WEST VALLEY CITY — Utah's second-largest city now has a new manager.
Ifo Pili started Monday as city manager for West Valley City. He previously was the city manager for Las Cruces, New Mexico.
"When this opportunity came knocking it’s one I was really interested in because of my friends and family that lived in West Valley City," he told FOX 13 News. "All proud to be a part of this city and the diversity that came along with that."
Pili took a different path to his role in municipal government. He played college football for Brigham Young University before going pro with the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, including an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIX.
"My whole goal was go play professional football and go back to Samoa where I grew up and help with government. I made a pit stop along the way in Eagle Mountain, Utah," he said. "That’s where I began my career in local government and fell in love with the city and everything that has to do with local government."
He joked there can be similarities between professional football and municipal government.
"Sometimes there’s a little more action in municipal government," he said. "Certainly things you learn from football and being in a team sport translates into the workplace."
Since West Valley City has a part-time mayor and council form of government, the city manager oversees the day-to-day operations of the city. Pili will be the top ranked government official for a fast-growing city and Utah's most racially and ethnically diverse community.
"There’s a high concentration of Polynesians. In fact, I think one of the most, one of the highest concentrations of Polynesians in the country here in West Valley City," he said. " It’s not only Polynesians, you have Hispanic populations, Asians, people from all over the world, really."
As he settles into his new job, Pili said there is a lot he would like to accomplish and there is a lot that Mayor Karen Lang and members of the city council want to see done.
"Economic development has always been a focus of mine in all the cities I've been a part of," he said. "I’m sort of licking my chops at the industrial park right now. I see so much potential there."
The city council has expressed a desire to also see more community events take place like festivals, Pili said. There will also be work planned on improving West Valley City's infrastructure and community spaces. West Valley City will also be a venue for a potential 2034 Winter Olympics.
"This is a city that has been managed well and I think it’s certainly a city on the rise," he said. "I'm just happy to be a part of it."
