Levi Tappan,
LP Arizona
2013 Candidate
for Page City Council
Levi Tappan spends most evenings going door to door, talking to people, shaking hands, and planting yard signs — all while spreading his Libertarian message of slashing millions in city spending and debt. He is confident that his neighbors, most whom he has known all his life, will not let him down.
“I feel pretty good about it,” he told LP.org. “We can make it.”
He has every reason to be optimistic. On May 21, residents of Page, Ariz., a small picturesque community in the heart of canyon country, will cast their ballots to elect three out of six city council members. There are six candidates left in the race, and three top vote-getters will get the coveted seats.
Tappan is confident that one of them will be his because, in part, of his success during the March 12 primary. During that contest, the ex-Marine, who was born and raised in Page, scored 15.9 percent of the vote. He finished second in a field of 10 candidates, which included prominent local businessmen and members of the community.
He lagged behind the winner, well-known local businessman Dennis Warner, by only 1.2 percent.
If elected, Tappan, who works as a sonographer at the local hospital, aims to promote business and cut government spending. Like many residents of Page, Tappan is concerned about the constantly rising cost of city government.
“The city budget has grown from about $15 million to $20 million over the last 10 years, and the population has practically remained the same,” he said.
He noted that the city has financed its most recent development projects through heavy borrowing, and ended up $16 million in debt. Just servicing this debt, he pointed out, now costs Page $1.2 million per year.
Tappan said that privatizing some money-losing facilities like the municipal golf course could be part of the answer.
Tappan’s deep Page roots are undoubtedly a big asset in this race. He was born at Page Hospital, where he now works, and graduated from Page High School in 1998.
“If you’ve had a baby in Page in the last five years chances are I’ve done an ultrasound on you,” he said.
