A Growing City
District 4 is the key to connecting our city. With responsible planning, we can connect and protect our neighborhoods. We have unique opportunities ahead of us.
Below are my priorities for shaping our district and city:
Great Salt Lake
Protecting the vital center of our state's ecosystem is critical for the longevity of our city. The Great Salt Lake is life. We have a responsibility to take every measure possible, including setting a lake target depth to ensure the GSL is revived. I'm proud of the work Public Lands and other departments have done to ensure that every droplet is circulated back into our lake. Now, let's expand education and permits for landscape conversions to help conserve more water.
School Closures & Families
Bennion Elementary and Wasatch Elementary are being studied for permanent closure. It is our community's responsibility to advocate and protect our schools. Abandoning them will accelerate the cycle of Salt Lake City losing families. Our neighborhoods have a legacy of raising families and should continue doing so. I'm ready to continue advocating for our family-friendly spaces and to enrich our neighborhoods by expanding school access. Families belong in District 4.
Deeply Affordable Housing
Growth is a tool in our community toolbox. Development must meet our short-term needs AND long-term needs. Projects can alleviate the housing shortage but they must also be planned and permitted transparently, accentuate the livability of the neighborhood with good design, and include deeply affordable options. Sometimes the best option is repurposing existing structures instead of tearing down and replacing. This is dynamic community preservation, growing respectfully and accommodating future generations.
High-Frequency Transit
As we continue to grow as a city, we need to expand and increase high-frequency routes. Making human-centric experiences and car-free transit accessible is key to binding our city together through the heart of Downtown. Our Downtown should be walkable and easily accessible. for a full 18 hours, not just during the day.
LGBTQ+ Community
I see you and I hear you. Our neighborhoods house many LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations, resource centers, students, and community. As a queer woman myself, I'm proud to celebrate you and to continue investing in protecting our life-saving services, expanding our Pride month celebrations, and facilitating safe-spaces without fear of expressing yourself.
Neighborhood Safety
Safety comes in all shapes and sizes; from an EMT response to civil enforcement. We need to ensure that we create safe, accessible spaces in our communities. Orchestrating a long-term safety plan is important in keeping families in our neighborhoods.
Green Spaces & Conservation
Our neighbors deserve access to quality spaces that enrich our community, provide refuge, and build our urban green space. As Downtown continues to grow, we need to leverage conservation easements to protect parks and green space for future generations.
Small Businesses & Community
Small businesses are a critical part of our city's thriving ecosystem. They serve and shape our neighborhoods. We need to ensure business owners have access to affordable commercial and retail space. The expansion of such opportunities is essential to expanding culture in our city.
Expanding Worker Opportunities
I'm proud to be endorsed by our workers and local unions. It matters to me that we expand union work in our construction projects and protect worker's rights to collectively bargain. Cities need to protect their workforce and offer them opportunities to train and grow.
Libraries, Child Care, After-School Programs
A thriving city should partner with school district leaders and continue expanding access to our community learning spaces. I am excited to help keep families in District 4 and attract them with scholastic opportunities, invest in childcare facilities, and expand after-school programming through partnerships such as the Leonardo. Kids deserve safe spaces too!
Renters and Tenant Rights
Our district is made up of 84% renters. We need to advocate for renters and provide them with tools to protect themselves. We need to invest in renter administrators to help people understand the eviction process and protect vulnerable, housing-insecure populations.
Parking Lots
Is it me or is the city getting warmer? 30% of the city is covered in surface-level parking lots. We need to turn these lots into beautified, mixed-use housing and retail and get people out of their cars, and walking around our city. We can incentivize car lot owners to meet the greater needs of the city and look for opportunities to build more livable, healthy spaces.