New fire spokesman raises eyebrows

Members of the Salt Lake County Council are raising eyebrows over the choice of the new public information officer for the Unified Fire Authority.

Michael Jensen, a captain for the Unified Fire Authority and a Republican member of the council who represents the county's west side, said he will begin training next week for the job as spokesman. He will take the reins at the beginning of next month.

"Legally, in order for there to be a conflict (of interest), there has to be a private entity involved. People could argue when I am speaking as a council member, I am speaking as the PIO," Jensen said, but he added that never will be the case.

Critics say the line between the two jobs could be blurred, in part because Jensen is running for re-election in November.

"Clearly, it benefits Mike Jensen as a candidate, and the fire authority as he is a council member," said Nichole Adams, chairwoman of the Salt Lake County Democrats.

Jensen will replace Capt. Jay Ziolkowski, who wants to return to fighting fires.

Jensen, as public information officer, will provide information to the print and broadcast media on incidents involving the UFA and write an in-house newsletter.

UFA Chief Don Berry said Jensen expressed interest in the job and was most qualified among other people he was considering. Jensen's seat on the county council was not a deciding factor, Berry said.

"Michael and I have talked, and he knows there will be times he will be speaking as a county councilman. But when he's with the fire authority in uniform at our functions, he'll be speaking for the fire authority," Berry said.

But Jensen's loyalties have been questioned since his election on the council, said Democratic Councilman Joe Hatch, because of his job with the Salt Lake County Fire Department — which recently became the UFA.

"Now that he has this position, is he more beholden to Mayor Nancy Workman? Is he more beholden to the contract cities part of the Unified Fire Authority than he would be to his constituents?" Hatch said. "It's up to his constituents to decide whether to keep him in office."

Jensen said he will not influence the county council on fire policies and budget because he is not a member of the UFA's governing board.

An employee of the UFA cannot be on the board, said county deputy mayor Alan Dayton, who drafted the legislation that created the fire district at the Capitol.