In The Middle of Everything City Hall – 7505 South Holden Street • Midvale, UT 84047
Reflecting on My Tenure 801-567-7200 801-567-7200 801-567-7265 801-567-7250 801-567-7228 801-567-7211 801-567-7235 801-363-9995 801-567-7285 385-468-3350 385-468-7387 801-567-7230
MIDVALE CITY ELECTED OFFICIALS MAYOR Marcus Stevenson 801-567-7204 Email: mstevenson@midvale.com CITY COUNCIL District 1 - Quinn Sperry Email: qsperry@midvale.com District 2 - Paul Glover Email: pglover@midvale.com District 3 - Heidi Robinson Email: Hrobinson@midvale.com District 4 - Bryant Brown Email: bbrown@midvale.com District 5 - Dustin Gettel Email: dgettel@midvale.com
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CITY NEWSLETTER By Council Member Quinn Sperry
Navigating Growth, Dialogue, and Community Unity in Midvale
MIDVALE CITY DIRECTORY City Hall Finance/Utilities Court City Attorney’s Office City Recorder/Human Resources Community Development Public Works Ace Disposal/Recycling Midvale Historical Museum Midvale Senior Center SL County Animal Services Communications
JANUARY 2024
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As my tenure of serving on the Midvale City Council ends, I appreciate Mayor Stevenson inviting me to share this message (and I apologize to anyone who has eagerly awaited the latest installment in Mayor Marcus’ Message for prolonging your anticipation another month for it to return). Reflecting upon my experiences over the past several years, it is difficult to express how much I have learned, the extent to which my respect and appreciation has deepened for people in our community, and the significance of the friendships which have been formed. The message that I hope to convey today is my perspective on how the people of Midvale – collectively the residents, business owners, and City staff – have exemplified how to develop a culture of civil discourse where people can engage in thoughtful and respectful conversations to address community issues even when those involved in the conversations have and express different opinions. When I was appointed to the City Council in 2014 to serve the remaining time of then Councilmember Robert Hale’s term, there was a particular development in the City which had given rise to much discontent between residents and the City Council and City staff. Residents would often share their displeasure with the City’s representatives during City Council Meetings, at community events, and even through individual phone calls and emails. I experienced many long nights during this period of time where I would contemplate the impact on individuals, families, and neighborhoods of the decisions being made by me and the other Councilmembers. I would try to consider the various opinions and perspectives of those involved and weigh those with the overall perspective of what is best for the City as a whole when making my decision. Each decision that I made as a City Councilmember was done with the intent of trying to do what I believed was best for the City and its residents as a whole, and I recognize that there were some decisions made that were (and likely still are) unpopular with certain individuals. Time will tell whether certain decisions result in the desired outcome. Those difficult experiences and discussions which occurred early on during my time as Councilmember do afford me the perspective to see the progress and growth that our community has made in its commitment to open and respectful dialogue. From the City’s standpoint, there were deliberate steps taken to foster greater community input related to certain issues. We emphasized the importance of individuals sharing their perspectives on contentious issues but also how there can be disagreement without discord. Rather than succumbing to the polarization that often characterizes public debates in our society these days, our residents and City representatives strived to engage in respectful conversations that focused on sharing different perspectives and finding common ground, where possible. Even when a decision was made that was contrary to certain residents’ particular desires, I hope that those individuals understand that they
were heard and their opinion was valued even though the ultimate outcome was different than what they wanted. I take pride in our community which – from my perspective – has progressed contrary to our society’s general trend of discontent and polarization as our residents and City representatives have consciously engaged in efforts to bring people together and foster a culture of respect and civil discourse. I also applaud the City’s efforts of increasing social events to unify our City, such as our traditional Harvest Days celebration but also the more recent events on historic main street. Moreover, while the City’s elected officials may often be the ones to receive praise when things go well (which is much appreciated), I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge that it is the City’s committed and skilled employees who truly deserve the recognition and appreciation for the wonderful events and things happening in our community. When I was new on the City Council, I was grateful for the patience that the City staff, the Mayor, and other Councilmembers had with me and the time they took to answer my questions on several issues. The longer I served on the City Council, the more I recognized how lucky we are as residents of Midvale to have the caliber of people we have working for and in our City each day -- and I remain grateful for the patience they have had with me for so long. My decision to not run for re-election for a third term was done with my family’s best interest in mind; however, that decision was made with a heavy heart as it is difficult to step away from being so involved at the City level in this community where I was raised and have chosen to raise my own family and knowing how that decision will decrease my interactions with so many people who work for Midvale. I do look forward to continuing to serve our community in other ways – just as my parents exemplified for me during my childhood as they served our neighbors and our Midvale community in various ways without being elected officials – and I hope and encourage everyone to be anxiously engaged in efforts to serve in the community and consciously strive to set the example of how people can engage in civil discourse.