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As a candidate for Salt Lake City mayor, Erin Mendenhall touted an ambitious agenda that involved improving air quality, attracting tech jobs, addressing homelessness and expanding transportation.
The COVID-19 pandemic set in shortly after she took office, however, creating an entirely new priority: addressing a public health crisis.
Still, the mayor said, she hasn’t lost sight of the goals she shared on the campaign trail. Here’s an assessment of where Mendenhall’s vision stands halfway through her first term.
Fast-tracking renewable energy
What she promised • Mendenhall called air pollution “the single-biggest threat to livability” in Utah’s capital. In 2019, she vowed to bump up the timeline to power the city with 100% renewable energy by 2023.
Where things stand • In her most recent State of the City address, the mayor noted that not only was Rocky Mountain Power unable to deliver an expedited source of 100% renewable power, but it also would have to delay the timeline by another 20 years. The mayor is instead pursuing a Plan B, partnering with a solar farm in Tooele County that will provide 80% of the city’s municipal electricity needs by 2023.
[Read our complete look at Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s first two years in office — what she accomplished, what she learned and whom she challenged — and her hopes for the next two years here].
Planting trees on the west side
What she promised • The mayor said she would help address environmental injustice in the city by planting 1,000 trees each year on the west side, which has a far less robust urban forest than more affluent neighborhoods.
Where things stand • This issue remains one of the mayor’s most frequently trumpeted accomplishments. The city planted its 1,000th west-side tree at Riverside Park in November 2020, and the 2,000th tree at Mountain View Elementary School in November 2021.
Increasing public transit ridership
What she promised • The mayor said she would expand access to discounted Utah Transit Authority passes through partnerships with small and midsize businesses. She also pledged to partner with hosts of large venues, like sports arenas and churches, to make event tickets double as transit tickets.
Where things stand • The coronavirus pandemic largely derailed the mayor’s transit goals as city residents and visitors avoided public transportation to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Many big in-person events that the mayor had hoped to partner with also were canceled. Still, the mayor managed to forge an agreement between UTA and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to provide “Tickets for Transit” for the church’s General Conference, even though that event ended up being held virtually.
Expanding affordable housing
What she promised • The mayor vowed to boost housing affordability through a variety of means, including low-interest loans for home maintenance, incentives for homebuilders to create sustainable housing and better transit access to underserved neighborhoods.
Where things stand • The pandemic also threw a wrench in some of the mayor’s housing plans, with global supply chain issues driving up the cost of building materials. The mayor directed $1.1 million to help renters facing eviction in 2020, and $500 cash cards to those who were not eligible for federal stimulus money. Mendenhall is also steering $4 million in American Rescue Plan dollars to affordable housing, and she’s working to build the city’s first tiny-house village to provide stable, affordable housing for the unsheltered. Last month, she announced a $2 million investment in UTA On Demand, a corner-to-corner service that will connect underserved areas to buses and trains.
Cleaning up billboard clutter
What she promised • Mendenhall said at a 2019 debate that she would reduce the amount of billboards cluttering the city’s skyline, dinging her opponent for accepting donations from the powerful billboard industry.
Where things stand • A bill that would have blocked local governments from enacting billboard restrictions died in the Utah Senate last year. “We worked right away to call a truce with the industry,” Mendenhall told The Salt Lake Tribune, “and we are mutually committed to coming to the table and working together.”
