Why?

Football - Brigham Young University football, to be specific - and independence.

"I just wanted to leave home and get out on my own," Dolan says four decades later.

Quarterback sacks and self-reliance may have lured Dolan to the Wasatch Front, but it's not why he decided to stay. And it's definitely not how Dolan left his mark on Utah.

In fact, Dolan never donned a Cougar jersey. His playing days on the defensive line ended that same summer when he hurt his back in a car wreck. So he finished his schooling at the University of Utah and he left the state for work and family. But the West - and Utah - drew him back.

"After five years [in Washington, D.C.], we just wanted to get back," Dolan says.

He picked Sandy 25 years ago.

"When I moved here, all of our money went outside of Sandy," he says. "People shopped at Fashion Place or Cottonwood [malls]. We didn't have a single car dealership."

Dolan remembers when the first, non-fast-food eatery came to Sandy, in 1979.

"I was thrilled when Rafael's [Mexican Restaurant] opened," Dolan says. "Finally, a place to go and sit down and eat."

When Dolan became mayor in 1993, Sandy's financial foundation was shaky. There was a single car dealership and little entertainment. One of his goals was to build a firm economic base without hiking taxes. His first priority: Create a master plan for the city.

Turning that road map into reality, Dolan says, is about building partners.

"My role is relationships," the mayor says. "We went out and recruited Larry H. Miller. That's why we got the auto mall going. It isn't just about cutting ribbons and kissing babies. It's about building relationships."

Work with Miller also resulted in Jordan Commons, a restaurant/office building/movie theater venue near 9400 S. State Street. Across the street to the south, Salt Lake County built the South Towne Exposition Center, and now a Major League Soccer stadium is planned to the west.

Dolan's behind-the-scenes political connections - with the state, the county and other cities - are credited for landing the stadium and other commercial attractions.

"He recognizes the value of not trying to be a stand-alone mayor," says House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy. "He works well with other elected colleagues."

At a recent cottage meeting on Sandy's south end, a resident accused neighboring Draper of lagging in improvements to 11400 South. Dolan responded by urging a go-easy approach on Draper because the city is growing and striving to build its tax base.

Whether Sandy's growth would have happened without Dolan is debatable.

The mayor did, however, play a role in luring Real Salt Lake to build a $75 million soccer stadium in Sandy.

Salt Lake City was the clear front-runner (Sandy joined the chase late) but Dolan and Curtis helped persuade the team to move to the southern half of Salt Lake County.

Some worry about the deal because funding for the stadium remains fuzzy.

Dolan says he isn't focused solely on commercial growth. He also points to an emphasis on building office towers and bolstering recreation space and programs.

Recreation has shifted to emphasize trails. Under one plan, Sandy has planned 87 miles of trails.

Road improvements - including State Street, 700 East, 1300 East - are on the way as well.

And office building is picking up again.

"In the next two years," Dolan predicts, "you're going to see so many projects."

jsantini@sltrib.com

Tom Dolan

Age: 62.

Career: Pharmaceutical sales for 20 years; managed family properties in West Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Education: Bachelor's degree in history, University of Utah.

Politics/community service: Sandy mayor for 12 years; past chairman of the Sandy Historical Committee and a member of the Centennial Committee.

Fun fact: "My goal in life is to someday shoot below 90" in a round of golf.

Where he stands on . . .

Gravel pit project: Supports it. "This plan is a better plan than what you'll see in the future."

Soccer stadium: Backs it. "Soccer is going to be huge. We're talking about a major league sport."

City's debt: Sandy has a double-A-plus bond rating, the highest a city of its size can have.