Syracuse City Candidate Forum - October 9, 2025

On October 9, 2025, the League of Women Voters of Davis County hosted a nonpartisan Meet the Candidates forum for Syracuse City. Candidates for mayor and city council discussed key issues including the city budget, affordable housing mandates, economic development, the Great Salt Lake, community involvement, and transparency. The forum was held at an undisclosed location and moderated by Nikki Nelson.

Public Comments & Testimony

• None documented in the transcript.

Discussion Items

Candidate Introductions

• Brett Cragan (Mayor candidate): Emphasized his background as an attorney, current city council member, and former planning commission member. His priorities are safe, strong, and secure Syracuse, focusing on first responder staffing and compensation, determining citizen priorities for services, and responsible financial management.
• Dave Maughn (Mayor candidate, incumbent): Highlighted his 25 years in business development for tech companies and his focus on attracting retail near freeway exits. He highlighted the successful recruitment of Costco as an anchor development and pledged to continue economic growth.
• Andrea Brown (Council candidate): Stated support for the current mayor's efforts, fiscally conservative measures, and attracting businesses to strengthen the economy and infrastructure.
• Gretchen Ivy Rulin (Council candidate): Emphasized her planning commission and finance experience. Her top priorities are quality of life enforcement and transparency in utilities and program spending.
• Abraham Pollard (Council candidate): A retired police officer and current graduate student in clinical mental health. His priorities are controlled growth, attracting responsible businesses to reduce the tax burden, and public safety.

City Budget Management

• Dave Maughn: Described the budget as a year-long process with monthly sales tax reports. He defended using a small portion of the rainy-day fund as a backup plan, noting that Syracuse had budget surpluses for over 10 years. He stated that the city does not rely heavily on federal funds.
• Andrea Brown: Advocated managing the budget as if it were neighbors' money, avoiding tax increases as an easy button, and ensuring fees are tied to service use. She supports paying down debt with unexpected income and diversifying revenue through commercial growth.
• Gretchen Ivy Rulin: Proposed priority-based budgeting, funding core services first (public safety, water/sewer, roads). She supports transparent public dashboards, updated capital plans, self-sustaining enterprise funds, and treating windfalls as one-time money. She said federal dollars should not steer the city.
• Abraham Pollard: Emphasized fiscal responsibility, weekly budgeting, and taxes as a last resort. He noted the importance of protecting elderly residents on fixed incomes and using unexpected income to pay down debt and fund infrastructure.
• Brett Cragan: Stated that both last year and this year the city has a deficit budget where expenses exceed revenue. He outlined three options: increase revenue, cut expenses, or raise taxes. He noted that Costco alone will not solve the city's financial problems and that taxes have been raised in the past for essential services.

Affordable Housing and State Mandates

• Andrea Brown: Explained the state mandate requires a plan, not necessarily execution. She supports ADUs, basement dwellings, restricting bulk purchases by developers, and limited mixed-use zoning along commercial corridors with enforced commercial space and parking requirements. She emphasized maintaining suburban character.
• Gretchen Ivy Rulin: Advocated for townhouses, senior cottages, and mixed-use developments near main corridors, rather than high-density blocks in single-family areas. She stressed transparent developer partnerships and planning for infrastructure capacity before adding rooftops.
• Abraham Pollard: Argued the mandate does not require filling the city with apartments; he would push back at the state level. He supports controlled growth, ADUs, rehabbing older homes, and enforcing existing codes to avoid straining public safety and traffic.
• Brett Cragan: Called the state mandate unrealistic given that 76% of Utah's growth is from natural increase and only 9% of Utahns can afford the median home. He supports a mixed housing approach, ADUs, and responsible development on remaining land. He noted that the city currently has a balanced housing mix.
• Dave Maughn: Clarified that the mandate only requires a plan, not implementation. He explained that the city adopted a plan listing actions already being taken (e.g., mixed-use zones, high density near transit) to satisfy the state. He highlighted new development agreements that throttle growth to match city capacity.

