Payson candidate profile: Mike Vogel

03/03/10

Mike Vogel is known for taking time for his constituents. He feels a true concern for the thoughts and ideas of Payson’s citizens, and says he has the ability to work with those who have differing opinions to achieve a common goal.

Currently serving the town as it’s vice mayor, Vogel has been on the council for four years.

He is a devoted family man with wife Stephanie, son Mike and grandson Mikey. Vogel is also a strong supporter of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Central Arizona, and enjoys taking the time to be a big brother in the community.

A Member of the Central Arizona Association of Governments and a Kiwanian, he was a Michigan Township Supervisor for eight years (the equivalent of Mayor). He is also a past president of the Payson Horseman Association.

Vogel is a retired firefighter after serving for some 22 years in Michigan, where he represented the firefighters in union affairs for 18 years.

As a councilman, Vogel claims that he does what is good for Payson.

“Payson is a great place to live, work, raise a family or spend your retirement years,” said Vogel.

“We need a plan now for the future. There is still much to do.”

He recently sat down and answered the following questions for the Mogollon Connection.

Star Valley and Payson are about to enter into a historic agreement regarding water rights, could you comment on that?

We started on it about six months ago. It started out slow, working on the issues. We made sure everyone was going to get along. Once that happened, I was okay with it. It’s great for both sides. I think Bill Rappaport has been absolutely fantastic to work with.

What do you believe is the biggest challenge facing Payson today?

Jobs. We have been busting our tail for the last 18 months trying to get companies to come in. We finally have one manufacturing company coming to town. There are four others that I’m in contact with. Kenny (Payson Mayor Kenny Evans) has a few as well. People are finally starting to talk to Payson again about bringing in industry.

What do you believe is the biggest asset that you bring to the council?

Generally, people find that I am a middle of the road kind of guy. I’m a little more conservative then most. If people really object to something, I give it my best to make sure the matter dies. For example, the council brought up the issue about raising property taxes. It was a 6-1 vote. I voted against it. Then they started thinking about it and at the next meeting the council voted it down 7-0. Is it a lot of money? Maybe not, but you don’t raise taxes when things are as bad as they are.

The council recently cut pay for town workers by 12.5% and raised their medical insurance contributions from 18% to 25%. Are those changes permanent? If not, when do you think they will be reversed?

We can’t change things for the time being, not until the state’s economy comes back. It’s that or lay-offs, and I think this is a better way. I know it hurts some people terribly, but we’re backed into a corner. Are there better ways to cut? We’re looking everyday.

What do you think the best answer to the question of how to provide “work force housing” is?

The reality is that apartments and small condos are what’s needed for a while, at least until wages come up. Some people say that everyone has a right to own a house, but some people will never own a house. People are tied to their wages. There are bargains out there if you can afford it. The problem is that so many people are out of work. When wages go up, we might see additional smaller homes. We need to build accordingly, especially for families with children. I would like to see more neighborhood parks. You have to plan parks around a housing development property, along with the gas stations and convenience stores.

How do you best think we can promote and encourage Main Street development?

To me it’s not just Main Street, but the entire town. I would like to see the First Friday event expand throughout the entire town. If we build up part of it, it should carry over to other businesses in town. When they first started First Friday, I didn’t think it would work, but they are getting tons of people there. It works. We help where we can, but we’re financially pretty limited at this point. The businesses will have to pick up the balance because we can’t do it.

Why in this tough environment of budget cuts do you want to be a councilperson?

Because you don’t give up. I think the job calls for long-term thinking, not just for the current budget. Also, I still enjoy it. Payson is a great town. It will make a comeback. It’s just that you have to set the foundation for a new start. The changes you make now will make it a lot easier to deal with in the future. For instance, we’ve gone out and started bringing companies in. Ten years is a long time to go between not having a new company in town. We’ve learned how to get people interested, how to work with them, and how to make sure that they get established during their first few years. We’ll go from there and change the attitude of the town and the town staff. It used to be that you didn’t do that. Now you sit down and you work it out. I’m dead serious about that. You sit down and you work it out.

What is your view on growth in Payson as far as business, industry, housing and population?

We are trying to get industry and a job base here. The population growth will be slow for another five or six years. I believe we have to think differently. We have to change things, continually make adjustments, and do what we have to do. It’s a tough economy out there and we have to do everything we can to get through the next few years. If the new college comes here it will open up a market for more specialty stores. More importantly, in my opinion, it gives us a pool to draw from for employees. People pay consultants to find out what they need to know about starting a business here, but we can tell them everything they need to know about this town. They need to come here with a business plan, and I will sit down and help them with it.

Do you have a solution for traffic congestion and whether or not we should reroute traffic through town away from the Beeline? If so, what route would you propose?

The reality is that nothing is going to change for a while. ADOT is broke, so they’re not going to do anything. The bypass is an idea, but is it going to happen in our lifetime? I doubt it. I never have a problem getting where I want to go. Some people, through habit, take the route that they want to take. I don’t know how to correct them. I honestly don’t have a way to make the traffic flow any better.


