While Oakley faces pivotal questions about growth and identity, City Council candidate Christopher Dillman said he would be a voice of caution as the community considers its future.
Dillman has a background in civil construction and a deep love for community that he hopes will serve residents well if he’s elected to the Oakley City Council. He’s running for City Council due to what he described as a disconnect between officials and the community, particularly around development, and his platform emphasizes collaboration and fiscal responsibility.
“I love the community and the people within it, and we’ve been blessed to be here,” he said. “I want to pay that forward and work to serve the people within the city.”
Originally from South Jordan, Dillman graduated from Riverton High School. That’s where Dillman met his wife, Marissa, whom he married in 2005. Her family moved to Oakley in 1999, so he spent time in South Summit as a teenager during the summers — even attending a few rodeo celebrations.
Dillman served a mission in Wellington, New Zealand, and attended Snow College in Sanpete County, as well as Salt Lake Community College. He ultimately graduated from Utah Valley University with a bachelor’s degree in construction management, a natural fit for someone who enjoys working with his hands and being outdoors.
Now, Dillman works as a heavy civil contractor for Ralph Wadsworth Construction in Draper. The job involves working on public contracts such as highway projects across Utah, Colorado and Idaho. Dillman started as an intern and worked his way up to a project executive. He oversees teams — leadership and problem-solving experience he says would be valuable to the City Council — and is heavily invested in the Utah Transit Authority’s FrontRunner double-track project.
Work and family circumstances led Dillman and his wife to buy a house in Oakley 12 years ago. They’ve been raising their four children there ever since. Dillman said he’s been fortunate not to witness any major changes in the community since he arrived, except for the development of the village core area, and he enjoys the small-town, outdoor, agricultural feel of the community.
He’s been active in the community, including supporting local trails. Dillman also serves on the Oakley Rodeo Committee, a role he’s held for about three years after showing up at meetings for an entire rodeo cycle. His favorite part of the Oakley Rodeo is before the competition starts, when the flag girls come out and the entire arena joins together to say a prayer and sing the National Anthem.
Dillman was inspired to run for City Council after listening to the discourse surrounding the city center development and witnessing frustration from residents who felt like they weren’t being heard.
“There seems to be a pretty distinct disconnect between what the council is discussing and taking action on and what I hear from friends and neighbors and people in the community relative to issues,” he said.
The vast majority of people had negative feedback regarding the proposal, according to Dillman. If elected, he wants to move forward “very cautiously” to make sure Oakley doesn’t lose its character. Dillman said he’s not that interested in trying to bring more people into the community, and that people who are attracted to Oakley enjoy the rural way of life.
Dillman added that he isn’t afraid to disagree with people or be a dissenting voice. He said the City Council is in charge of determining what is good for the community and moving forward with it, but Dillman thinks there’s been less input and less discourse about the issues. His campaign advocates for cautious, transparent decision-making.
If elected, Dillman said he would prioritize addressing critical sewer infrastructure needs and foster consensus about controversial development issues, like the city center development.
Another priority would be promoting fiscal responsibility and seeking new revenue streams beyond commercial development. Dillman is interested in finding cost-saving opportunities without undue tax increases. He said he has practical experience managing budgets and teams in his professional life.
To Dillman, Oakley is a beautiful, patriotic community.
Dillman is one of three candidates running for Oakley City Council. The others are Amy Regan and Kerbee Leavitt. Voters will elect two on Tuesday, Nov. 4.