573 perhousehold, whereas the average for the top 100 cities was $4,083, and the average for the top 10 citieswas $3,965. I would call that efficient.

I have chosen not to run again for city council, keeping my promise made eight years ago. Ourcity council will change from 58 years of collective experience in 2009 to only 4 continuous years in2012; we must be wise in our choices. I encourage you to ask yourself if you love living in Lindon. Ifthe answer is yes, vote to stay on course and elect city leaders who recognize that course and willprotect it.