Salt Lake City's Newly Sworn-In Council Is Mostly LGBTQ, People Of Color
By Dani Medina
January 5, 2022
Utah's capital city swore in a historic council on Monday where the majority of the members are of racial or ethnic minority as well as members who mostly identify as LGBTQ.
The Salt Lake City city council's minority-majority council comes just two years after Salt Lake City elected its first minority member, Ana Valdemoros, an immigrant from Argentina, according to The Salt Lake City Tribune.
Councilwoman Victoria Petro-Eschler said the new city council isn't just a "demographic novelty."
"This diversity is important because of what it means for how work gets done in our city," said Petro-Eschler, a Latina woman who represents the racially and ethnically diverse District 1.
Alejandro Puy, a gay immigrant from Argentina, represents areas including Poplar Grove and Glendale. Darin Mano, a gay Japanese American, who has longtime been a "magnet for LGBTQ individuals who have found less acceptance in places that are rural or more conservative," represents the Ballpark neighborhood, according to The Salt Lake City Tribune. Chris Warton of District 3 and Amy Fowler of District 7 both identify as LGBTQ.
The only member of the council sworn in Monday who doesn't identify as LGBTQ or is a minority is Dan Dugan, a retired engineer and Navy officer who represents District 6.