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SALT LAKE CITY — Sim Gill has launched his bid for another turn as Salt Lake County district attorney.
Gill formally kicked off his reelection campaign Wednesday at the Union Labor Center, 2261 S. Redwood Road, where local labor leaders pledged their support for him.
"Labor has endorsed Sim. He's always been a friend of labor. We've appreciated his support," Utah AFL-CIO President Jeff Worthington said.
"Sim is pro-worker and is very fair in the way that he conducts himself within our community and that's why it's been so easy for the labor unions in the state of Utah to support Sim over the years," added Central Federation of Labor President Brandon Dew.
Gill, who is seeking his fourth term in office, said he chose to launch his campaign with a focus on labor because it represents the values of his office.
"I'm here with labor because labor represents both a cross section of our community and exemplifies the values that inform my notion of public service. Labor doesn't care about the color of your skin, your gender, your sexual orientation, your political affiliation, rather labor looks to your skill, confidence, desire and the willingness to do the hard and necessary work to succeed," Gill noted while talking about growing up on Salt Lake's west side after coming to America from India. "Labor is about pragmatic solutions and common sense."
While labor unions are supporting him, Gill and local police unions have not gotten along. Some of GIll's heaviest criticism has come from law enforcement groups who disagree with his investigations into use of force incidents by officers. But Gill contends he has a great working relationship with local police departments.
"I work with law enforcement, I do not work for law enforcement. I work for the citizens of Salt Lake County. And my door is always open and we try to do the right thing all the time, whether it is popular or not," he said.
A couple of speakers noted on Wednesday that while they didn't always agree with Gill, they knew he was always available to listen to their side.
"Sim is also a person who cares about civil rights, and cares about the individual rights and cares about our Constitution. And he talks about it and he actually implements the principles of our Constitution," said Draper Mayor Troy Walker, who is also a defense attorney, "Sim cares about public safety. It's on his mind and it's part of what he does."
"Sim is a shining example of doing the job he's elected to do, that's why he keeps getting reelected," said labor leader Dale Cox. "He never plays favorites. He's probably one of the best elected officials we have in this country and we're very proud of him."
Gill touted his 26 years as a public prosecutor, including being the district attorney since 2010. He talked about how he believes in therapeutic justice for nonviolent offenders with drug court, mental health court and most recently veterans court for people who have served in the military and come home with post-traumatic stress disorder or substance abuse problems. For violent offenders, he promised his office would prosecute those people and send them to prison.
Gill will be challenged by Republican Danielle Ahn in November during the general election. Ahn, who graduated from the University of Utah law school in 2019 and is expected to formally launch her campaign next week, touts herself as being pro-law enforcement. She is promising to be tough on repeat offenders and offer no plea deals to violent offenders, reforge relationships with law enforcement, and "prioritize" victims, according to her website.
When asked if this would be his last run at district attorney, Gill said he didn't think so.
"You never say never. What I know is the work is before me, the work still excites me, and there are a lot of challenges that we have to engage in. Justice, fairness, equality and truth are not just words, they're ideals that form our entire system," he said. "I'm here for the long haul because this work is too important."
