Salt Lake County may name rec center after Mayne

The Kearns Recreation Center could soon bear the name of Sen. Ed Mayne, who died Sunday.

The Salt Lake County Council is scheduled to discuss the name change next week.

Mayne, who represented West Valley for 12 years as a Democrat in the state Senate, died at his home Sunday morning from complications related to lung cancer.

The name change has been in the works for months, County Councilman Joe Hatch said.

"Ed was the one who pushed the commission to actually build the community center," County Councilman Joe Hatch said. "It's a natural to do it."

Hatch said he would have liked to have had it done before Mayne passed because "he liked that sort of stuff." The recreation center, at 5670 S. 4800 West, was built with general fund dollars, thanks to Mayne's lobbying.

The 12-year Utah senator and state president of the AFL-CIO has been fighting cancer since he was diagnosed in April of this year. Despite his chemotherapy treatments, Mayne remained active in state politics.

First elected to the Senate in 1994, Mayne rose to the rank of assistant minority whip.

A fund-raiser to help the Mayne family with medical bills is scheduled for Dec. 4, said Randy Horiuchi, a member of the Salt Lake County Council. Planned for the Grand America Hotel, its speakers will include Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, he said.

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E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com