Nonetheless, Patrick Dunlavy, who has served as Tooele's city recorder for 23 years, is running on his experience inside the municipal government.

Retired engineer Steven Bevan, on the other hand, is campaigning as the outsider who will bring freshness to City Hall.

In Tooele, the mayor is the city's top executive and earns $60,000 a year. Charlie Roberts stepped down from the position in September to take a state job.

Both candidates emphasize public safety, economic development and water as the most pressing issues facing the fast-growing city on the west slope of the Oquirrh Mountains.

In the past decade, Tooele's population has more than doubled from about 14,000 to 29,000. The spurt shows little sign of slowing as Wasatch Front residents discover the city's reasonable real estate prices, as well as its small-town pace and charm.

Preserving that lifestyle should be a top priority, according to both candidates.

But while the municipality has endeavored to bolster services to residents old and new, it has forgotten how to listen to taxpayers, said Bevan, who has served six years on the City Council.

"The people at City Hall aren't the city. They are the servants of the those who live in the city," Bevan said. "My advice to them would be to listen a little better. We need to make an effort to make [city government] more customer friendly."

Dunlavy counters that Tooele listened to residents when it expanded its recreation facilities. The city also doubled its police force, said Dunlavy, who has worked in the town's parks and police departments.

"The big difference between Steve and me is that I've worked in this city government for 38 years. I've dealt with all the financial issues. I know how the city runs."

Preserving Tooele's quality of life is the big challenge for the next decade, Dunlavy noted. Among other things, that means guiding the city's burgeoning commercial strip on the north end.

"We need to attract the right kind of businesses and identify the places they should go," Dunlavy said. "We have to try to make sure [the commercial] district isn't stretched too far north."

But Bevan said the city should focus on attracting light industry that will provide more jobs for residents.

"A lot of our residents have to commute to work," Bevan said. "We'd like to keep people in town so they don't have to travel."

csmart@sltrib.com

Steven Bevan

* Age: 57

* Career and political experience: Engineer for the Federal Aviation Administration. Six years on Tooele City Council.

* Fun fact: Avid golfer and 2005 co-champion of the Tooele Men's Senior Association golf tournament.

Patrick Dunlavy

* Age: 58

* Career and political experience: Tooele city recorder, 23 years. Tooele Police Department, 11 years.

* Fun fact: Enjoys spending time with this four children and four grandchildren.

Where they stand on issues

What is the key to economic development for Tooele?

* Bevan: We should attract business and industry that provide jobs for residents so they don't have to commute to the Wasatch Front.

* Dunlavy: New business will follow population growth. We have to identify the places where we want business to go.

Does Tooele have enough water for future growth?

* Bevan: The city has a lot of water rights but you can't drink rights. We have to get that water flowing.

* Dunlavy: Right now we have excellent sources of water. But we need to plan for the long term and need to identify new sources.

Does the Police Department have enough officers?

* Bevan: Yes. We have one officer for every 1,000 residents. But we have to maintain that.

* Dunlavy: We do have enough staffing right now but we can't let that slip. Public safety has to be at the forefront.

* City Council race (two at-large seats): John L. Hansen (i), David K. McCall, Doug Redmond (i), Scott Wardle.