Good afternoon. What a wonderful day!

Thank you, Vili for that Beautiful National Anthem. Thank you ALL for participating in this time-honored practice of handing over the torch.

Thank you Salt Lake City and District 6 for giving me the privilege to serve as your Council member. I am honored to have this opportunity. And honored to serve with this great team sitting before us.

Thank you, Mayor Jackie and Councilmember Luke for your dedicated service and commitment to our city.

Thank you, Sarah, for being my soulmate and campaign manager. We did this together.

Thank you, Gregg, for your drive and passion and for the nudge to get me to run.

Thank you to all my volunteers who knocked on countless doors, wrote postcards, and believed in the mission.

Recently, I was talking to a group of students about getting involved in their communities and I made the comment that as an Army brat I had moved 10 times before I had my driver’s license and 10 more as a Naval Officer by the time my family and I moved to Salt Lake City. I had spent my entire life being told where my next home would be. I was never really part of a community. So, when Sarah and I finally got to pick a place to call home, our first real home, we chose Salt Lake City. It was an easy pick — the mountains, the 4 seasons, the arts, the music, the proximity to the airport. And now over 15 years later, I can say that what really makes this place the best place to call home are the people.

So, Thank you to the Jacksons, the Bartas, the Overfelts, Robin and Luann, Sue and Lisa, the lacrosse community and a whole lot more out there for making this a wonderful place to live.

Now, I get the privilege of representing these same people and this place that is my chosen home.

Now I have the honor of ensuring that SLC remains the amazing place that it is for years to come.

And, I am going to need your help to do it.

I was elected because I had many of you working with me and will continue to need your help going forward. This is our city and most importantly this is our home.

I am passionate about the health of our home, the land we stand on, the water we drink, and the air we breathe. More specifically, I am passionate about the quality of our people’s health and our planet’s health.

When we work together to make improvements to the mental and physical health of all our neighbors — whether they are swinging on the monkey bars at Liberty Park or moving into assisted living at The Ridge, we are more productive employees and business owners; we are more focused on students and teachers, and we are better family members and caregivers;
and when we care for our planet’s health, from the top of the H rock to Rose Park we are paid back in a beautiful place to hike, bike, play soccer, lacrosse, and enjoy the benefits of our big backyard.

I believe that when we focus on the health of our people and our home, we will solve problems and Yes, experience sustainable economic growth.

The problem is — the current thought process is backward. We think profits first with health and environment as afterthoughts. This profits first mindset is costing the Wasatch front millions in poor health and poor quality of life. And if we fail to take care of our environment and the health of our citizens, our economy will be negatively impacted. In this new decade, 2020, We must switch the dialog. We must think and act differently.

This is not going to be easy.

It takes discipline. It takes teamwork. It takes sacrifices.

I am up for the challenge. I hope you will join me.

Salt Lake City and District 6, thank you for giving me the responsibility to serve you.

To my fellow Council Members and Mayor Mendenhall, I look forward to working with you.

Have a Great Day.