Provo Mayor Kaufusi takes on leadership position at municipal interest representation | News, sports, jobs

In this undated photo, Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi visits citizen leaders at a Utah League of Cities and Towns meeting. Courtesy Provo City

Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi can add another leadership role to her list.

At the annual meeting of the Utah League of Cities and Towns, Kaufusi was elected the group’s second vice president by representatives from across the state.

“During her first term as Mayor of Provo, she built relationships of trust and respect with her urban colleagues. She was a strong voice for Provo’s unique challenges and opportunities within the league and the Utah state legislature, “said Cameron Diehl, executive director of ULCT, in an email.

Kaufusi has been a member of the league’s board of directors for four years.

“Mayor Kaufusi is now becoming a key leader in the league, where she is deeply involved in high-level decisions affecting cities across the state,” South Jordan Mayor Dawn Ramsey, the current president of the league, said in the email . “The following year, 2023, Mayor Kaufusi will serve as first vice-president and chair the league’s Legislative Policy Committee, where much of the league’s work is done.”

Kaufusi will be involved in helping communities bring concerns to the Utah legislature. Items such as additional housing have become a major problem for many cities across the state as they seek help in this upcoming legislature.

“A core philosophy of the Utah League of Cities and Towns is that the government that is closest to the people governs best,” said Kaufusi. “Just as Utah doesn’t like the federal government getting tired of state affairs, Utah cities and towns don’t like undue government interference in local affairs. The league’s slogan ‘Cities Work’ illustrates the idea that local communities – citizens and local elected officials – should be free to determine the best course for their city, and not the state, which cannot possibly understand it as we do. “

“Every year, measures are introduced into the Utah legislature that would limit the ability of cities and towns to govern themselves,” Diehl said. “Some members of the legislature are trying to impose uniform measures on all cities and municipalities. This is not a unique situation in Utah; it happens across the country. A classic example is how California lawmakers recently banned single-family home zoning across the country. “

Diehl points out the importance of having a league leadership who has the respect and expertise necessary to stand up not just for their city, but for all of Utah’s cities.

“Mayor Kaufusi runs a city with a historic and growing inner city, a large university, important transport and water infrastructures, a variety of forms of housing, social and communal services and access to nature,” said Diehl. “She brings these valuable perspectives and experiences and her proven leadership strength into national political discussions, and the state is better off doing that.”

Much of the league’s focus is on legislation in the state capital. Each year, representatives from Utah’s cities and towns spend long hours in the legislature advocating the interests of the communities. The Legislative Policy Committee helps set guidelines and priorities for league staff and members so that members can act with one voice. As a league officer, Kaufusi will now also attend regular meetings with the governor’s office and other nationwide leaders.

The Utah League of Cities and Towns was founded in 1907 and is a non-partisan, regional government cooperative. The league normally counts each of Utah’s 248 cities and towns as members. A primary purpose of the league is to defend local interests in the state legislature.

But the league is more than a lobby. “Imagine how daunting it is to become a new elected official at the local level,” said Nicole Martin, director of communications at Provo City and former city council member in her hometown of Herriman. “They generally have little experience and are in no way fluent in the government language, with its unique policies and procedures. Not to mention the unfamiliar acronyms “alphabet soup”.

“The league’s goal is to improve the way local government works for the citizens it serves – through training, networking, policy management, and most importantly, through a shared commitment to empower citizens,” added Martin added.

Kaufusi said she is looking forward to this new opportunity that will eventually make her the elected “face” of the league, which the city of Provo prominently represents.

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