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SALT LAKE CITY — The third time proved to be a charm for Shireen Ghorbani.
After her unsuccessful runs for Congress and Salt Lake County mayor, the Salt Lake County Democratic Party Central Committee elected Ghorbani to an open seat on the Salt Lake County Council on Saturday.
Ghorbani beat out nine other candidates in a special election to fill the at-large seat Jenny Wilson vacated last month after being elected county mayor. Wilson replaced Ben McAdams, who was elected to Congress last November.
Immediately after losing the county mayor election to Wilson, Ghorbani ruled out a run for the open council seat.
Ghorbani said she didn't feel like she could give the time and attention required to be an effective part-time council member and maintain a demanding full-time job. But after talking to her supervisors at the University of Utah where she works as an associate director in facilities management she was able to reduce her hours.
Growth, air quality, affordable housing and human services are among the issues that she said drive her to public service.
Ghorbani said she is aiming for a future where working families come before corporate interests and mental health care and addiction treatment are put ahead of incarceration. She also want to expand education opportunities and protect the environment.
A native of North Dakota, Ghorbani has a bachelor's degree in theater and communications from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota and and master's degree in organizational communication from the University of Nebraska.
Ghorbani served in the Peace Corps and heads the Rape Recovery Center board.
