Midvale City 2021
Mayor and City Council Elections

We wanted the people in Midvale City to get to know Marcus Stevenson better and so we asked him some questions. Below are the questions and his responses.

Marcus,
As the elections get closer, we know it’s hard to reach out to everyone in Midvale and to discuss everything that’s on their minds. To help the residents of Midvale get to know you better we would like to ask you some questions about things that have been on the residents minds and we’ll be posting the answers on several Facebook pages that the residents use and on the LivingInMidvale.com website. Many candidates like to give the “canned” responses with quick and general answers, but we would like to hear how you really feel about the issues and how you plan to approach them.

Over the years there have been a lot of high density housing built. What is your feeling about this construction?
I don’t consider myself pro or anti development. From the many conversations I’ve had at people’s doorsteps, this increased growth has made many residents feel frustrated and disconnected from our city. The reality is that as the US population continues to grow, so will Utah’s, and with it Midvale’s. Our city needs to be ready for this demand in growth, but we have to do it responsibly. I believe our city can continue to grow without giving developers the many incentives we have in the past and grow smartly by ensuring any new development is walkable and is zoned for mixed-use to ensure local access to open spaces and grocery stores.

What plans do you have to help create green spaces in Midvale to offset all the high density housing and large business buildings that are currently being built?
I’d like to see all neighborhoods have direct access to open green spaces. I’m fortunate to live near both Midvale Middle School and Midvale City Park where I can take my family to burn off energy. This kind of walkable access to these spaces is something all Midvale residents deserve. If I’m elected mayor, I’d push any new development to have plans to incorporate open green spaces. Further, our city should be evaluating neighborhoods that already exist, but where empty lots may exist with it. These small neighborhood lots could be used for either parks, community gardens, or other options for green spaces.

With all the development in Midvale, a lot of the buildings and places in the city that reminded us of our history have started to disappear. What can be done to help preserve the rich history of Midvale?
Part of why I love Midvale is because of the character it holds. I believe our community can change while also holding onto much of the character we love. Part of what this looks like to me is revitalizing Old Downtown Main Street. This is only one example, but with much of the new growth our city has had, we should be using some of that new tax revenue to invest in revitalizing Main street. This way, as we grow we can invest in maintaining Midvale’s history while also continuing to bring our city forward.

The Midvale Museum has a new home, what are your plans to help promote the museum and give it the funding it needs to be a place where people can go to learn about our heritage and take pride in our city.
I’d love to see our city working with our many community centers to help promote the Midvale Museum. This means working with our schools to get field trips to the museums, while also encouraging the Boys & Girls Club, the family homeless resource shelter, the senior center, etc. to take their members to the museum. Further, the city should be working with the Midvale Arts Council and the Midvale Community Council to find ways to better promote the museum.

How have you already been involved in serving Midvale and its residents, if so, what have you done?
I’ve been involved in community organizing efforts, across the state and in Midvale, for 10 years. Most of my involvement has been centered around engaging people into the civic process. This means registering people to vote and educating them about how to vote. Further, I’ve worked to educate voters about policy issues, ballot initiatives, and candidates.

What do you have planned to help give Midvale a better image?
I don’t believe Midvale has a bad image. That doesn’t mean we don’t have challenges or issues to fix, but I’m proud to be a resident of our city. The things that I think hurt Midvale’s image are the things us residents view inwardly among ourselves. I unfortunately believe our city is torn in many ways. Lower & higher income, new & old development, East & West are all examples of this. When speaking with residents I almost always hear about a divide they feel is happening in our city. If I’m elected mayor, I’ll work to bridge these divides, to give everyone a seat at the table, and ensure that we make progress in making everyone proud of their city.

Many people in Midvale would like to see events come back to the city like blocking off Main Street for activities like festivals, dances, social events, etc. What ideas do you have that can help bring back the old “small town” feel that Midvale once had?
Though bringing different activities into Midvale is something the city has been working on, we have to promote, promote, promote. As somebody with a long history of community organizing, I know first-hand that just putting together an event does not mean people will know it’s happening. The city has to recognize that every person collects their information differently and therefore promoting these types of events needs to happen through many different avenues. Further, we should be working with our many different community groups such as the community council and the arts council to reach as many people as possible.

What can we do to make Midvale more of a destination location?
Revitalize Old Downtown Main Street. Growing up, I spent a lot of time on Ogden’s Historic 25th Street, which I think is a great example of what a city can do with a historic street that is really struggling. 25th Street is now booming with local eateries, breweries, festivals, etc. If our city invests properly into Old Downtown Main Street, I truly believe that this area will become a destination location.

If you had a friend or relative visiting, what would be your favorite place to take them to in Midvale and why?
Bohemian Brewery for the great food and drinks. Then I’d hop on the Blue Line Trax Train and head to either a concert or soccer game at Rio Tinto (I know that’s not Midvale, but I love that we have such close proximity to the stadium).

What ideas do you have to help bring art to Midvale’s Main Street and surrounding areas?
I’d work with the Midvale Arts Council to best bring art to Midvale’s Main Street and surrounding areas. I’d personally like to see the sides of our brick buildings on Main Street be covered in murals that represent the many different cultures and histories we have here in our city. I also think having physical art installations from local artists would be great. Again, I’d work with the arts council on the best ways to make those things happen.

