News Release

February 5, 2013

Salt Lake County Mayor McAdams Outlines His Vision in State of the County Address

In his first State of the County address, Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams pledged regional collaboration, bipartisanship and fiscal conservatism as he sets out to position county government for our rapidly changing times.

“I pledge a thriving metropolitan area that maintains our small town feel,” said Mayor McAdams.

Mayor McAdams looks forward to continuing to work with Salt Lake County Council members, independently elected county officials, city mayors, state leaders, business leaders and community members to make Salt Lake County the best, most efficient government it can be.

“I was elected into office with broad bipartisan support, and I intend to keep it that way. There is no need, and no place, in county government for anything but cooperation, collaboration and good sense leadership that earns the public’s trust every day,” said Mayor McAdams.

The mayor recognized that Salt Lake County has dual roles, one as a valleywide metropolitan government for nearly 1.1 million people, and one as a “city” government for over 160,000 unincorporated residents. In an effort to better manage these two distinct roles, Mayor McAdams has created the new Township Executive position to focus specifically on the needs of unincorporated residents; much like a city government does for their city residents.

“County government will provide strong regional leadership to all residents of our metropolitan area, we will be efficient and coordinated in our efforts while maintaining appropriate levels of local control and accountability to the communities we serve,” said Mayor McAdams.

Fiscal responsibility is the backbone of enabling precise focus and attention to the programs and initiatives the mayor is bringing forward.

“I am governing as a fiscal conservative. This means my policies will focus on helping Salt Lake County families keep more of their hard-earned money,” said Mayor McAdams. “My team is going to wring every conceivable inefficiency out of our system and provide even better service.”

Additional goals and endeavors the mayor noted in his speech includes the progression of new parks and trails in the county, expansion of the county’s afterschool programs, and leadership over planning and preparing for growth.

“My pledge to you is that by the end of my tenure as mayor, I will leave the county in even better shape than it is today,” said Mayor McAdams.

-SLCo-