Where does 2nd District Congressional candidate Charlene Albarran actually live?
On her filing to run for office (below), she listed a downtown apartment complex as her residence and a post office box as her mailing address. However, she still owns a massive luxury home in Park City and has identified herself as a Park City resident in numerous media interviews.
The timing of her move to Salt Lake City is sure to raise some eyebrows. Albarran, a former Miss Idaho, admits she moved into the Salt Lake City apartment on March 4. That’s just seven days before filing her statement of candidacy with the Lt. Governor’s office. Additionally, she lists a P.O. Box as her mailing address on her filing form.
In an email response, Albarran said she decided to rent the downtown apartment because the daily drive from Park City became tiring.
“We did keep out home in Park City, which we will use on Sundays and when our family comes to town,” said Albarran.
Albarran’s decision to move within the boundaries of the 2nd Congressional District makes some sense in light of our recent poll results showing 93% of Utahns think a Congressional candidate should live in the district they seek to represent. Living outside those boundaries does not prohibit someone running, as the only requirement to be a congressional candidate is that person must be a resident of Utah at the time they are elected. But, it does raise a legitimate question whether her move was motivated by a desire to tamp down any accusations she does not live within the boundaries of Utah’s 2nd District.
When reached for comment, Rep. Chris Stewart replied in an email, “I think our founders intended that our elected officials live amongst their electorate, but ultimately it will be the voters who decide if that’s important to them in November.”
Many of the businesses on Albarran’s LinkedIn profile list her Park City home as their operating address.
According to Zillow.com, Albarran’s Park City home is more than 8,700 square feet and worth an estimated $3.9 million. The website for the downtown apartment building lists their largest 2-bedroom apartment as just over 1,300 square feet.
