Cottonwood Heights Mayor Kelvyn Cullimore Jr. is facing three challengers in this year’s election. Cullimore has been the municipality’s only mayor since residents voted to become a city in 2004.
Fifty-three-year-old Peyton Robinson is a partner at the Lewis Hansen Law Firm in Salt Lake City. He says he’s eying the Mayor’s seat because he wants to increase green space and create a true downtown area in Cottonwood Heights.
“Right now we have a main corridor with fort union, and Wasatch Boulevard and these areas adjacent to the mountains, but we don’t have the same sort of downtown area that Sugar House does for example or Holladay," Robinson says.
Robinson says he’s also concerned about a controversial land development at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon. The Tavaci development was initially zoned for residential use. But now many Cottonwood Heights residents fear a high-rise, commercial project is underway.
Current Mayor Kelvyn Cullimore says the city tried to come to an agreement with Developer Terry Diehl. But Diehl opted instead to disconnect the property from Cottonwood Heights altogether. Diehl must now seek permission to rezone from Salt Lake County.
Fifty-one-year old Todd Leeds has also thrown his hat in the ring. He’s especially troubled by the public/private financing model used to pay for the Canyon Center Development on the site of the old Canyon Racquet Center and what he says is a lack of concern for bicycle and pedestrian safety.
“If you look at the trend throughout the Salt Lake Valley there is more infrastructure, more signage, more safety features for bicyclists and pedestrians and Cottonwood Heights is doing almost nothing," Leeds says.
Jubal Perez has also filed to run for Cottonwood City Mayor. Primary elections for municipal races will be held August 13th, narrowing the field to two candidates on the ballot for Election Day on November 5th.
