Dave Thomas

Now that I’m running for City Council, I get a lot of questions from many people. The one that has been surfacing lately is what am I going to do with all the traffic? As I was pondering that question, I noticed a man on a horse near King and Gentile.

He was riding up the road and seemed to being doing fine.

I then remembered the Dave Letterman top ten. So, I thought I’d make a list. So here goes.

Dave Thomas’ top 10 traffic problem solvers.

#10. Everybody get a horse. No need for stop lights, no need for lanes just go where you need to go and you’ll be fine.

#9 Put on a fit bit and walk or run to where you need to go.

#8 Odd people drive on odd hours and even people drive on even hours. Let me rephrase that. People with odd and even numbers on their driver’s license.

#7 Get a bicycle Cruiser with a basket on front. We have a gentleman in West Layton who gets around to everyone’s house to get a soda everyday using this method of transportation.

#6 Car pool, what a novel idea. Every day, 4 people plan their day so all could ride in one car.

#5 Have bus routes that would get everyone close to where they need to go.

#4 Go to a 3-day work week so you only drive every other day.

#3 Make all the Syracuse people pay a toll to use Layton streets. Now that may sound harsh, but these are only suggestions

#2 Make everyone use the front runner 10 times a month.

#1 Use patience. Traffic is not going to change, if anything, it will get worse. Enjoy the ride. Slap in some tunes that will mellow you out. Smile and find things that please you on your route. Smell the roses. Make it your time. Learn to relax so when you get home, you’re in a good mood.

As a council member I will try and do the best I can on traffic, but there are only so many roads and we keep growing by leaps and bounds. Thank you and see you next week.

Looking back

A few days ago, my wife and I went to the Black Bear Diner with some friends. As we read the menu, we noticed that there were old pictures and stories from Layton in the 60’s.  Lo and behold there was one of a trophy being presented to the 1969 LHS Football captains and coach for the season. I was one of those captains along with Gordy Eckersly. What a flashback. Old memories started to flood my mind. Layton’s population was about 9,000 people in 1969. We hung out at the Dipper and the Dairy Queen. I think there were only 3 or 4 policemen in the city at that time. I only remember 1 police car patrolling at night. The Fire Department was on Gentile just off of Main Street. We were a small community that worked at Hill Air Force Base, Freeport Center or were farmers. In west Layton we had Staley’s Market. In east Layton we had Food King and Safeway. What a great place to live.

         Now as I look at Layton I see all the changes.  The Mall, the big box stores, the houses, oh all the houses. I believe that our population is close to 80,000. Almost ten times what it was in 1969. Wow! What a ride. I write this not to get lost in yesterday but to realize where we are today. Many things really have not changed. The need for family jobs is still important. The need to control traffic is still there. As we’ve grown our Firemen and Policemen have grown in numbers. That will never change. As our city grows in population so does our need for security and protection of our citizens and property.

         As we continue to grow, as a Council member I can help with that. I can ensure that things will be smoother. We will not only build sub divisions, apartments, condos and town houses, that require quality amenities and green space that will make Layton a great place to live for years to come. Look at Commons Park. What makes it beautiful? It’s the trees. Did we plant them 10 years ago so they would look this great? No, they were planted over 60 years ago. This is how we must see our city. Look down the road and figure out what needs to be done. We can’t take a band aid approach and look short term. We must be a long term, forward thinking city to make it a desirable place to live and work for our children.

         We must be willing to find the best process for change that will meet the goals and desires of Layton City citizens. I want the people who live here to have a voice and become involved in making decisions. No, you will never get everything you want. But, when have you? We can work together and to make the best improvements possible.

         That is me in a nutshell. Thanks for listening.  See you next week.