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Jackie Biskupski Prevails in Salt Lake City Mayoral Race

Former state lawmaker Jackie Biskupski is officially the mayor-elect of Utah’s capital city. The Salt Lake City board of canvassers released the final results Tuesday of the Mayor’s race and for three city council races.

Election results show Ralph Becker lost his bid for a third term by about 1200 votes. Nearly half of registered Salt Lake City voters participated in the election which was primarily conducted by mail-in ballots.

Biskupski told reporters she’s grateful for Becker’s work, calling him a tireless champion for Salt Lake City. She brushed off the news that she would be the first openly gay mayor of any major Utah city.

“Today is not just about making history,” Biskupski said. “It is about people. It is about effecting change for the sake of so many people in this community who felt like they had not been heard.”

Ralph Becker congratulated Biskupski on a strong campaign and victory.   He said a way to measure success in a job is to look at whether the place that you’re leaving behind is a better place than when you started.

“I leave this job with a wonderful feeling of success,” Becker said. Everyone who’s worked with me inside and outside city government can look around this city and feel proud of the incredible transformation over the last eight years.”

Biskupski will take office in January. In the Salt Lake City Council races, Andrew Johnston won the district two seat, Derek Kitchen won district 4 and Charlie Luke won district 6. 

Whittney Evans grew up southern Ohio and has worked in public radio since 2005. She has a communications degree from Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky, where she learned the ropes of reporting, producing and hosting. Whittney moved to Utah in 2009 where she became a reporter, producer and morning host at KCPW. Her reporting ranges from the hyper-local issues affecting Salt Lake City residents, to state-wide issues of national interest. Outside of work, she enjoys playing the guitar and getting to know the breathtaking landscape of the Mountain West.
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