Balancing Interests and 10-Year Vision

• Gretchen Ivy Rulin: Emphasized tying development to infrastructure capacity, supporting diverse small businesses, maintaining strong reserves, and avoiding borrowing for operating costs. She said economic health includes quality of life.
• Abraham Pollard: Stressed protecting property rights and listening to the community. He suggested attracting businesses that draw tourists from Antelope Island to Syracuse, partnering with city leadership to generate revenue and ease homeowner tax burden.
• Brett Cragan: Called for more resident support of local businesses to keep tax dollars in Syracuse and for attracting businesses that fit local needs, especially along the Antelope Island corridor. He said revenue generation is the key to avoiding tax increases or service cuts.
• Dave Maughn: Argued that new businesses bring sales tax, property tax, and jobs, which increase local spending. He described his ambassadorship role, attending expos and conferences, and stated that raising taxes cannot keep pace with growth under state structure. He said he works more than full-time as a part-time mayor.
• Andrea Brown: Praised the current balance and the Costco win. She supports farmland preservation, not pressuring farmers to develop, and providing reasonable housing for a quiet suburban lifestyle. Her 10-year vision includes more businesses, stable housing prices, low taxes, environmental soundness, safe city, and paid-off amenities.

Great Salt Lake and Water

• Abraham Pollard: Advocated for an active role at the state level, lobbying legislators to protect the lake and community. He noted water is a scarce resource in the desert and that growth has heavily impacted water usage.
• Brett Cragan: Acknowledged the lake's decline affects air quality and snowpack, but said Syracuse alone can do little. He praised current water conservation efforts like "flip the strip" and said action must be broader than the city.
• Dave Maughn: Described the lake issue as far beyond city capacity, noting the governor and billionaires recently raised $200 million for solutions—more than seven years of Syracuse's budget. He said the city can conserve water but cannot lead the effort.
• Andrea Brown: Expressed personal interest, attending a conservation summit and staying informed. She supports water conservation and low-water landscaping, and would participate in state forums.
• Gretchen Ivy Rulin: Encouraged water-wise landscaping that remains beautiful, smart irrigation, and city ordinances that balance conservation with livability. She said Syracuse is the gateway to the Great Salt Lake.

Community Involvement and Transparency

• Brett Cragan: Proposed three ideas: creating a review committee for city issues with council, staff, and public; holding community office hours in neighborhoods; and using robust software for citizen feedback on upcoming issues.
• Dave Maughn: Said transparency is at an all-time high, with required pre-publication of agenda items to prevent surprises. He encouraged residents to reach out to council and stated he personally responds to all calls and emails, including sharing his personal cell phone number.
• Andrea Brown: Praised current transparency and availability of officials. She would be available by text/email, post meeting summaries on Facebook, and proactively reach out to residents affected by issues to create ownership and stewardship.
• Gretchen Ivy Rulin: Proposed easier access to city information via short video summaries, dashboards, and plain language updates. She advocated for quarterly neighborhood town halls, partnering with schools and churches, publishing decision summaries after council actions, and rebuilding trust through presence.
• Abraham Pollard: Said Syracuse is already an example of transparency. He noted the city's web page and current access are good. He would maintain accessibility, be open to creative engagement like "Sunday strolls," and welcome dissenting views to learn and grow.

Closing Statements

• Dave Maughn: Running on his record of solving problems as a team. He emphasized not overstepping the council's role and using data-driven decisions.
• Andrea Brown: Described herself as a research nerd who will do the work, listen, explain decisions, and understand the implications of council votes.
• Gretchen Ivy Rulin: Said the election is about trust, not politics, and promised decisions rooted in facts and focus on residents.
• Abraham Pollard: Stressed he is a father, not a career politician. He values integrity, honesty, and will stand against what he believes is unconstitutional. He wants to keep Syracuse great for his kids.
• Brett Cragan: Reiterated his three pillars: safe, strong, secure. He called for more support for first responders, stronger citizen engagement, and financial security, urging people to vote.

Key Outcomes

• No formal votes were taken; the forum was informational and intended to inform voters.
• Candidates presented differing views on budget deficits, with Brett Cragan asserting a current deficit and Dave Maughn defending the use of rainy-day funds as a backup.
• On affordable housing, all candidates supported ADUs and responsible growth, with Dave Maughn clarifying the state mandate only requires a plan, not execution.
• All candidates emphasized transparency and accessibility, with varying proposals for enhanced community engagement.
• The forum concluded with a call for residents to vote and attend future city meetings.