County Councilman David Wilde will champion that charge today as he introduces a resolution that will urge -- not force -- entertainment venues such as Hogle Zoo, Pioneer Theatre and the Discovery Gateway children's museum to diversify their governing boards.

West-side representation is too slim, the Murray Republican insists, for organizations that bolster their budgets with countywide tax dollars.

The Salt Lake Valley's premier cultural-arts venues are controlled overwhelmingly by east-siders. A Salt Lake Tribune examination of tax-supported attractions revealed only 13 board members, out of 238, hail from communities west of Interstate 15 - barely 5 percent. Even out-of-county residents are better represented with 46 members.

Meanwhile, east-siders make up more than two-thirds of these appointments.

Wilde, whose political district crosses into West Valley City and Taylorsville, says those attractions should change their ways.

"If we are going to be giving [Zoo, Arts and Parks] money that comes from taxpayers from all across the county," Wilde said, "then taxpayers from across the county deserve to have representation on these boards that ultimately are the decision-makers on how that money is spent."

Wilde will call on tax-funded entertainment venues today to appoint board members from each of the County Council's six political districts. He also will encourage those boards to broaden their gender and ethnic diversity.

It's not a mandate - even though Wilde would endorse such an order if he could get the council to go along - only a "strong" request.

The resolution appeals to Democratic Councilman Randy Horiuchi, who says he favors persuasion, not quotas, for diversifying the county's cultural-arts destinations.

"We want people to be aware that we are going to be scrutinizing [their boards]," he said, "and utilizing our bully pulpit to get people appointed that are geographically and ethnically diverse."

Discovery Gateway - which has no board members west of I-15 - pledged Monday to search out representatives from across the state's most-populous county.

"We are very, very open to it," spokeswoman Susan Bellomy said. "We intend to make a concerted effort to look for additional board members who have a passion and appreciation for Discovery Gateway from those districts."

And if the County Council has any suggestions, Bellomy added, the museum would welcome the names.

Utah's Hogle Zoo reached out earlier this year by recruiting former Taylorsville Mayor Janice Auger to its governing board - a step that Board President James Hogle promised to replicate.

Even so, spokeswoman Maura Carabello said the zoo must focus first on appointing people who "help put forward the goals and mission of the organization."

The east-side animal park at the mouth of Emigration Canyon is seeking countywide voter approval this fall of a $33 million bond to help pay for renovations.

Democratic Councilwoman Jenny Wilson remains skeptical of the resolution, saying it could lay too heavy a burden on the nonprofit cultural-arts community.

While the resolution doesn't require broader geographic representation, it's stern language could sound like a mandate or, perhaps, a threat.

Wilson says she's willing to encourage more diversity. But "mandating it, that goes beyond our appropriate role."

jstettler@sltrib.com

The resolution

Excerpts from a proposed resolution urging Salt Lake County's premier cultural-arts attractions to diversify their governing boards:

* Whereas, the Salt Lake County Council believes that expansion of governing boards to include people throughout the county will improve these organizations by offering opportunities to expand audiences, improve performance content and opening new possibilities for financial contributions; and

* Whereas, the Salt Lake County Council believes and determines that it is in the best interests of Salt Lake County residents for the governing boards of zoological and ZAP [Zoo, Arts and Parks] Tier I recipients to represent and reflect the geographic, gender and race diversity of residents of Salt Lake County.

* Now therefore, the Salt Lake County Council by resolution on this date strongly encourages all recipients of ZAP zoological and Tier I funds to begin steps immediately to diversify their respective governing boards to include geographic, gender and racial diversity, including, but not limited to, at least one board member from each Salt Lake County Council district.

Source: Salt Lake County