In Utah’s second-largest city, West Valley City Mayor Karen Lang is running for her second consecutive four-year term.
She’s facing off against Utah State Tax Commission agent June Hesleph — who will appear on ballots as June Freeman Hesleph — to keep the office in the large suburb.
The Salt Lake Tribune sent a survey to candidates in Salt Lake County’s Nov. 4 municipal mayoral elections. Answers may be edited for style and clarity. Here’s how Lang and Hesleph responded, listed in alphabetical order by last name:
Outside of housing or transportation, what is the biggest problem your community faces and how would you overcome it?
Hesleph: The idea that West Valley City has homeless people on every corner, which is not true. The people like myself that live here need to step up and step out and highlight all the positive things that are going on in our city. We have so much talent and people as well as business owners that are doing great things.
Lang: Neighborhood revitalization is a pressing concern in our community. We are an older farming community with historic homes. To address this, we have a community program called My Hometown that fosters neighborly cooperation and helps homeowners enhance their yards. During the summer, we organize weekly days of service in various city areas. My goal is to expand this program to cover the entire city.
What transportation improvements will you pursue to help residents get around easily, quickly and safely?
Hesleph: If we were able to get our bus system to be more widespread and with shorter wait times to more areas in our state, we could have more people be willing to take the bus system.
Lang: West Valley City has meticulously planned its road system, making it convenient for residents to commute. Our upcoming objective is to improve the condition of our road surfaces, add more sidewalks, continue installing new street signs and install streetlights.
Utah is now tied with Idaho and Rhode Island for the seventh most expensive housing market in the nation. As mayor, how will you approach affordability, growth and growing pains in your city?
Hesleph: We need to promote middle-income housing and try to embrace smaller homes and lots, perhaps think along the lines of factory-built homes which would be more affordable. In Phoenix, they used box cars and refurbished them and the homeless helped with the work. It would be, in a sense, like sweat equity and they then had a home they were proud of and they owned it. I think that is a brilliant idea, if we could also find a way so that people that rent apartments have more affordable options, the rent being charged is way too much.
Lang: We offer a diverse range of housing options in West Valley City, aiming to provide a place for everyone to live and thrive. While we cannot control affordability, as it lies solely with developers, we have the responsibility to plan for future growth. Unfortunately, we have limited buildable land left, and we are diligently making informed decisions to ensure the long-term well-being of our community.
Immigration has been an important issue in many communities, especially in those that are considering law enforcement partnerships with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Would you support such a partnership in your community?
Hesleph: Yes.
Lang: No.
If elected, would you advocate for your community to conserve more water to aid the Great Salt Lake?
Hesleph: Yes.
Lang: Yes.
What’s a fun or interesting fact about yourself?
Hesleph: I like fishing; I’m sure most people would not think that about me. I like watching the show “Mountain Men” and cooking shows and then making what I saw, getting new ideas.
Lang: In my free time, I enjoy being active, whether in the Utah mountains or on the lakes. I also have a restored 1969 Ford Mustang convertible that I love driving. I’m also a sports enthusiast and enjoy watching football, baseball, basketball and golf.