The Sandy City Council was presented and voted on a proposal by Councilmember Ryan Mecham to establish a new Sister City relationship with Bucha, Ukraine on Nov. 19.

Though the item on the agenda wasn’t a voting item, it was passed by unanimous vote the same night by the council.

Mecham said the relationship will “allow Sandy to participate in cultural and student exchanges, and promote economic cooperation, tourism and humanitarian efforts.”

Sandy City already has two existing Sister City relationships since 2002 with Piedras Negras, Mexico and Riesa, Germany, which Mecham said had a lot to do with the Olympics coming to Utah.

This new proposal comes as Bucha continues to rebuild after suffering immense devastation during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The city gained international attention for the atrocities committed against its residents which killed at least 30,000 civilians and displaced millions, becoming a symbol of the war’s brutality.

Nov. 19 was the 1,000th day since the first attack on Bucha on Feb. 24, 2022.

Establishing a Sister City relationship with Bucha would offer Sandy residents an opportunity to engage in cultural exchange and provide support for the Ukrainian city’s recovery efforts.

Sandy resident Josh Chandler was a strong supporter of the Sister City proposal and spoke during the period of public comment in favor of it.

“I hope we can all agree that by entering into a Sister City, we have the opportunity to stand up for the things that unite us as people, the things that make humanity good,” Chandler said. “We have the opportunity to get out of it what we’ll put into it.”

Representatives from the Utah nonprofit organization August Mission were also in attendance supporting the proposal.

In addition to Bucha’s need, Mecham said that a big part of why Bucha is the proposed city is because of the several connections that Sandy and Utah residents have with the country. Millions of dollars of aid that Utahn Dell Loy Hansen has put into the surrounding area to house Ukrainians who lost their homes.

Mayor Monica Zoltanski pointed out another tie with Ukraine including a group of firefighters from the country who participated in the 2022 World Firefighter Competition at the Shops at South Towne. David Jack the recipient of the 2023 Global Citizen Award and Sandy resident hosted the six Ukrainian athletes at his home during the event.

“The time is ripe and the time is right for us to establish this sister city relationship,” Zoltanski said. “There’s a lot of support and solidarity coming between Utah and Ukraine and it’s happening right now.”

Zoltanski said that she’s talked with Bucha’s mayor, Anatoliy Petrovych Fedoruk, about the arrangement and the city’s administration and residents look forward to partnering with Sandy City and modeling their government more after the United States’ democracy.

A formal agreement is in the works and is expected to be signed by the mayors of both cities and council chair Zach Robinson in the coming months. λ