Six run in Marriott-Slaterville By JESUS LOPEZ JR._ Standard-Examiner staff MARRIOTT-SLATERVILLE - Keeping a rural atmosphere is on every City Council candidate's agenda as they run for three four-year seats. Seat A, Seat C and an at-large seat are up for election. Kent Meyerhoffer, 53, who sells Western Family foods for DeJarnett Food, won a tiebreaker to advance to the general election for the at-large seat. Meyerhoffer said growth is the main issue facing Marriott-Slaterville's future. "It's kind of fun to be with the community," Meyerhoffer said. "I just want to make sure the growth and the land is taken care of." Scott VanLeeuwen, 60, owner of the Gift House in Ogden, also seeks election to the at-large seat. He wants "common-sense" government. "Like everybody else, I'm for planning our growth," VanLeeuwen said. He wants to support the city's general plan. "Growth is coming and we have to be prepared for it," VanLeeuwen said. "We can't change the integrity of our city for silver dollars." Seat A incumbent Dennis Ilium, 52, serves as council president. "I feel that we need to keep the city a place for families," Ilium said. Besides focusing on growth management, Ilium wants to maintain the city's existing services without overspending. His challenger, Gerald Bischoff, 60, is retired from the U.S. Department of Labor. Bischoff said Marriott-Slaterville needs to Meyerhoffer VanLeeuwen Bischoff re-examine its policies toward growth, which were created 25 years ago. There are design concepts available that can manage density and preserve the rural atmosphere, he said. Seat C incumbent Rob Smout, 39, who works for AT&T Corp., served on the Slaterville Township Council before Slaterville merged with Marriott in 2000. He wants to maintain the city's growth and manage the city's budget. "I just have a strong desire to work with the community," Smout said. Robert DeVries, 65, is retired from Hill Air Force Base. He said Marriott-Slaterville property laws are too prohibitive. "It seems like anytime someone wants to do something with their property, they're stopped," DeVries said. "It just seems that they're too restrictive." DeVries said he wants to keep the city rural while protecting property rights.