	Payson candidate profile: Mike Vogel 03/03/10 Mike Vogel is known for taking time for his constituents. He feels a true concern for the thoughts and ideas of Payson’s citizens, and says he has the ability to work with those who have differing opinions to achieve a common goal. Currently serving the town as it’s vice mayor, Vogel has been on the council for four years. He is a devoted family man with wife Stephanie, son Mike and grandson Mikey. Vogel is also a strong supporter of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Central Arizona, and enjoys taking the time to be a big brother in the community. A Member of the Central Arizona Association of Governments and a Kiwanian, he was a Michigan Township Supervisor for eight years (the equivalent of Mayor). He is also a past president of the Payson Horseman Association. Vogel is a retired firefighter after serving for some 22 years in Michigan, where he represented the firefighters in union affairs for 18 years. As a councilman, Vogel claims that he does what is good for Payson. “Payson is a great place to live, work, raise a family or spend your retirement years,” said Vogel. “We need a plan now for the future. There is still much to do.” He recently sat down and answered the following questions for the Mogollon Connection. Star Valley and Payson are about to enter into a historic agreement regarding water rights, could you comment on that? We started on it about six months ago. It started out slow, working on the issues. We made sure everyone was going to get along. Once that happened, I was okay with it. It’s great for both sides. I think Bill Rappaport has been absolutely fantastic to work with. What do you believe is the biggest challenge facing Payson today? Jobs. We have been busting our tail for the last 18 months trying to get companies to come in. We finally have one manufacturing company coming to town. There are four others that I’m in contact with. Kenny (Payson Mayor Kenny Evans) has a few as well. People are finally starting to talk to Payson again about bringing in industry. What do you believe is the biggest asset that you bring to the council? Generally, people find that I am a middle of the road kind of guy. I’m a little more conservative then most. If people really object to something, I give it my best to make sure the matter dies. For example, the council brought up the issue about raising property taxes. It was a 6-1 vote. I voted against it. Then they started thinking about it and at the next meeting the council voted it down 7-0. Is it a lot of money? Maybe not, but you don’t raise taxes when things are as bad as they are. The council recently cut pay for town workers by 12.5% and raised their medical insurance contributions from 18% to 25%. Are those changes permanent? If not, when do you think they will be reversed? We can’t change things for the time being, not until the state’s economy comes back. It’s that or lay-offs, and I think this is a better way. I know it hurts some people terribly, but we’re backed into a corner. Are there better ways to cut? We’re looking everyday. What do you think the best answer to the question of how to provide “work force housing” is? The reality is that apartments and small condos are what’s needed for a while, at least until wages come up. Some people say that everyone has a right to own a house, but some people will never own a house. People are tied to their wages. There are bargains out there if you can afford it. The problem is that so many people are out of work. When wages go up, we might see additional smaller homes. We need to build accordingly, especially for families with children. I would like to see more neighborhood parks. You have to plan parks around a housing development property, along with the gas stations and convenience stores. How do you best think we can promote and encourage Main Street development? To me it’s not just Main Street, but the entire town. I would like to see the First Friday event expand throughout the entire town. If we build up part of it, it should carry over to other businesses in town. When they first started First Friday, I didn’t think it would work, but they are getting tons of people there. It works. We help where we can, but we’re financially pretty limited at this point. The businesses will have to pick up the balance because we can’t do it. Why in this tough environment of budget cuts do you want to be a councilperson? Because you don’t give up. I think the job calls for long-term thinking, not just for the current budget. Also, I still enjoy it. Payson is a great town. It will make a comeback. It’s just that you have to set the foundation for a new start. The changes you make now will make it a lot easier to deal with in the future. For instance, we’ve gone out and started bringing companies in. Ten years is a long time to go between not having a new company in town. We’ve learned how to get people interested, how to work with them, and how to make sure that they get established during their first few years. We’ll go from there and change the attitude of the town and the town staff. It used to be that you didn’t do that. Now you sit down and you work it out. I’m dead serious about that. You sit down and you work it out. What is your view on growth in Payson as far as business, industry, housing and population? We are trying to get industry and a job base here. The population growth will be slow for another five or six years. I believe we have to think differently. We have to change things, continually make adjustments, and do what we have to do. It’s a tough economy out there and we have to do everything we can to get through the next few years. If the new college comes here it will open up a market for more specialty stores. More importantly, in my opinion, it gives us a pool to draw from for employees. People pay consultants to find out what they need to know about starting a business here, but we can tell them everything they need to know about this town. They need to come here with a business plan, and I will sit down and help them with it. Do you have a solution for traffic congestion and whether or not we should reroute traffic through town away from the Beeline? If so, what route would you propose? The reality is that nothing is going to change for a while. ADOT is broke, so they’re not going to do anything. The bypass is an idea, but is it going to happen in our lifetime? I doubt it. I never have a problem getting where I want to go. Some people, through habit, take the route that they want to take. I don’t know how to correct them. I honestly don’t have a way to make the traffic flow any better.