Salt Lake City

Council District 3

The Avenues, Capitol Hill, Federal Heights, Guadalupe, Marmalade

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Your Council Member

Chris Wharton, District 3

Council Member Wharton speaks at SLC Public Library systems' 120 year anniversary event
Council Member Wharton speaks at SLC Public Library systems’ 120-year anniversary event

Chris was first elected to represent City Council District Three in November of 2017 and took his first oath of office in 2018. In November 2021, residents reelected Chris to another four-year term. Chris has served in several leadership roles on the Council, including Council Chair in 2020 and Vice-Chair in 2018 (his first year on the Council) and 2021. Chris also served as Vice-Chair of the Redevelopment Agency Board of Directors in 2019.

Chris is an attorney, small business owner, and community activist. As a sixth-generation resident of Salt Lake City, born in District Three, Chris has deep roots in the area.

Before being elected to the City Council, Chris served two terms on the Salt Lake City Human Rights Commission, where he helped establish the state’s first LGBTQ+ inclusive non-discrimination ordinances for housing and employment. Chris also served on the Utah Pride Center Board of Directors, where he led a nationwide coalition of organizations in filing an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court advocating for LGBTQ+ rights under the law.

Chris graduated from Westminster College with a degree in history before obtaining his law degree from the University of Utah. Chris operates his own small firm, focusing on family law, estate planning, and LGBTQ+ legal advocacy. Chris serves as a court-appointed advocate for children and has donated hundreds of hours of service through organizations like the ACLU of Utah, the Rocky Mountain Innocence Center, Equality Utah, and the Utah State Bar. In 2022, Chris was named as one of Utah Business Magazine’s 40 under 40.

In his spare time, Chris loves history, art, travel, working in his garden, and patronizing local restaurants and food trucks. Chris lives in the Marmalade District with his husband, two Corgis, and two cats.

District Three includes neighborhoods in the lower and upper Avenues, Capitol Hill, West Capitol Hill, the Marmalade District, Guadalupe, and Federal Heights. This north-side district is home to the State Capitol building, City Creek Canyon, the City Cemetery, the world headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, several hospital sites, and three historic preservation districts – the Avenues, Capitol Hill, and South Temple.