Paul Sanchez is the newest member of the South Salt Lake City Council. He was sworn into office on Oct. 25, taking the seat of former councilmember Shane Siwik who stepped down and had announced he was not planning to seek reelection.

Sanchez was subsequently elected to the post during balloting on November 21. He will now serve a four-year term as representative from District 5.

“I love my community and I’m excited for the opportunity to serve and help the city grow,” he said.

He began his engagement with politics about the time he turned 29.

“I decided I wanted to get a college degree, but couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do,” he recalled. “I knew I wanted to learn to be a better communicator in writing–I felt great about my ability to talk to someone face to face but not necessarily send them a note. So I worked on those skills which helped me with email messaging.”

He worked on a number of political campaigns, taking those messaging skills and putting them to use. He now works as a research and development tax specialist for a company in the valley.

 Sanchez said the biggest challenge facing South Salt Lake, like with many other communities in the county, is homelessness. On his website, he said the problem “impacts our public servants such as government employees, fire and police,” and “puts a burden on our workforce,” everyone from construction workers to the local coffee shop barista.

“I’m a part of the United Methodist Church in Salt Lake City,” he said. “Our humanitarian arm of the church is our Movie Nights in the basement program. We provide a place for the unsheltered to go during cold weather months. I’m also involved with Family Promise Salt Lake. They house groups of families through local churches, providing meals for families five days a week.”

The West High School and University of Utah graduate says that while the problem of homelessness has been well documented in the media, there remains a more reactive rather than a proactive approach to solving it.

“South Salt Lake must stay ahead of the financial burdens it deals with when addressing the unhoused population on our streets,” he said. “We must do more now, or we will pay for it in tax dollars in the future.”

One such project that could be developed shortly is conversion of a shuttered motel along State Street into a family resource center for women and children. There are plans for two such shelters in the valley, one of them in South Salt Lake. 

Like all small communities, South Salt Lake has to work with limited revenue from property and sales taxes. That means making tough decisions about increasing those revenues through community support of local businesses.

“Part of that challenge is better communication,” he said. “I want to encourage more use of social media, including an app that can track engagement within the city. We also need to make it easier for new and existing businesses to open and conduct their business. Helping our businesses thrive will be a benefit for everyone.”

Sanchez also wants to see an increase of involvement through local churches–more volunteering and greater outreach to young people. That’s something he wants to achieve with his efforts in social media.

“My hope is that once we have a consistent message, we can bring in a younger audience,” he said. “Young people want to be engaged in helping with problems in society. Let’s help them find a way to do it.”

The city council meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays of every month at city hall, 220 E. Morris Avenue, on the second floor. Check the website at https://sslc.gov/ for agendas and more information. λ