The Salt Lake City mayor's office announced the new hire Wednesday.

Valdez, 59, will take over from Mark Alvarez sometime early next month. Alvarez, a former immigration lawyer, resigned to pursue immigration-consulting opportunities.

Valdez's new post may last only a year, since Anderson is not seeking re-election and his second term expires in December 2007. The short-timer status didn't deter Valdez.

"I've already established a lot of networks and links and liaisons with leaders and organizations that serve the minority community," she said. "There's not going to be a learning curve. I felt I could contribute something meaningful during that short period of time."

Last year, Valdez retired after 22 years at the U.S. Small Business Administration. She was the assistant district director of the Utah office, responsible for its minority-business program. Upon her retirement, community leaders staged a public celebration to honor her work. She also has served on the Governor's Hispanic Advisory Council, the Salt Lake Chamber Minority Business Committee and with the Salt Lake branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Earlier this month, Valdez lost her Democratic bid to unseat Republican incumbent Assessor Lee Gardner. She also was the campaign manager for her husband, Mark Archuleta Wheatley, who won a second term representing Murray in the Utah House.

When Alvarez decided to resign, he recommended Valdez as his replacement. "I love Josie. The minority-affairs position here is a very good fit for her."

With her background in business administration, Valdez said she wants to boost economic-development opportunities for minority-owned businesses. "I want to begin to look at opportunities for growing minority communities financially so they can then have the freedom to concentrate on other things."

Valdez said she was involved with Anderson's campaignsÂ, and she looks forward to working with him again. "Even though he's considered a maverick, that's one of the things I like about him. I'm excited to join that kind of a forward-thinking organization."

Anderson's decision not to run again was expected to lead to a brain drain - and it has. His environmental adviser quit, and the city is seeking a new planning director, along with several planning staff positions. The Redevelopment Agency director also left.

Alvarez said he didn't want to leave during the last year of the administration. The timing now was right, because the city is in the midst of planning for 2007. Alvarez has worked on Salt Lake City Reads Together, SLC Gets Fit Together and the city's Bridging the Religious Divide program. He also acted as a liaison between the city and Spanish-language news media. He was the staff member on the city's nascent Human Rights Commission, and he worked with the police department to improve the relationship between cops and minorities and to recruit minority officers.

"I've been very happy to work here in Salt Lake City and wish everybody well," he said.

hmay@sltrib.com