Cindy Wood, who has served on the West Valley City Planning Commission for almost eight years, will now get a chance to make decisions as a city councilmember. Wood was selected from a group of 15 candidates by the council on Jan. 28 to fill the vacant seat of Jake Fitisemanu, who was elected to the Utah State Legislature last November. She will represent District 4, which consists of the southwest corner of the city.

The decision came after each candidate took part in a five-minute review during the council meeting. She was selected after three candidates took part in a coin-flip to determine the two finalists. Amitonu Amosa, Greg McPherron and Renee Layton had each received one vote from the six councilmembers after the reviews, while Wood received three. So a coin flip to determine a second-place finisher eliminated two, with Amosa facing Wood in the final vote.

“I really enjoy being involved in the city as part of the planning commission,” she said. “They truly get exposure to things going on in the city. The planning commission makes recommendations to the city council, and then we also get requests from the city council for things to consider. So they are just great people that I've worked with there, and now I can work with them again in a different role.”

Wood joins Lang as just the second woman on the council. She said she was excited to have the chance to apply for the seat, but added “it gets a little bit intimidating putting yourself out there, as there were many good candidates that submitted applications.”

“I talked to Mayor Lang about this when Jake won his legislative seat,” Wood said. “She gave me some insight and a little bit of encouragement, nothing over the top. And then, I've lived in the city for a long time. I just want to try and continue to help the city in whatever way I can.”

During the candidates’ reviews, which consisted of three minute introductions and then answers to two questions, Wood stated her desire to help improve the city’s image, and to see more affordable permanent housing be developed.

“We need to promote the good things that are happening in West Valley City,” she said. “As an example, look at all the talented artists who perform at the Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre. We rarely hear it referred to as being in West Valley, but it is. The same goes for the Maverik Center, and the Utah Cultural Celebration Center. What tends to pop out with West Valley and Kearns are the bad things–as if everything bad happens on the west side, which is of course not true. I grew up in Magna, so I’ve lived on the west side my entire life. We have a lot of very positive things happening here, and we need to celebrate and promote those.”

She said the city has really “stepped up its game” regarding new cultural projects and community improvements, including new regulations and requirements for developers or new businesses.

“We are making this city very attractive and we need to continue along that road,” she said. “The street landscape projects with the trees, for example, are great. I have friends that live on the east side, and when we bought our current house, they came out to see it. Our house faces east, and you can see the Wasatch mountains, and you can even see downtown. And one of my friend’s husbands was out on my deck, and he said, ‘I had no idea that this was in West Valley.’ I think it's just a lack of education about us, and we need to tell our story.”

Wood’s appointment is just for the remainder of this year, and she will have to run for election again in November for a four-year term if she wants to remain on the council. She plans to do just that.

“I made that decision and told my family that, if I'm selected, I'm going to run again,” she said. “I don't think a year would give me enough time to really see some of the things I want to see accomplished. I feel passionate about this, and I also feel like I'm a good representation of District 4.” λ