Sandy's Dolan among mayors filing for re-election

Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan has filed to run for a fifth term in office.

Dolan, 65, started his career as a medical salesman but has spent the past 16 years as Sandy's top elected official.

So far, Dolan is the only candidate to file in the Sandy race. However, he won by just 6 percent of the vote four years ago, despite outspending his opposition by thousands of dollars.

Since then, a gravel pit on the city's east side has been made into a Wal-Mart, and a field near City Hall has been transformed into a world-class soccer stadium. Both projects elicited controversy over the proper use of taxpayer funds.

Dolan also pushed hard for the region's first Broadway-style theater, which was to be built near the new stadium. However, that privately funded project has stalled due to funding woes.

Dolan cites low property taxes and a strong crime-fighting record as reasons to keep him in office. He's also proud of open-space conservation efforts.

Also running for re-election this fall will be Taylorsville's Mayor Russ Wall and Midvale's Mayor JoAnn Seghini.

Wall served four years on the City Council before being elected in November 2005 to lead the west-side municipality. If re-elected, he pledges to keep an eye out for small businesses and to seek regional, state and federal money to expand mass transit in Taylorsville.

Wall would also continue with code-enforcement efforts and seek to redevelop blighted areas around town, he said. Leading Wall's campaign is City Councilman Les Matsamura, whose seat is also up for election.

Seghini, mayor since 1994, has a long history of advocacy for the poor and minorities. She has recently overseen a complete redraft of city ordinance involving taco-vending carts.

Seghini has also spent significant time and effort on redevelopment of property once poisoned by a smelter operation. The land has been cleaned up and is in the process of becoming a mixed-use transit, housing and retail development known as Bingham Junction.

— Rebecca Palmer