Why vote for Allen Tietjen: I am running for Salina City Council because I desire to help out Salina and bring a new voice to the table. I have lived in Salina for a few years and really love so many things about it! A question I’m asked frequently is how do I pronounce my last name! Tietjen rhymes with “kitchen”! My pioneer ancestors came from Germany and settled in New Mexico and Arizona.
Local Issues I care about:
Affordable housing availability
Opportunities for our children
Keeping a small town culture
Pulling our community together
I am a problem solver. In my profession, I would assess a situation by talking to the people involved, learn the unique issues facing the organization and figure out to improve the product or business. I usually could figure out a successful plan that didn’t involve “reinventing the wheel”, using the strengths that already existed.
I have always combined my blue collar background, high tech knowledge, along with financial experience and found solutions. I believe this problem solving approach will be valuable serving on the city council.
Why I Am Running
I like to help my friends, neighbors and family. Serving others makes me happy and keeps me busy, as I work to improve the community I live in. Growing up, I participated in my small Alaskan community as we worked together to help deal with fires, floods, build houses and care for those that were injured or sick.
In my college years I volunteered in community programs such as Big Brother. I later helped out by coaching wrestling, soccer and finally mountain biking for my kid’s teams. I have served on various city committees and programs in other communities. I have served as an HOA president and dealt with those type of issues.
So, instead of staying on the periphery and wishing that “somebody” would improve Salina, I decided to run for Salina City Council and I need your vote!
Background
I grew up near Homer, Alaska. I am the oldest in a large family. My parents came to Alaska in 1961 from Arizona and started a cattle ranch that today would be considered living “off the grid”. In 1961, Homer was a small town of about 500 people on beautiful Kachemak Bay. https://www.homeralaska.org/ Originally, most of the supplies were delivered by barges twice a year.
My family had about 350 head of cattle and regularly put up 25,000 bales of hay. I grew up as an Alaskan cowboy, participating in local rodeos and helping my dad and family with the ranch. Interestingly, my family’s neighbors can be seen on Discovery Channel’s “Alaska the Last Frontier”.
I became frustrated with the ranch life because, although my family worked very hard, we never had enough money. I remembers a few times my family had no income and we had to depend on our food storage. In high school I participated in most sports my small school offered such as wrestling and cross country running. The graduating class had about 60 people in it. A few students from my high school are involved in the show “Deadliest Catch”.
After graduation I chose to attend Rick College to study engineering. I took a break from college and served an LDS Mission to Argentina. I then graduated from BYU with a BS in Computer Science and later attended University of Utah and got an MBA. I started my career during the early days of the Utah software industry at Novell in Provo. I worked there 20 years as an engineer, product manager and eventually a vice president. My job involved traveling all over the world and meeting with people from other cultures and backgrounds. I later worked at Family Search and a couple of small start-up companies. I was able to retire a few years ago. I currently own apartments out of state.
Family
My wife Mindi and I raised our family in Springville and Mapleton. We have 5 adult children and 6 grandchildren. Currently, our youngest son is serving a mission in Oaxaca, Mexico. A few years ago my parents moved to Richfield and we decided to leave the traffic and noise behind and move to Salina to be close enough to help them.
Interests
If it has 2 wheels, I like to ride it! I have ridden dirt bikes and motorcycles most of my life in Alaska and now Utah. I love to explore the local mountains on a side by side with my family. I also ride bicycles and have participated in many 100+ mile bike races. I also grew up hunting and now I like to shoot and reload. I dabble in handyman projects as I remodel my homes. My garden in Salina this year was the best garden I have ever grown!
I have really enjoyed being in a small town again and enjoying all the outdoor activities that are in this beautiful area. I enjoy exploring the local mountains, trail riding practically in my back yard, and riding my motorcycle on all the beautiful roads in this part of Utah. I have been impressed with the friendly people and who have helped me feel welcome! I hope I can serve the people of Salina and help improve this wonderful community! Please remember to vote!
Thank you for your consideration and past support.
