(KCPW News) Salt Lake City Council Chair Soren Simonsen is setting his sights on higher office, filing to run as a Democrat against Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz in District 3. Simonsen says he’s been contemplating the bid for a couple of years, as the possibility of Utah gaining a fourth district became apparent. He says he’s most interested in giving local governments more representation on the national level.
“There are a lot of things that are not working in how resources, particularly in transportation and wilderness protection issues to address air quality and so many of those programs that help with social services at the local level, just don’t have strong voices trying to work and find solutions at the federal level,” he says.
Simonsen says he wasn’t interested in running for a seat in the GOP-dominated state legislature.
He notes there is more of a balance on the federal level between the two parties.
“Given a lot of the success that I’ve had working as a facilitator and a collaborator locally, I think that leadership can be worthwhile representing Utah at the federal level. The cooperation that I’m interested in working towards middle ground as opposed to polarizing, I think would be very productive,” says Simonsen.
Simonsen says he’s well known in a large area of District 3 through his professional work as an architect and city planner, as well as his work on the Salt Lake City Council. He was first elected to the council in 2005. Besides Congressman Chaffetz, two Republicans and one other Democrat are running in District 3.
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4 Comments
Who’s kidding who! He’s looking for a nice soft retirement for life. He has been very polarizing as a City Council person and very self-serving by using his architectural company to subtlely suggest that developers looking for approval from the City Council would have been better off using his company as their architects!
Check out some of the ugly projects that have been approved by City Council & that used his firm & then check out his so called consulting company and compare it’s purpose to his comments to petitioners as a City Council Person. Lastly, if you want to know more about how he cooperates and doesn’t polarize, check out his relationship with his female partner in his consulting firm.
Soren is A man of honor and integrity. Having dealt with Mr. Simonson on various levels, from the city council to the RDA, he has never pushed our tried to manipulate the use of his own private interests in his official dealings. To be blunt he was not the architect used on my last project.
He is a man the will do an amazing job, and to speak with such a negative tone only infers to me that you did not get your way. Soren is the right man for this position, especially if you look at the big picture. So grow up and look at the greater good.
Michael
Soren is the right man at the right time to make positive changes for Utah in Washington! I know no finer person. Constituent: please stop telling malicious lies! You should put your name by such statements instead of hiding behind anonymity. Also, what are you doing to affect positive changes in the world? Please consider a better route than spreading hate and hurtful gossip. Peace.
Wait, wasn’t Soren charged with breaking and entering?