Shireen Ghorbani elected to Salt Lake County Council

SALT LAKE CITY — Former congressional candidate Shireen Ghorbani will get her day in government after all.

Ghorbani, who also ran for Salt Lake County mayor when former mayor Ben McAdams’ seat opened up, was elected to the Salt Lake County Council on Saturday.

Ghorbani beat out nine other candidates in a special election held by the Salt Lake County Democratic Party Central Committee. Her seat previously was filled by Jenny Wilson, who was elected to take McAdams’ place as County Mayor.

Ghorbani, who works at the University of Utah and heads the board of the Rape Recovery Center, said she was motivated to enter public service by issues like air quality, affordable housing and accessible education. She hopes to prioritize the interests of working families over corporations, and put mental health care and addiction treatment ahead of incarceration.