Randy Christiansen
My wife Karla and I have been blessed to call Salina our home for the past thirty-five years. Salina is where we raised our family. Our children often bring their families to Salina, no matter how far they have to travel, Salina will always be their home.
I’ve been retired for the past five years which has allowed me to pursue one of my passions which is restoring muscle cars to their former glory. On most days I can be found at my shop tinkering under the hood of my cars. My shop has become a popular pit stop for friends, family, and neighbors to stop in and visit. I take pride in a job well done, the sacrifice and hard work it takes to get there, and the beautiful mountains. But more than anything I love spending time with my family. Karla is the cornerstone of our family; she supports me in all I do. She has sacrificed and stood by me through all the ups and downs.
My military and professional background has afforded me the opportunity to travel this great country and many places around the world. I have worked for some great companies and ran my own company.
Salina is more than just a town. There is a strong sense of community and fellowship here with our neighbors who share common values and interests. Salina is my home, and with my life experiences I hope to help maintain and build on an already amazing legacy. My duties as councilman are the swimming pool and library oversight, which include budget management and requests by department managers, Salina City beautification projects, and assisting compliance officer in maintaining city codes and ordinances. Other duties involve voting with other councilmen in approving building projects and permits in conjunction with planning and zoning ordinances. I see a promising future for Salina and its residents, and it would be an honor and a privilege to be able to continue to serve this great community as your councilman.
Richard Ryan
I have lived all over the American West, in places large and small. I have seen them boom; I have seen them bust. I have seen them muddle through. I moved to most of those places for employment, never really having a strong connection with the community. My wife and I moved to Utah and the Salina area because we were looking for that small, friendly community feeling, coming without thought of work or any existing personal connections. I enjoy living in Salina, but I see it balanced at the center of a seesaw where conditions, mostly beyond local control, can move us in either a boom or bust direction if we are not prepared. Both the COVID lockdown with the work from home movement, as well as the climate change movement and its assault on coal and other fossil fuels are two different ways the greater environment can modify things here.
I have worked at various jobs over the years, both blue collar and white collar. I have been involved in manufacturing, construction, retail, management, emergency, and information and technology services. I have worked for organizations as large as the Bureau of Reclamation for the government and as small as mom and pop, and even as a sole proprietor.
I have a bachelor’s degree in business administration and have used that education to assist other businesses and their operations. As I am now retired, I have concentrated my attention on volunteering with various organizations and agencies including the Red Cross, Medical Reserve Corp (MRC), Community Response Team (CERT), and amateur radio. I have previous experience with security and fire service organizations in other places when I was younger.
I applaud the mayor and council for addressing items that were not previously given enough attention. I know delayed maintenance has been a big issue. The information forums they held on the police and water issues were well thought out and well attended.
I think ongoing opportunities for the council to communicate with the community are being missed. The monthly utility bill is an excellent billboard that could be used for more than notifications about the irrigation stops and starts. I also note in 2021 Richfield did a community survey to get feedback for a general plan update. I am nervous about what VIEW 70 Salina LLC from Sandy has planned for the 400 plus acres at the south end of town- another item that could tip the balance in Salina.
Though I am a quiet man, I have a lot to offer and would appreciate your vote.
Earl Taylor
I have lived in Salina for the past 28 Years, I married Mindi Mickelsen Taylor in 1995 and we have raised 2 children, Tanner Taylor 24, and Rian Taylor 21, and like living in Salina, we enjoy riding dirt bikes and going to Lake Powell.
I have served the city for most of time I have lived here with a couple of years on Planning and Zoning and then 4 terms on City Council, we have accomplished a lot in that time including road projects, water projects, the upgrade and re-opening of the swimming pool. I have worked well with 4 different Mayors and think I can continue to help with my talents in construction and management, we have several new projects in process and some that will be starting soon. I also see as inflation continues to go up and our property taxes are continually on the rise, I like to keep in mind our citizens on fixed income and will do my best to keep those costs down.
