Salt Lake City Mayor-Elect Jackie Biskupski has made her first major appointment since being elected in November. She’s selected Salt Lake County Township Executive Patrick Leary to be her Chief of Staff.
Biskupski says she wanted to make sure she brought in someone with experience; not just someone who is close to her campaign. With two decades in municipal government, working in the offices of the county clerk, Salt Lake County District Attorney and Salt Lake County Administrative Services, Biskupski says Leary is the right choice.
“As chief of staff, he’ll be essentially over operations,” Biskupski says. “And with that background, I don’t think we could have found a better person who understands not only local government, but Utah.”
Biskupski says Leary is service oriented and understands her vision politically. The two have known each other since the mid 90’s.
“He’s also humble,” Biskupski says. “He’s not the kind of person that needs to be visible or the man in charge, but is more about making sure that things are moving smoothly.”
Leary said in a prepared statement, "Throughout her career, (Biskupski) has always prioritized people and fought to bring voice to those who have been underrepresented. We have already seen that commitment from her as mayor-elect, and I am looking forward to working with her as she continues that mission as mayor of our capital city.”
Biskupski takes office January 4th.
