New Oath Brings Big Hope

On Wednesday, September 13, the City of Page City Council appointed Mr. Darby McNutt to fill the vacancy left by Council-member Sadler’s resignation last month. Mr. McNutt took his Oath of Office this morning at a 7 AM City Council Work session.

The recorded live broadcast of his oath taking, and the meeting is here, with his oath of office at the beginning.

LPNN had the opportunity to sit down with Mr. McNutt for a few minutes and discovered what this Marine and Archaeologist is about. Mr. McNutt has been in Page since 2011 and his wife’s family is originally from Kaibeto. Early on, Mr. McNutt experienced a lot of travel while growing up and had the opportunity to see many places around the country which helped strengthen his call for community service. Prior to moving here, Mr. McNutt and his family lived in the Phoenix Valley. With all his travelling experiences, Mr. McNutt has learned that he is a person who enjoys and appreciates small-towns more than the larger cities.

Prior to his new position on the City Council, Mr. McNutt was appointed to the Page Community Development Board in June of this year.

In his new position as a Council member, Mr. McNutt has several goals for himself and the community. One of which is that he wants to do what he “can to give the citizens a voice on the Council”. Mr. McNutt wants to help the community transition and prepare for the loss of the NGS Power Station, and is optimistic about the types of industry Page can attract to fill this loss, stating “Page is ripe for any industry, the sky’s the limit” for a stable, non-tourist based industry that Page can attract; however, he also understands that because of our surroundings, Page will remain a tourist destination and he is eager to aid in fostering that industry as well.

Mr. McNutt seems to be level headed, and would rather make decisions based on information provided by all sides rather than rash, emotional ones. When asked further regarding this, he wants to ensure that he does his due diligence to ensure what is implemented by the Council is the best for Page and its citizens. Mr. McNutt stated that he “shares a lot of the same concerns” citizens have, and does not want Page to be the true-life example of imitating art in the form of the Simpson’s monorail.

Mr. McNutt believes in being open and honest, and hopes that by being such, it will encourage greater communication between the City Council as a whole, and the community. From the sounds of it, Mr. McNutt wants to lead by example and is hoping the other Council members will embrace his actions.