It can be said without fear of contradiction that Jeff Silvestrini was the best mayor the city of Millcreek ever had.
OK. So he was the only mayor the city of Millcreek has ever had. Still.
Silvestrini recently announced he will retire from the post as of November 10 for health reasons. The City Council will name a replacement to fill out the remaining two years in this, his third term.
Silvestrini held the gavel since Millcreek was first incorporated as a city 10 years ago. Before that he was a major mover in the campaign to create the city out of the communities of Millcreek, Canyon Rim, East Millcreek and Mount Olympus.
The mayor was widely admired for his heavy lifting to not only get the city created, but also up and running, with plenty of plans for public spaces and public participation.
He took a lot of heat from that same public for pushing Millcreek to do its share to shelter the homeless, especially during Utah’s brutal winters.
More recently, Silvestrini stood up to bullying by federal ICE agents — at least, they said they were federal ICE agents — who, he said, lied to local police about what happened during a traffic stop in Millcreek. He also defended a family of refugees from Venezuela who, even though they had legal permission to remain in the U.S., had received ICE orders to leave the country.
“That’s not American,” the mayor courageously said.
Silvestrini has suffered through several bouts of cancer and, at age 71, has earned a comfortable retirement.
The Millcreek City Council, and then voters, will have a tall order in finding someone to take his place.