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Taylorsville • After interviewing 14 applicants, the City Council late Wednesday selected Councilman Jerry Rechtenbach as the west-side community's interim mayor.
Rechtenbach is slated to be sworn in at noon Thursday and will serve until January 2014. He replaces Mayor Russ Wall, who resigned this week to take a job as Salt Lake County's director of public works and regional development.
Rechtenbach said he will focus on economic development and neighborhood revitalization.
"I am excited to serve Taylorsville as its mayor," he said.
Rechtenbach is 60 and an independent insurance broker.
The five-member council held two rounds of balloting, first narrowing the field to the top three vote-getters, then approving Rechtenbach by a vote of 4-1. Councilman Larry Johnson was the dissenter.
The other finalists were Planning Commissioner Dan Fazzini Jr. and former Taylorsville Mayor Janice Auger Rasmussen.
The mayoral four-year term will come up for election in November, with the winner taking office in January 2014. Rechtenbach's seat on the City Council representing District 3 will be filled for the next year through the application process. The four-year council term runs until January 2016; the seat also will be up for election in November and the winner will serve the remaining two years, beginning in January 2014. After that, the seat again will come up for election every four years.
The mayoral applicants had to be registered voters, have lived in Taylorsville for the past 12 months and not have any felony convictions. They were Daniel Jon Armstrong, a certified public accountant; Cher Bailey, a Realtor; Fazzini, a city planning commissioner; Jon Fidler, a software engineer; Israel Grossman, a city planning commissioner; Laura Hyte-Richins, a nurse; Royce G. Larsen, a retired federal employee; Reed Noble Larson, a Realtor; Monnica Manuel, a business owner; Rasmussen; Rechtenbach, who has served on the council for nine years; Joseph S. Taggart, a tax attorney; Doyle Unsworth, a boilermaker; and Wendi Wengel, a business owner.
Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC —
What's next
Jerry Rechtenbach will be sworn in as Taylorsville's interim mayor at noon Thursday at City Hall, 2600 W. Taylorsville Blvd. (5325 South).