My name is Kevin Thomas. My wife, Daphne, and I have been married for 40 years. She was born and raised here. I wasn’t but I got here as fast as I could. I don’t have a single blood relative anywhere in the area except for my children and grandchildren, but my wife is related to many people in the area.
After we got married we settled here in 1985. We built our home where we now live in 1991. Together we raised 6 children. We have 13 grandchildren and they all live within 20 miles of us.
The reason all of this is important is to let you know that my roots are in this town and my desires for keeping our beautiful town a wonderful place to live is the same as yours.
Being a member of the City Council is not for the faint of heart. It takes grit and the development of thick skin. There are so many voices trying to persuade you.
Accomplishments:
When I was first elected and took office in 2016 Hurricane was not a destination. We werent even considered a place to stay for tourists visiting Zion. We had so few places to stay that most tourists were actually staying in St George, Cedar City or even Las Vegas.
We had hardly any restaurants in town and the City of Hurricane was merely a pass-through for those going to Zion National Park. We were not capturing very many tax dollars from tourists.
AirBnB's were a brand new idea that was just beginning to take off. All of the cities and towns in Utah had ordinances prohibiting renting out any portion of your home, short or long term. The first thing I did was to begin drafting an ordinance to allow people to rent out their basements and bonus rooms to people legally for long term or short term purposes. It took months going through the planning Commission, Public Hearings and City Council Meetings,taking the time to craft new ordinances that fit our cities desires and needs. Our ordinances served as a model for other cities to follow.
Over the years, as things have changed, I have also led the charge in modifying or clawing backordinances, or parts of ordinances to keep things beneficial and working smoothly for our city. I learned so much while on the council those first 4 years. When election time came around and my seat was up, there were many good candidates who signed up and ran including our great current MayorNanette Billings. I lost that election by just under 100 votes, but I couldn't have been replaced by a better person.
Then Covid hit along with trials and struggles that we had never faced before. We saw first hand how restrictive and how out-of-control even local governments can be. My youngest son Levi, who was 19 years old, died of a sudden, undiagnosed illness, just 5 years ago yesterday. I was so glad that I was not on the council at that time. A year later, with Covid restrictions fresh on everyone's minds, I decided that I had something more to offer our city. I wanted to protect our citizens from an over zealous government by standing with them to fight lockdowns, mandates and more.
I had also learned a lot about how to stand up for my own decisions, and to be truly independent as a voting member of the City Council. Taking a stand against the other council members, or the Mayor, or your own family members or friends, is one of the most difficult things you will ever face. Standing alone is not comfortable. But it is a critical part of representing the best interests of the city. You cannot be a follower, or a pushover. It takes courage and grit.
I'm also not too proud to admit when I was wrong. I have cast votes that I have regretted. All Council members have. Hindsight is always 20/20. But courses can be corrected, things can be made right, or made better the next time.
I take the time to study the issues. I take time off work to be there and attend every needed meeting. I meet with citizens who have concerns. I answer emails and I take phone calls. I am accessible and I lend a listening ear.
I can't promise that I will always take your side on an issue. I may disagree with you. But I will always do my best to listen, to learn and to work to find solutions to the problems we face.
I look forward to hearing from you and I will do my best to keep Hurricane the best city in the United States to live in.
