By Stacy Nielsen  /  [email protected]

Sandy - Re-elected Council Members Linda Saville, Steve Fairbanks and Chris McCandless took their oaths of office on Monday, Jan. 4 while newly elected Councilmember Maren Barker had a scheduling conflict and was unable to attend the ceremonious event.

The ceremony began with an invocation by Reverend Father Anthony Savas, pastor of the Greek Orthodox Mission and a presentation of colors and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Sergeant Jason Nielsen of the Sandy Police Department. Those in attendance were able to hear Holly Marsh sing a rendition of “God Bless America” while Judge Paul Farr administered the oath of office.

Each council member expressed their deep gratitude for the support of their loved ones and the community.

“I would like to thank my family for putting up with me for 20 years. I would like to thank my neighbors. I am just so proud to be here,” Saville said.

Saville shared a personal story of her father’s passing and her decision to run again; this is her sixth term as a council member for Sandy. She recalled the early years of her campaign and being told, “If you are going to run for city council or for mayor, you need to remember never to embarrass your family, your friends, or your community, and always be honest, because people are always watching you.” 

Saville continued to express her gratitude for fellow council members and employees of the city, and how much she has learned during the 20 years that she has served. 

“The way the department heads handle each division, how the administration and the mayor, how they do everything – we are a great city. You do not read about Sandy City because the way it’s promoted and the way it’s handled, because we have such great council,” Saville said.

Meanwhile, Councilmembers Fairbanks and McCandless also spoke of their focus the next four years, in addition to expressing their own appreciation for their families and supporters in the community. Fairbanks was re-elected for what is now his fourth term and attributes his successful campaign to his son, as he plans for Sandy’s future.

“I’m not looking to make bigger and greater. I am looking to take care of what we have and add to it as we need to,” Fairbanks said. “We have roads that need to be taken care of; we have a water system that needs to be taken of; we have employees that need to be taken care of. We need to make sure that we have the best people working on our equipment and we need the best equipment.  These things contribute to keep taxes low. We have to figure out a way to do the best we can with what we have, but not at the expense of employees.”

“I think it might have been a mistake to keep taxes this low as we did for as long as we did. We did not anticipate the economic changes. I am not sure that we could have. We have stuff that we are committed to and we have to take care of it. The most important thing is to keep the city in good shape,” Fairbanks said. “I believe that we are taking this city in the right direction.”

This is Councilmember McCandless’ fifth term with the city, and he spoke highly of his opponent, Steve Van Maren.

“Steve Van Maren’s willingness to step up made me a better candidate for the people of Sandy City. I was able to learn more about the city, the people, their needs and their desires,” McCandless said.

McCandless and Fairbanks also hosted a party on election night for everyone running for Sandy City Council last November, saying that, “We are on the same team, and we all want what’s best for Sandy City.”

“I think to focus on our long-term financial analysis, because there will come a time where we have to have money and resources and that time is coming,” McCandless said.

“I would like to see us in the near future work with the homeless in Salt Lake county, and it’s going to be a good day to watch the Sandy Club get dedicated,” McCandless said. “We have now accomplished all facets of a downtown city. We are the city people watch.”