Joseph Needham

Joseph Needham is a fifth-generation Loganite. He went to school at USU and the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts in San Francisco. He works for the family business, SE Needham’s Jewelers.

Utah Statesman: If you are elected, how will you improve Logan?

Needham: When I first got on the council (four years ago), the very first important thing we had to work on was our city itself. We were financially broke, money was not being appropriated to getting things done, and we have been, for years and years, neglecting infrastructure, roads, other vital things that belong to the city … We were $1.4 million in debt with no reserves. We’ve rebounded the reserves, and we’re now at $6 million in our reserves for the general fund.

So now, since the city has been corrected, you could say, we’re appropriating a lot of money into better areas. We have cut a lot of different areas. We closed down the Municipool because it was losing a lot of money for Logan City. We broke off an agreement we had with the county for many many years, where Logan citizens were paying 75 percent of what happens at the fairgrounds. Now we’re going to be a true partner there and only pay 50 percent, and that’s saving money for Logan’s taxpayers. We’ve also found a new revenue source for the Ellen Eccles Theatre, which also won’t be coming out of taxpayers’ dollars.

I would definitely be staying the course when it comes to finances, but there are many issues that face Logan. Our sustainability, financially, and also sustainability in our building, and in our power department. Are we buying green power? Are we buying (legitimate) fuel routes? Coal was something that we recently turned down. We had an opportunity to buy into a coal plant and we said no thanks. Air pollution is related to that too. We also have 150 miles in Logan City of no sidewalks. I’d like to address that. I’d need to address our roads. We have tons of congestion on Main Street, and we don’t have many other road options. All roads filter to one, and it’s overcrowded. We have funded some major road projects that are going to be happening in this next year, but we still have to do a lot more.

Utah Statesman: What is the new revenue source for the Ellen Eccles Theatre?

Needham: We created an endowment, which is money raised that’s set aside, so they can live off the interest. The interest that they’re going to be receiving is replacing the revenue source of Logan City funds. It’s not perfect, but one good thing about it is that the revenue that they expect to have every single year will always be the same, and it’s actually more than what we were paying them … Now they’re no longer (vulnerable) to what a council or a mayor thinks. They have a revenue source, and they don’t need to essentially beg and plead to the council to give them the money that they need. The endowment has been raised up to about $5 million right now, and they can live off the interest of that money. We’d like to get it to $6 million, so our job’s not done, but we’re definitely in the process.

Utah Statesman: How will your decisions affect university students?

Needham: I’ve made decisions that do affect university students, and we are looking at many things that will continue to have a good effect on university students. One, for instance, which we’re discussing in two weeks, is the licensing of landlords. We talked about the poor quality housing that’s out there, and sometimes students are put in a situation that actually could be extremely dangerous, an apartment house with no smoke detectors that work or an apartment house that has no true fire exit. That’s one thing we’re addressing right away.

Utah Statesman: How would things be different if you are elected, as opposed to your opponent?

Needham: I think that vision is the major difference. When he was asked, “What’s the problem with downtown?” his response was, “It’s actually pretty good, it’s not that bad.” When they asked about the air, “It’s not that bad.” When they asked about coal vs. other alternatives, he said, “I would go with the cheapest source, not the cleanest.” I think we should be focusing on the clean … You ask me about any of those topics, and I’ll give you a totally different answer. My answer is no, there is a lot that needs to happen in downtown … That’s probably the biggest difference. I want to see where Logan’s going to be in 50 years. I’m concerned about our grandchildren and what they’re going to be growing up in, the quality of what they’re growing up in, versus let’s just stay the course. I think that we are in major changing times and we need to adapt to that.