Politics

West Valley City Councilman Don Christensen announced his plan Tuesday to run for Mayor of that city. Christensen says after current mayor Mike Winder declared he would not run for re-election, many of his friends and associates encouraged him to run.

“And I thought man if everybody wants me to run I’d better do it,” says Christensen.  “So I decided, I thought long and hard about it, talked to my family about and we decided that it would be a good…good step and we’d go ahead and do it.”

West Valley City Mayor Mike Winder announced today that he will not run for re-election later this year. Despite problems plaguing the city’s police force and a scandal where Winder admitted writing articles under a pen-name praising his city, he says he’s proud of his tenure as Mayor.

Winder says the $35K annual salary he receives as Mayor is not enough to provide for his family and he’ll be looking for a better paying job when his term ends next January. He says West Valley City’s economy blossomed on his watch.

Correction: In an earlier version we made the mistake of saying civilian contractors will be furloughed. That is not the case. Civilian federal employees will be furloughed.

The majority of Utah’s congressional delegation met with the U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff today to discuss key issues surrounding the future of Hill Air Force Base.

Rep. Rob Bishop, R-UT, says he feels good about the long-term viability of Hill Air Force Base after meeting with U.S Air Force Chief of Staff General Mark Welsh.

For the first time since the 1980’s, the Salt Lake City Planning Division is renewing its effort to create a master plan for the city’s future development. The public comment period for Plan Salt Lake began last fall and today the official kick-off of the campaign took place at Salt Lake City and County Building. Planning Division Director Wilf Sommerkorn says businesses and residents are an important part of this over-arching program.

Saratoga Springs Mayor Mia Love officially declared Saturday that she will run again for the congressional seat occupied by Democrat Jim Matheson. Love's announcement came during a speech to several thousand delegates at the Utah Republican Party's annual organizing convention.

“You and I have some unfinished business with Jim Matheson. So combining my confidence in you delegates, with the inspiration you’ve given back to me, we are stronger than ever, and I am certain, we will win,” said Love to applause.

Utah GOP Chairman Thomas Wright gave his final address to Republicans as their state leader on Saturday. Wright called on his fellow party members to be more inclusive.  

Thomas Wright announced earlier this year that he would not run for re-election as the state Republican Party leader.  At Saturday’s organizing convention, he called on Utah Republicans not to push away groups that may not traditionally embrace conservative values.

Utah Republicans decided at their convention on Saturday to keep their system in place for choosing party nominees. A proposal to raise the percentage of votes needed to avoid a primary sparked heated debate about how best to give lesser-known candidates a fair shot. 

Utah Republicans elected former state legislator James Evans to lead the state GOP.  Evans is the first African-American to hold the post. 

Outside of politics, Evans is the owner of Checkline, a payday loan franchise. Going into the convention, he had support from Utah Senate President Wayne Niederhauser and other state lawmakers in his bid for party chairman. During his speech at the GOP organizing convention, Evans showcased his experience and his ability to successfully market GOP values.

Some members of the Utah GOP Caucus favor changes to the delegate system that could increase the number of primary elections in the state, according to a recent survey. This weekend at the state Republican convention delegates will consider the proposed changes including an increase in the vote threshold candidates must obtain to avoid a primary.

Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill has confirmed that he and Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings are looking into whether or not the Utah Attorney General’s office has violated any state laws.

The State Government Operations Interim committee discussed today the possibility of making Utah’s Attorney General an appointed position rather than an elected one.