Mayor—s nominee Kim Shelley interviewed for director of Public Lands; pledges stewardship, equity and project delivery

The council interviewed the mayor—s nominee to serve as director of Salt Lake City—s Public Lands Department, Kim Shelley. Shelley summarized her 21‑year career at the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, including serving as executive director, and said she planned to bring environmental stewardship, fiscal rigor and transparent communication to the city department.

Shelley described three near‑term priorities: listening to staff and community members in a series of meetings, assessing baseline operations and maintenance capacity citywide, and ensuring that capital investments produce equitable benefits across districts. She told councilors she would prioritize operational readiness (maintenance staffing and service levels) before expanding new high‑cost capital projects and promised to return with clear project management and implementation plans.

Council members asked how state experience would translate to city project delivery and neighborhood equity concerns. Shelley said she has led complex agency budgets and federal grant programs, has experience redeveloping difficult properties and emphasized a collaborative approach with staff to map project priorities and ensure stewardship of public dollars. Council members welcomed her commitment to communication and project management and noted the importance of organizing maintenance, increasing operational capacity and evaluating public‑private partnership opportunities to support maintenance and programming.

The council agreed to place Shelley on the formal meeting consent agenda later that evening for the council to vote on the appointment. Shelley thanked city staff and her family for support.