Sakrison, who is serving his third term as Moab’s mayor, was born in Salida, Colo. When he was 2 years old, his family moved to the Seattle, Wash., area, where Sakrison lived until he graduated from high school. He spent the next six years in the U.S. Army National Guard before deciding he was ready for a change.
“I was really sick and tired of the rain,” he said.
That’s when he decided to call his grandparents who lived in Moab.
“I asked them if they had any gas lines here,” he said. “It was during the first oil embargo. My grandpa said, ‘Heck no, we don’t have any gas lines.’”
That was it for Sakrison. He put in his two-weeks’ notice, packed up his belongings and moved to Moab.
Sakrison originally planned to backpack through Mexico with his uncle and cousin. However, one thing led to another, and Sakrison found himself without enough money to make the trip.
“Back then, Moab was quite a wild and wooly place,” he said. “I had a little too much fun.”
Without the money to make the backpacking trip, Sakrison decided it was time he get a job. He went to work for Miller’s Supermarket, where Village Market now stands. During his time there he met his wife, Melody.
“She worked in the snack bar, and I worked in the grocery department,” he said. “We just kind of struck it up, and one thing led to another... That was 38 years ago this year.”
After leaving the supermarket, Sakrison spent time working for Plateau Supply, where he sold mining supplies. That lasted until the uranium bust in the early 1980s. Then Sakrison joined forces with current Moab City Council member Kyle Bailey and Sakrison’s uncle, Carl Rappe, to open the town’s second video store.
Eventually, Sakrison sold his stake in the store to Bailey. In 1986, he bought the Go-Fer convenience store that was located on the corner of Mill Creek Drive and 400 East and transformed it into Dave’s Corner Market.
“That was the same year I got into politics,” Sakrison said.
Sakrison dove into Moab politics after being urged by several members of the community. “I really wanted to give something back to the community,” Sakrison said. “I think we all have an obligation to give something back to the communities that we live in. It can take various aspects, but that was one thing that kind of piqued my interest.”
Sakrison has given back again and again. He served two and a half terms as a member of the Moab City Council, filling in for the half term after another councilmember left the community. He has also served on the Moab City Planning Commission, the Grand County Solid Waste Special Service District board, the Grand County Recreation Special Service District board, and the Southeastern Utah Association of Local Governments and the Grand County Airport boards.
Twelve years ago, Sakrison decided to throw his hat in the ring for the mayoral race, and he’s been doing the job ever since. Yet, with as busy as he has been, it hasn’t stopped him from finding even more ways to give back.
Sakrison is also well known for his work within the local Episcopal Church. In 1997, Sakrison immersed himself in the process to become an Episcopal priest. He is currently the Priest-in-Charge at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Moab.
Dave and Melody Sakrison have two grown children. Their daughter, Chelsea, and her husband currently operate Dave’s Corner Market, and their son, Kellen, is a bio-chemist who is doing drug research in Portland, Ore. They also have four grandchildren.
And through all those years and changes, Moab has definitely become Sakrison’s home – and hometown.
“It’s been the best of times,” he said. “It really has.”