New Latino mayor, council members take office, marking step forward for Latino representation

KEARNS — Voters in Kearns have elected the first Hispanic mayor to serve a Utah locale, apparently, while Latinos now account for a majority on the Salt Lake City Council.

Several Latino leaders who won in elections last November were sworn in to varied city posts around Utah this month, marking a step forward for Latino representation among the ranks of elected leadership in the state. Jesse Valdez, the first mayor of Kearns and, he thinks, the first Latino mayor in the entire state, emphasizes that he aims to serve everyone in the city, echoing comments from other Latino officials interviewed for this story.

At the same time, though, he noted the excitement during his swearing-in ceremony last Monday, Jan. 12, among some of the Latino audience members present. According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, Latinos account for 41% of the population in Kearns, formally incorporated in 2024.

"A lot of times, the Latino population doesn't feel heard," said Valdez, who volunteered for the community in varied capacities before vying for mayor, his first bid for elective office. Many on Tuesday cheered his swearing in, he said, because they feel "we have somebody that represents us as well. That's my idea — to make sure that we're able to tap into all of our community that feels maybe they were unheard at some point."

The Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, which provides municipal services to some Salt Lake County locales, researched whether other Utah locales had previously elected Latinos as mayor, he said, and couldn't find any.

Erika Carlsen, sworn in on Jan. 5 as a member of the Salt Lake City Council after winning the race for the District 5 post last November, said her Latina roots are a big part of her identity. She's the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants, and her election means Latinos for the first time account for a majority on the Salt Lake City Council, four of the seven seats.

Being Latina and a member of the LGBTQ community, "and growing up in Utah, there were times when I felt like I didn't fully belong. Those experiences strengthened my empathy and gave me a keen eye for those who feel unseen and unheard," she said in a statement. "Because of this, I am committed to ensuring people feel respected, included and heard, especially in spaces where they've historically been left out."

Victoria Petro, another Latina member of the Salt Lake City Council, won reelection to the body last November and was also sworn in to a new term on Jan. 5.

Park City residents elected the first Latino member of the City Council there, Diego Zegarra, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Peru, according to Mayor Ryan Dickey. Ogden voters, meanwhile, elected Flor Lopez to the City Council, the third Latino to serve on the body after Jesse Garcia, who served in the 1990s, and Luis Lopez, who served two terms on the City Council through 2023.

Flor Lopez, whose parents are from Mexico, though she was born in the United States, sees herself, broadly speaking, as a representative of working people in Ogden. She runs a small business that assists clients with tax preparation and bookkeeping and has also been involved in promoting entrepreneurship within the Latino community in Ogden.

"Ogden is full of hardworking people who work days and nights, and they need someone who represents them, someone who really understands their daily life," said Lopez, sworn in last Tuesday, Jan. 13. "Obviously, being Latina is a huge part of my heart, but I also represent everyone. ... I want to be there for everyone."

Indeed, given the diversity of the U.S. population, Lopez stresses the importance of having a diversity of representation. Also elected to the Ogden City Council last November was Alicia Washington, the first Black member of the body.

Ernesto Lopez, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Mexico, was reelected to his second full term on the Logan City Council last November and sworn in to his new term on Jan. 6.

"I felt honored to be the first immigrant and Latino appointed to serve in this capacity in our entire county. I decided to run for election a year later (and then again in 2025) because representation matters for many reasons and because I feel I can make a difference," he said in an email.

He thinks Latino representation in Utah is getting better, though still not commensurate with the group's growing share of the population, and holds out hope the improvement will continue. "I was happy to see more elected Latinos in this last election cycle in our state, and I look forward to seeing our youth rise up to the challenge," he said.

Similarly, Valdez, the new Kearns mayor, thinks his election to office has an impact. "Whether we say it's paving the way for the entire state, at a minimum, it's paving the way for Salt Lake County and Kearns," he said.

Carlsen, who was deeply involved in community issues in Salt Lake City before running for the City Council, sounded a similar message.

"We're seeing important progress, especially here in Salt Lake City, where Latino representation on the council has reached a historic high. That matters because accurate representation helps equalize whose voices are heard and what issues are prioritized," she said. "But statewide, representation still does not fully reflect the size or influence of the Latino community."

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