Meet the candidate: Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, running for reelection
Oct 22, 2024, 6:00 PM
Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson speaks during the Salt Lake County mayoral debate at the University of Utah’s Eccles Broadcast Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
(Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
As Election Day nears, KSL NewsRadio is interviewing candidates to get their stance on today’s issues. Keep an eye on our election coverage as we continue to speak to the 2024 General Election candidates.
SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson is the Democrat incumbent in the Salt Lake County mayoral race.
Wilson has held the position since she was appointed in 2019 and elected in 2020. Wilson graduated from the University of Utah and received a master’s in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.
Wilson spoke with KSL At Night hosts Leah Murray and Maura Carabello on Oct. 21, 2024. A partial transcript and full podcast are below.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
HOST MAURA CARABELLO: I want to start with … cost of living. What role does the county play?
And what are you looking at in terms of maybe big initiatives and wins you feel like you’ve had in the past? Where are you looking in the future on the issue of people’s pocketbooks?
MAYOR JENNY WILSON: When we talk about economy, there’s so many market forces that impact our bottom line. You look at federal policies and at the local level, I think what I’m attempting to do is to make it easier… for people…
We have rolled out a vast amount of new trail in the southwest quadrant just beyond Herriman [with] our Yellow Fork Canyon system and Butterfield Canyon…
There’s a new NICA [National Interscholastic Cycling Association] course for high school bikers. They couldn’t compete in our county and had to go elsewhere. So that’s one example of a free asset that Salt Lake County has worked with partners on to roll out.
I just made what was a pretty significant move, and I had no idea how popular it would be, to move to our rec centers being free for kids. So we’ve wiped away those fees, we’re getting more and more kids using the rec centers … And their families are more engaged now as well.
Mayor Jenny Wilson on maintaining quality of life in Salt Lake County
HOST LEAH MURRAY: Is there an overriding thing that makes Mayor Jenny Wilson the right person for this vote?
WILSON: Well, it’s really the preservation of our quality of life… and staying on top of the challenges.
We have a vast amount of trails in our county…We have a vast library system.
Additionally, just the growth demands. We have people moving to our county because they know we have an amazing quality of life and a diversified economy. We also have a high birth rate. Even though the rate is dropping, we’re still one of the highest in the nation.
So if you look at those pressures, we have to be wise about where and how we build.
CARABELLO: The county ZAP, Zoo, Arts and Parks tax is up for renewal. Have you taken a position on the county ZAP?
WILSON: We are willing to put a very small amount of our tax towards arts, culture and recreation. The ZAP tax is vital to making sure we can keep our rec centers renovated and refreshed…
And then, additionally, the ongoing, regular support for literally dozens and dozens of arts organizations and cultural organizations rely on the ZAP revenue. I support it.
Please listen to the interview in its entirety, below.
