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Cindy Wood appointed to West Valley City Council after multi-round vote and coin-toss
Summary
Following public interviews of 15 candidates, the West Valley City Council appointed Cindy Wood to fill the District 4 vacancy on Jan. 28, 2024, after a multi-round ballot that included a round‑robin coin-toss tiebreaker to determine the finalists.
Cindy Wood was selected Jan. 28, 2024, to fill the West Valley City Council seat for District 4 after the council conducted public interviews of 15 applicants, held multiple ballot rounds and used a round‑robin coin toss to break a tie among contenders.
The vacancy arose when Jake Fitzsimonu won election to the Utah House of Representatives. Under Utah Code 20-1-510, the council followed a public appointment process, accepting applications and interviewing candidates in the order set by the lieutenant governor’s master ballot. City recorder Nicole Kamick explained each candidate had three minutes for an opening statement and one minute per answer to two council questions.
Cindy Wood, a vice chair of the West Valley Planning Commission and a certified public accountant who has lived in the city for 38 years, highlighted planning experience, financial oversight and a focus on the city’s image and affordable, permanent housing. After the public interviews and two tabulations of paper ballots, the council did not produce an initial four-vote majority and advanced Cindy Wood to a second round. A three-way tie among other candidates required a round‑robin coin‑toss; Amitonu Wesley Amosa won the coin-toss series to face Wood in the final ballot.
City recorder Kamick announced the final ballot results: Wood received a majority and was selected to fill the District 4 seat. The council then adopted Resolution 25-11 to formalize the appointment; Councilman Christensen moved the resolution and it was seconded. The council polled members and the motion passed unanimously. The council administered the oath of office and Wood thanked the council, saying, “I am so excited.”
The council recorded the selection publicly and invited all applicants to remain engaged in city affairs and consider running in the upcoming election for the full term. Staff said the appointed term runs through the end of the year and noted the city set a process and schedule for the public appointment.
What happens next: the appointee will take the District 4 dais seat immediately after being sworn in; the seat will again appear on the ballot in the next scheduled municipal election for a full term.
