Empower your neighbor to improve your community’s quality of life by voting for them.
It isn’t a presidential election, but your vote this November will guide how your city will grow and progress for the next two years.
City elections often have low turnout even though city decisions have a high impact on your life. Cities work to ensure your quality of life. When you drive on your neighborhood road, walk on your sidewalk, turn on your tap, flush your toilet, take out your garbage can, play at the park, call 9-1-1, or go to a 4th of July parade, you are connecting with your city.
As the Executive Director of the Utah League of Cities and Towns, I’ve had the honor of interacting with more than 1,500 mayors and council members across the state in our 255 municipalities. My grandfather was the mayor of Glenns Ferry, Idaho for 24 years so my love for local government runs deep. As a kid, I loved walking around town with him because everyone wanted to chat about this or that in town. From Scofield (population 28) to Salt Lake City (population 200,000+), our mayors and council members today are constantly chatting with their neighbors about the challenges and opportunities we face.
Local government is special because we elect our neighbors to be our community caretakers. Mayors and council members are not governing from afar on the other side of the country. Mayors and council members drive the same roads, walk the same trails, attend the same youth soccer games, and shop at the same stores that we do.
Almost every mayor and council member in Utah are part-time elected officials who put in a full-time amount of service for their communities in addition to their family lives, day jobs, and other duties. They are non-partisan public servants who are working to leave their hometowns better than they found them because we gave them the opportunity to do so. The quality of life that we enjoy today is in part due to the decisions that yesteryear’s public servants made.
For example, I remember when my parents took me to an open house that the late Murray Mayor Lynn Pett was hosting about some new idea for a park and trail system. Fast forward to today and the Jordan River Parkway is a regional jewel that has enhanced the quality of life of generations of Utahns.
This election has many important questions for cities of all sizes. How do we plan for Utah’s rapid population growth in a way that still fosters a sense of community and maintains an outstanding quality of life? How do we fund infrastructure—water, sewer, roads, sidewalks, streetlights, utilities, and more—in a responsible way? How do we invest in public safety to make sure that our communities remain safe places to live and work? How do we ensure that we have housing, parks, recreational opportunities, transportation options, and educational and employment opportunities for today’s and tomorrow’s residents? How do we build on the good work to date to preserve the Great Salt Lake and to improve air quality? How do we act locally in our cities in ways that partner with other stakeholders and benefit our region and our state?
You have a say in answering those questions because you can vote! Here’s the silver lining to the delayed election: you have extra time to learn about your candidates! With Thanksgiving approaching, I am thankful for the women and men who sacrifice their time and talents to run for city office and offer to serve. The decisions that occur at City Hall have an impact beyond the city’s boundaries. Your vote matters!
Cameron Diehl is the executive director of the Utah League of Cities and Towns, which represents municipal government interests with a strong, unified voice at the state and federal levels.
