(KCPW News) Salt Lake County Recorder Gary Ott wants a new job in 2012. Today, the 60-year-old was the first Republican to officially announce his candidacy for Salt Lake County Mayor.
“This is the job I want. I love county government,” Ott says. “It’s the best part of government because this is where rubber hits the road. We take care of everything from quality of life to the health departments. It’s a really good place to work.”
Ott first became County Recorder in 2001.
Since then, he says he’s been able to reduce his budget by $2.4 million, making it one of the most efficient recorder’s offices in the nation. Ott says he could bring that skill to other aspects of the county.
“We were one of the first people to actually automate the Recorder’s Office. Well by doing that, each person in the office began putting out way more work than they ever had before, and so the staff started dwindling and I was able to do that by attrition. I didn’t fire anybody on that,” he explains. “But step by step I haven’t needed as many people, so I have half as many people working as when I started. But we’re doing more work, faster, with better accuracy.”
Ott joins Utah Senate Minority Leader Ross Romero as an official candidate in the race. Others who are considering a bid for county mayor include Republican West Valley City Mayor Mike Winder and Democratic Senator Ben McAdams.
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