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Sandy Journal

Oath of Office Ceremony draws crowd at Hale Centre Theatre

Feb 01, 2018 08:12AM ● By Justin Adams

Brooke Christensen, Zach Robinson and Mayor Kurt Bradburn seated on the stage of the Hale Centre Theatre during the Oath of Office program. (Robin Saville/courtesy)

Sandy’s new mayor Kurt Bradburn, as well as two new Sandy city council members, were sworn into office on Jan 2. The two new council members include Zach Robinson, who represents the city as a whole, and Brooke Christensen, who represents the city’s first district. 

The Oath of Office ceremony took place at the newly finished Hale Centre Theatre located just across the street from City Hall. The event normally takes place at City Hall, but Bradburn said he wanted it to be held at a larger venue so more of the public would be able to attend.

The public took advantage of the larger venue, showing up in larger numbers than for previous swearing-in ceremonies. 

“There were a lot of people from the community there. I thought that was great just to see how many people came out. It was really cool to see that much public support,” said Christensen.

“I’m so grateful to the theater for opening this up for us, because it made it possible that we could open it up to everybody. From the beginning of my time in office, I want people to feel like they’re a part of this and that they’re connected,” Bradburn said during the ceremony.

The ceremony was also accessible to Sandy citizens through social media. The entire program was broadcast live through Facebook’s live video feature, and can still be accessed through Sandy City’s Facebook page.

The program featured two speeches by Dennis Shaw and Robert Moss. Shaw, who is a pastor at the Hilltop Methodist Church, spoke about the importance of truly listening to other people instead of “speaking only to like-minded souls.”

Moss spoke about the value of sacrifice and civic service, citing the examples of the founding fathers, police officers and members of the military.

The swearing-in was administered by Sandy Justice Court Judge Paul Farr.

After being sworn in, each official gave a few short remarks. Bradburn thanked his family for their support, but also jokingly shared the story that when he first told his wife he wanted to run for mayor, she said, “You know you’re going to lose, right?”

Christensen and Robinson both thanked those who voted for them and promised to do their best to represent them.

“To the 11,788 who trusted me with their vote, thank you so much. I’m going to work hard to maintain your trust and be an open and responsive council member,” said Robinson.

 “I hope that the trust that has been placed in me, that I can take care of it and take care of our city and make the best choices for the citizens of Sandy. I’m so excited to be a member of the city council,” said Christensen.

The new council members didn’t have to wait very long for their first official meeting. The city council’s weekly meeting took place just a few hours after the swearing-in ceremony.

Christensen said she was a little nervous for the first meeting, but that it helped to have an experienced council staff to help prepare her.