Rob Woodall is running for a seat on the Rexburg City Council. He shares his thoughts on why he should be elected and what he feels is the biggest issue facing Rexburg right now. To find more on Rob Woodall, go to www.rob4rexburg.com. Election Day is November 7. Below is an interview with BYU-Idaho Radio. It has been lightly edited for clarity.
Chandler: So, let's get started with this question, why run for election?
Rob Woodall: You know, honestly, I feel like there's a lot of exciting things happening in Rexburg and in Eastern Idaho. And I feel like the position that I'm in, I can really represent Rexburg's demographic. I think my background in business within the city of Rexburg, having developed projects in the city of Rexburg brings some experience that not a whole lot of other city council candidates have and not a whole lot of people that currently sitting on the city council have.
Chandler: And so that leads me into my next question a little bit, is what do you have that other candidates don't?
Rob Woodall: So, honestly, a lot of it is there's not really anyone running … I guess, there are other people running that have business experience in Rexburg. I've been living in Rexburg now for almost the past ten years, full time. Um, on top of that, I run Madison Armory here in Rexburg, the local shooting range and gun store. I've done a lot of business in Rexburg. I've worked with the city on the other side of things, and I've seen how maybe the city has some ways that they could improve, some ways that we could better the processes that are within the city to streamline growth here in Rexburg.
Chandler: If you were elected, what would be one thing that you would focus on as a city council member?
Rob Woodall: One thing that I would really focus on is making sure that we have the foundation to grow sustainably over the next 20, 30 years. A lot of what's happening in the city is new. We don't necessarily know which direction the city is headed with growth. But if we do focus on a few key things, a few key parts of that foundation, I think that moving forward, we can set ourselves up for long term success as a city.
Chandler: What is the big issue that you see happening in Rexburg right now, and how would you address that?
Rob Woodall: I mean, I think the one that everybody loves to bring up is roads. We just got through having both Second East and Main Street resurfaced. Those are kind of hard ones, because at the end of the day, Second East and Main Street are both taken care of by the Idaho Department of Transportation. But, at the same time, we've got a lot of other road projects here in Rexburg that aren't necessarily on those two main arteries. And by putting in the money that we need to right now, I think we can really smooth things up in Rexburg. We can have roads that are clear, during the winters, of snow and ice and just overall have better traffic flow here in town.
Chandler: What is your message to voters if you got to sit down with them one-on-one or in a group? What would you say to them?
Rob Woodall: I think my biggest message is just going to be that we're kind of at a critical junction here in Rexburg and in Eastern Idaho in general. We have all of this growth that we're experiencing. That growth isn't necessarily going to go anywhere, and we have to decide what we're going to do with that growth, whether or not we're going to harness it to its potential and make sure that we're using it going forward sustainably, or we can kind of throw it away, and I don't want to see it thrown away. I think Rexburg has a lot of potential, and because Rexburg has a lot of potential, I want to encourage everyone to get out and vote. That way, we can grow Rexburg, we can grow it sustainably and make sure that we have this awesome city, not only now, but in years to come.
Chandler: Where can people go to find more information about you and your campaign?
Rob Woodall: So, honestly, if you just want to jump on, my website is robforrexberg.com. It's Rob, the number four, Rexburg.com. I've kind of got my main platform on there, kind of my big core principles, what I really want to focus on as not only a candidate, but when I get elected to city council, what I want to do and how I want to make sure that we keep Rexburg an awesome city.
Chandler: Is there anything else that you would like to speak on, touch on?
Rob Woodall: I mean, honestly, one thing that I do want to touch on is just like, I really love Rexburg. I love the city. I'm invested in the city. I have a business here. We've owned a home here now for the last four or five years. I've got two young kids that we want to raise in Rexburg. And, I mean, we're invested. And at the end of the day, the reason that I'm running is because I love the city. I love the people in the city, and I'm excited to make a difference.
———
To view the Candidate Q&A for another candidate, please select their name below:
City Council:
Brian Thackeray
Mayor:
Jerry Merrill