MILLCREEK, Utah — The first and only mayor so far for the city of Millcreek is stepping down later this year.
Mayor Jeff Silvestrini announced at Monday night's city council meeting that he is resigning, effective Nov. 10, and he plans to retire for health and family reasons.
Silvestrini is Millcreek's first mayor and has served the city for nine years. But now, after a cancer diagnosis —which he says is "the best kind of leukemia" — and wanting to spend more time with his wife, he has decided to step down.
As he started to speak, he was tearing up, talking about his love for the city and the extremely tough decision to retire. He reflected on helping build the city from the ground up when it was incorporated in 2016, dealing with housing and homelessness, service initiatives through Millcreek Promise, working with Unified Police during the split from the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office, building community and bridging divides.
"I want to say heartfeltly, it has been the honor of my life to serve as Millcreek's first mayor, and I have very much enjoyed my time in this office. It has been exciting, it has been gratifying to start a new city and to put Millcreek on the map in the state," he said.
Even though he wanted to retire earlier, Silvestrini said he wanted to run for mayor for a city he loved, after being a voice supporting Millcreek’s incorporation.
“I felt a little bit of a responsibility for what I’d advocated for," he said.
The mayor was also vocal about helping families who live in Millcreek to legally stay there without fearing deportation. He said he also worked to use city funds and collaborated with others to help get resources for families who lost their homes in the large Willow Glen apartment fire.
"The thing I’m going to miss most about this job are the people that I work with. The people here in the city are fantastic. We’ve built a terrific team to serve the residents of Millcreek," he said.
His last day will be Nov. 10. The window for mayoral candidates to apply is from Sept. 30 to Oct. 14.
A "Special City Council" meeting will be held Nov. 3 to interview candidates and select the new mayor, who will then be sworn in on Nov. 10.
On Monday night, Silvestrini also offered advice to his successor, saying be bold and be a problem solver, not a bureaucrat.