What “out of the box” ideas do you have for Midvale that can help make it a unique place for people to come and help boost our economy and not just be another city in Utah?
Starting Midvale’s transition to 100% renewable energy. Yes, this is possible; no, it doesn’t mean everyone will have solar panels on their house. Many cities in Utah are already taking steps to transition to renewable energy because it will save their residents money. Midvale can help boost our economy by saving our residents money on their electricity bills by making this switch.

Describe, with specific examples, how you would expand and diversify Midvale’s economy.
In order to diversify Midvale’s economy, I see two specific things the city could work on. a) Creating what I refer to as “fully developed neighborhoods.” This means ensuring our neighborhoods are walkable, bike-able, and public transit accessible with direct access to open spaces and grocery stores. A key to this will be ensuring that development is zoned for mixed-use. b) The city should be working to make Midvale a regional hub. As the “mid-valley” city we have the ability to play a critical role in Salt Lake County’s economy. We should be working in a regional capacity to bring in new businesses while working on issues that cross our city lines.

How important are parks and trails to the city of Midvale?
Parks and trails are incredibly important to Midvale. The city has been discussing trails along Midvale’s two canals and the Trax line, which I fully support. I would also support further projects to increase trails. Further, I want to see more open green spaces across our city. Any new development should have plans to incorporate open green spaces, while also evaluating empty lots in neighborhoods that already exist to see if those could be turned into parks, community gardens, or other options for green spaces.

What can we do to improve the city’s environment and parks?
Improving our city’s environment is one of the biggest reasons I decided to run. Professionally, I work in air quality and renewable energy policy for a small local non-profit and improving our environment is what I work on each day. To improve our environment we can a) begin our city’s switch to renewable energy b) require that any new development is sustainable by ensuring the development is walkable and is using clean technologies, such as electric water heaters.

To better improve our parks, we need a designated Parks & Recreation Department that is fully staffed. This will ensure our parks are adequately maintained, updated, and safe for everyone.

Is the city too involved in what people can do with their homes/property? Why or why not?
I think this depends on the issue. Overall, I’d say no the city is not too involved because I don’t believe most people in Midvale are having issues with the city controlling what they can or can’t do. However, I do know there are still several people who have run into issues where I think the city should be more flexible. As an example, our city should make it easy for our residents to xeriscape their lawns, especially with our increased drought and water fees.

Recently Midvale’s code enforcement has been a hot topic because they won’t respond to the residents emails and calls and when they do, the residents are treated rudely and many of the residents have been issued violations for items that aren’t violations or that code enforcement won’t help them understand what the actual violation is. What do you have planned to help the residents in Midvale feel like they are listened to and not being attacked by code enforcement.
I’d like to see the city do more to help residents understand what the codes are here in Midvale. To do this we need to increase active communication from the city to residents while also empowering our resident’s voices so the city can better understand which codes should be removed or updated. With this, the city needs to be more flexible in considering updates to our codes.

How can the city help strengthen neighborhoods and build the community?
I see a couple different ways the city can strengthen neighborhoods and build community. a) The city needs to do a better job at creating positive relationships with its residents. This means bringing residents into the decision making process and giving them a seat at the table. We need our residents to feel empowered and respected by our city. b) The city needs to better promote the free events it holds. If the city can get residents to attend different community events, that will help make our community even stronger.

What can be done to create more opportunities for our youth to serve in Midvale?
Our city needs to have a designated Parks & Recreation Department that’s fully funded. Having this department will allow our city to better create opportunities for the youth in our community. Further, I’d like to see the city do more to bring our youth into city government. This could mean having a city youth council or some other group that allows youth to get civically engaged.

How do you plan to get better feedback from the residents in Midvale City?
Active communication & outreach, listening, and action. My whole career has been built around engaging the public and bringing them into the civic process. The city has the ability to communicate with residents on important issues via mail, phone, text, online, etc. and we should be using those many different modes of communication to residents. Further, our city should be holding public forums / town halls on important upcoming issues to actively engage residents for their feedback.

Do you feel that community gardens are good for Midvale? Explain why we should or shouldn’t have them.
Yes! I’m so excited that a community garden is in the works for our city. Not only does a community garden help build community, but this is a great way to build resilience in our community from growing our own food. I also think community garden participation should be encouraged at our schools and organizations like the Boys & Girls Club, where we can engage youth in this process.

If you don’t win the election, what do you plan on doing to help improve Midvale?
From the many conversations I’ve had, people have brought up some serious concerns that I’d like to continue working on. As an example, in my neighborhood UTA owns an empty lot that has caught fire several times. I’d like to work with our city and UTA to see what can be done with this lot. Further, the community garden is something my wife has already started to get involved with and I’d like to help see that through.

What would you do to make Midvale a safer place to live?
In order to make Midvale safer, I believe we have to focus on actually fixing the problem and not just putting a bandaid on it. This means pushing for community policing with more social services that’s focused on rehabilitation over heavy-handed punishment. By taking this approach, I want to ensure that our city actually addresses the root of the crime. I’ll work with the UPD and social services to best address our crime.