SALT LAKE CITY -- After several years getting to know the inner workings of Salt Lake City government on the council side, Erin Mendenhall says she’s now focused and fired up to start her new job as mayor of Utah’s capital city.
She wasted no time addressing the media Thursday morning about her transition team and the immediate goals of her new administration.
Those include trying to tackle high-profile issues like air quality and homelessness, knowing that consensus and cooperation will be needed to make those plans a reality.
“I've been in city hall long enough to know that on the one hand I have a path, on the other hand there's a lot of conversations that we're about to have with this transition that is commencing today that will inform how we execute, how we get there in the most efficient, representative and inclusive way as we can for our capital city," Mendenhall said.
Mendenhall also said she will not ask for the resignations of those in appointed positions, like the chief of police, then make them re-apply for their jobs—which is something that often happens when a new mayor is elected.
Having been a part of city government for several years, Mendenhall already knows the people running those departments and feels they are qualified and already in place.
