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West Valley City Council appoints Cindy Wood to fill District 4 vacancy after 15‑candidate interview
Summary
After public interviews of 15 candidates and a round of ballots and a round‑robin coin toss to resolve a tie, the West Valley City Council adopted Resolution 25‑11 and unanimously appointed Cindy Wood to represent District 4; the council administered the oath of office the same night.
West Valley City Mayor Karen Lang and the City Council on Jan. 28, 2024, selected Cindy Wood to fill the District 4 council vacancy, adopting Resolution 25‑11 after a public interview process that included 15 applicants.
The vacancy followed the election of Jake Fitzsimonu to the state House, which triggered the appointment procedure the council said was conducted under Utah state code 20A‑1‑510. The city recorder led a publicly announced process in council chambers: each candidate had three minutes for an opening statement and one minute for responses to two council questions.
Cindy Wood, a 38‑year West Valley resident and vice chair of the West Valley Planning Commission who identified herself as a CPA, emphasized financial oversight, transparency and improving the city’s public image during her interview. After a multi‑round vote procedure that required a runoff, the council used a round‑robin coin‑toss among tied candidates to determine the second finalist; the final ballot produced a 5‑1 majority in favor of Wood.
City staff then presented a motion to adopt Resolution 25‑11 to appoint Wood to the remainder of the term. The motion was seconded; the roll call recorded in the transcript shows affirmative votes and the mayor announced the motion "passes unanimously." The city recorder administered the oath of office, after which Wood said, "I am so excited. I'm just thrilled. I hope that I can serve as well as each of you have and do good things for the city and support the residents in my district and the residents of all of West Valley."
Mayor Lang and several council members thanked all applicants for participating and encouraged those not appointed to consider future civic service. The meeting adjourned with the council scheduled to reconvene in two weeks.
What happens next: the appointment fills the District 4 seat through the end of the year, at which point the seat will appear on the regular election cycle per state law and the city's public statements about the vacancy process.
