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Cottonwood Heights Journal

Four New Faces for Cottonwood Heights

Nov 05, 2015 01:52PM ● By Bryan Scott

By Cassandra Goff

Cottonwood Heights City recently hired four individuals: Aldo Montes and Jeremy Nelson have joined the police department; Dean Lundell took the title of finance director and Bryce Haderlie has the position of assistant manager.

Lundell is replacing Steve Fawcett, who announced his retirement earlier this year. Lundell and his wife, Amy, have two children, one son and one daughter, who both attend high school. Lundell grew up in Pleasant Grove and attended Brigham Young University, where he received a master’s degree in accounting. After college, he worked in various government positions in South Jordan for nine years before moving back to Pleasant Grove, where he worked as finance director for the past five years. Cottonwood Heights sparked an interest for Lundell because he was “impressed by the mayor and John Park’s [the city manager] vision” for the city.  He’s excited to work with the “great tax base” of Cottonwood Heights. In addition to his service in Cottonwood Heights, Lundell serves as an assistant state representative on the executive board for the Utah Government Finance Officers Association. An average day for Lundell involves working on projects and economic development. He is specifically working on getting up to speed with the budget, which is his primary responsibility. 

“City budgets are complicated,” he explained. “It’s the challenge of starting a new job.” Lundell would like to put together a financial plan to help with new development in the city and is excited for the economic potential of Cottonwood Heights.

Bryce Haderlie’s contract for assistant city manager was unanimously approved on Oct. 13.  Haderlie has been in municipal government for 22 years. During that time, he has worked in Centerville, Brigham City, Brian Head and West Jordan. He was the assistant manager and interim city manager in West Jordan before coming to Cottonwood Heights. Haderlie grew up in Star Valley, Wyo. and moved to Utah with his family in 2008. Haderlie obtained a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Utah State, as well as a master’s degree in public administration from Southern Utah University.   

He really enjoys working in communities that have tourist elements and is “looking for an opportunity to expand his knowledge,” so Cottonwood Heights is a great fit. He was attracted to the city because of the potential Cottonwood Heights has to develop commercial business and the economic potential of the skiing industry. He believes Cottonwood Heights provides a great environment for families.  

As assistant manager for Cottonwood Heights, he gets to “solve problems every day.” Haderlie defines himself as one who likes to fix problems with “training in conflict resolution.” He loves challenges where he can find win-win solutions and see something good happen. He enjoys meeting lots of different people, from residents to government officials.  In addition to working in the city, he loves woodworking and skiing. He is excited to be closer to the mountains because he likes to be outdoors. His most recent project was building an old-fashioned island in his kitchen with reclaimed wood. Bryce and his wife, Angie, have three older boys, one married and out of the house, one is attending Salt Lake Community College and their youngest a senior in high school. The family also has a bulldog named Bella. 

Nelson is a new law enforcement officer for Cottonwood Heights. He was sworn in on Oct. 13.  He started as a reserve police officer for Ogden City in 1997. After six years, he went to work in Alaska for one year. Then, he returned to the Ogden Police Department and worked until 2012. While with Ogden, he worked patrol, major crimes bureau, metro gangs and the homicide task force. He left Ogden once again to work as a law enforcement professional in Afghanistan for a year. When he returned, he took a job as the director of field operations for CBI Security. After three years, he decided to apply for Cottonwood Heights. 

Nelson also works as an instructor at the Weber State Police Academy and RM/HIDTA.  From his teaching he heard wonderful things about the Cottonwood Heights Police Department and community. He said, “The biggest factor to me in an agency is its administration. And Chief Russo and Assistant Chief Brenneman are the best.” 

His favorite part of being a police officer is “helping children and solving problems.” A Utah native, Nelson grew up in Weber and Davis counties. His family includes three daughters and a girlfriend who works for the West Valley City Forensics Department. In addition to work, he likes to spend his time around music. “I love going to concerts, collecting vinyl records and playing my guitars,” he said.  He is a fan of hockey; his favorite teams are the Colorado Avalanche and the Buffalo Sabers. 

“I am happy to be working with the fine men and women of Cottonwood Heights and I have never felt so accepted and welcome as they have made me feel here. I look forward to making a difference within the community and hope to share any knowledge I have gained over the years,” Nelson said. 

Montes is a new police officer for the city of Cottonwood Heights. He went to the Academy with Robby Russo, the chief of police for the city. On Oct. 13, after 12 years of working apart, they are reunited. Montes has been an officer for 12 years. He was with South Salt Lake Police for over 11 years. Russo actively tried to recruit him but he was very loyal to South Salt Lake. He was on unified special weapons and tactics for 10 1/2 years, where he had around 120 operations. He received the Domestic Violence Coalition award in 2007, which now sits in his son’s room. 

Cottonwood Heights provided “a change of scenery” because he wanted to be able to help citizens instead of just taking a report because South Salt Lake is a very busy city.  He felt like he “wasn’t doing enough” and he wanted to “have the time to help the victims and not just do a report and send it to detectives to complete.” His favorite part of the job is when the children wave or come up to shake his hand. “It’s a very simple gesture that assures you are in the right profession,” he said. Montes was born in Chicago but raised in Houston. He has two boys, ages 10 and 15, as well as a one-month-old baby girl. Montes loves keeping in shape. “I love jogging every day and my gym time. It’s therapy for me.” He likes to follow the Houston Texans, Houston Rockets and Houston Astros. Montes is excited to be joining the Cottonwood Heights team.