Wesley B. Curtis: A Voice for Iron County
I’m not a politician—I’m an Iron County resident who loves where we live. After living here in 2010 and returning in 2023, I’ve seen firsthand what makes our community special: our landscape, our values, and our people.My Commitment to Service
For the last three years, I’ve worked in local residential treatment, helping individuals overcome addiction. That work taught me that a community is strongest when we support one another, empower our neighbors, and focus on human potential rather than corporate profit. I believe in the principle of "teaching a man to fish," and I am ready to bring that focus to the County Commission.Why I’m Running
Our current leadership has drifted away from the people, favoring vague promises and industrial deals that threaten our natural resources and local character. I’m running because I believe Iron County deserves:
- Transparent Leadership: Honest answers and clear stances, not political scripts.
- Sustainable Growth: Supporting our local small businesses and ranches rather than expanding into our natural lands.
- Community-First Governance: Prioritizing the needs of our families, mental health resources, and first responders over corporate interests.
I am not here to play politics. I am here to stand for the families, farms, and businesses that make Iron County home. I am ready to work for you.
Iron County, It’s time we were listened to
For a long time now, it’s felt like the Iron County Commission has stopped listening to the people they were elected to serve. We see it in meetings where residents show up, voice their concerns, and leave feeling like nothing changed—because the decision was already made behind closed doors. The "Truth in Taxation" hearings for the jail that’s being built right now are the perfect example of this: folks poured out to speak, but the Commission ignored them and forced through a 0.3% sales tax increase anyway.
It’s not just one issue; it’s a pattern. By using loopholes to avoid voter approval and giving our tax dollars to out-of-town firms instead of supporting our own neighbors, the current leadership is making it clear that they’d rather get their way than work with us. They are treating major projects like something to be "shoved down our throats" rather than a conversation to be had with the community. We deserve a seat at the table before the deals are cut, not just a chance to complain after the fact. It’s time for a commission that treats us like partners, not just obstacles.
My Pledge: Bringing Transparency Back to the Commission
The current Commission uses a predictable playbook: bury notices in the back of the paper, check a box, and hope we don’t notice until the deal is done. They count on our silence to force through massive industrial projects like data centers and power stations before we even know they exist.
That ends now. Our neighborhoods aren’t line items in a developer’s budget. My policy is simple: if a project is good for our county, it should be able to stand up to the light of day. Before any major development moves forward, we will hold well-publicized town halls to ensure the people who have to live with the consequences get the final say. No more back-door deals—it’s time the Commission started working for us, not around us
The "Right to Know" Pledge: Restoring Transparency to Land Use
"I, Wesley B. Curtis, pledge to fundamentally overhaul our public notification process to ensure that no citizen of Iron County is ever again surprised by a major project in their backyard.
I recognize that current notification methods are outdated, intentionally obscure, and designed to minimize public participation. I commit to a new standard of proactive transparency, ensuring that 'notice' is not a procedural box to check, but a foundational requirement of our democracy. We will move from the era of 'public notice as an afterthought' to 'community awareness as a priority.