Summer Open Letter to West Valley City Residents

The following is my open letter to the residents of West Valley City as published in ths August edition of The West Valley Journal:


Silver Linings

A message from Councilmember Corey Rushton

Recently I paid a visit to Kennedy Junior High and engaged in several conversations recollecting the esteemed faculty and school traditions that I enjoyed while attending that institution years ago. Upon reflection, I am extremely grateful to Mrs. Page and her Freshman English Class for providing me with a foundation in various literary works that I still ponder and utilize to this day. One such book that we intently studied was, “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens. This classic tale of thematic social commentary begins with the famous lines, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

I repeat these words because I feel a similar sentiment among many of the West Valley City residents and businesses that I serve. I realize that current and lingering economic conditions have produced many challenges and hardships. However, I am as optimistic as ever about the future progress of West Valley City and want to share some positive developments that have come forth from the midst of this recession.

The city has been able to take advantage of historically low interest rates by refinancing several outstanding bonds. The hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings will help reduce overall debt and benefit the taxpayers. Also, we are witnessing monetary savings throughout our bid process, as more companies are submitting competitive bids to work on city infrastructure. Many of these bids have come in hundreds of thousands of dollars below budget, giving us more purchasing power for reinvestment opportunities. Additionally, city departments have all had to tighten their operating budgets, requiring them to identify excess and increase productivity. During this time the police department is pleased to report an overall reduction in violent crimes.

Many of these innovative principles can be incorporated on an individual level and I encourage everyone to look for new ways to save resources, to reinvest in their homes, and to find new ways to be productive members of the community. To this Charles Dickens would agree, for he also wrote, “Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” Take advantage of these times and together we will move forward as a city one household at a time.