This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
There are growing pains in Glendale as the new takes on the old.
The tension was on display this week as newer residents of the west side Salt Lake City neighborhood looked to replace the sitting chairman and co-chairman of the community council. The pair, Randy Sorenson and Jay Ingleby have held positions on the council for much of the past 18 years.
An unusually large crowd turned out to the recent meeting , expecting to vote for council candidates.
But Ingleby, the co-chairman, informed the audience that there would be no election. In an interview, Ingleby said that he and Sorenson were elected in January 2015 to two-year terms that extend to January 2017.
Resident Ray Wheeler was among those taking issue with that statement. Many in attendance read the bylaws as saying that members of the community council are to be elected in January of even-numbered years.
Wheeler made a motion to hold a vote and a commotion erupted, he said in an interview. Community activist Michael Clara, who was attending the meeting, advised the audience that an election was not on the agenda and therefore would not be legally binding.
"I told them, you can't come in here and hold an election if it's not on the agenda," he said in an interview. "I was trying to support the integrity of the process."
Another audience member, citing the bylaws, said residents could petition the community council for a special meeting if the council did not hold elections.
"I think the existing officers intend to extend their terms," Wheeler said in an interview. "New people are coming into the neighborhood and the leadership of the community council is uncomfortable with diversity."
But Ingleby said most of the people gathered at the Glendale Library had never attended a community council meeting. "As far as I'm concerned, I don't want to deal with a kangaroo court with people we have never seen at our meetings," Ingleby said. "I told them there is no way we can have an extra meeting this month."
A spokesman for Mayor Jackie Biskupski said community councils are independent organizations and that City Hall would not interfere with their internal affairs.
State Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, who represents the area, said she is willing to help both sides find common ground. But she added that she has not been asked to help and, therefore, cannot.
"My concern is that the community council is there to be representative of the community," she said. "All voices need to be heard and respected."