By Julie Johansen
On Tuesday, Jan. 4 at 12:30 p.m. David Robertson will be sworn in as the new mayor of Orangeville City. He is the son of Ruth and Ted Robertson and a lifetime resident of Orangeville. In 1974, Robertson graduated from Emery High School, where he was involved in a plethora of sports.
Following high school graduation, Robertson married Leta Mae Allred. They are the parents of six children, 18 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Robertson and his family have deep roots in the local community. His father and two cousins were killed in a mine explosion in Trail Canyon when he was young. He recalled going underground in the family mine with his grandpa before he even entered kindergarten.
Some of Robertson’s areas of focus will include helping to get the Orangeville Resort launched and operating, as well as other businesses and industries, to increase the tax base for the city. Another area is beautifying the city by encouraging everyone to gain pride and take care of the city.
Robertson also hopes to get citizens involved in the decisions of the city so that everyone can enjoy their community and prosper together. A community celebration on Memorial Day weekend and updating the names on the veteran memorial are also part of his plans.
And while Robertson realizes that he is just getting his feet wet, he feels that he has a good group of city council members to help him get started.
However, some areas of concern include transparency and communication between the council and the citizens. He wants to let everyone know what is on his mind and have everyone do the same. Robertson knows that change is hard, remembering when natural gas came into the coal communities, but knows it is inevitable and hopes the community will be willing to accept change as it comes. Robertson feels that the tax revenues are outdated and the tax base needs to be increased.
To conclude, mayor elect Robertson stated that he loves living in Orangeville and being involved in the community. He also shared that he is open to suggestions from members of the community during his time in office.