Copyright Salt Lake City Deseret News
The Millcreek City Council, in a special meeting Monday evening, voted unanimously in favor of tapping Cheri Jackson as its new city mayor. Mayor-elect Jackson will trade in her seat on the City Council, representing Millcreek Council District 3. to fill the mayoral role being left open by Jeff Silvestrini — who announced his retirement due to health reasons in late September. “Millcreek is a really special city, and I feel honored to serve as the second mayor and first female mayor of our city,” she said after the vote. Silvestrini, 71, said he’d undergone two surgeries within the past six months, and that he was recently diagnosed with leukemia, as well as a “hopefully benign” pancreatic tumor, he said in a statement after initially announcing his departure from the mayoral seat in September. Jackson will finish out the remaining two years of Silvestrini’s term as mayor. “I’ve had nine years of experience working with Cheri Jackson, and I know she has always been engaged and active not only as a council member for her district, but for the whole city,” Silvestrini said in a statement. “I have full confidence that Cheri is the best candidate to preserve the culture in City Hall to serve well the public, but also to continue to execute on the vision that we have outlined since incorporation.” Jackson, a native of Millcreek, graduated from Skyline High School, earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Brigham Young University, and later completed a Master of Public Administration from Utah Valley University, according to a Millcreek city press release. Millcreek City Council’s special meeting on Monday was solely dedicated to selecting the replacement. Five candidates applied for the role. Each applicant had one minute to explain why they’re the best person to lead the city. The mayoral hopefuls were then interviewed by the council and mayor, who vetted each person’s experience in leadership, background in city government and vision for Millcreek’s future. “While (the role of) Millcreek mayor is technically part-time, I can assure you that serving a city of 65,000 people can be a full-time job,” Silvestrini noted to the candidates during the open interview process. Jackson will be sworn into office during the City Council’s meeting on Nov. 10. The council will now need to go through a similar process to appoint someone from Jackson’s council district to complete the remaining two years of her council term. Silvestrini has served as mayor since 2017, when the city of Millcreek incorporated. A retirement ceremony for Silverstrini will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 5, from 4 p.m. through 6:30 p.m. at Millcreek City Hall.
