Salt Lake City Mayor: Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall selected as one of 15 'outstanding rising leaders in the nation'

WASHINGTON D.C. (ABC4 News) – Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall was selected as one of 15 individuals to join NewDEAL (Developing Exceptional American Leaders), a national network of state and local elected officials.

“It’s an honor to be selected to join the NewDEAL. Particularly now, in response to COVID-19, leaders across the nation are moving forward in new, creative ways. In Salt Lake City, this crisis has not shifted our focus from the progress we want to make, and I am looking forward to the shared learning opportunities this network has to offer,” Mendenhall said.

Members of the 185-person network are working to enact pro-growth progressive solutions in a diverse array of communities. They were chosen from more than 1500 nominations over a 9-year history.

Mendenhall and the others were recognized for their “unwavering commitment to expanding opportunity as they work to move their communities forward, and reject the idea that policymakers can or should want to turn the clock back to a prior era.”

The leaders’ work will build on policy recommendations that NewDEAL Leaders help develop, including the release of a report from the NewDEAL Forum Future of Work Policy Group, and the upcoming release of work by the Climate Change and Education Policy Groups.

“Our state and local officials play vital roles affecting the prosperity of our country and the quality of life of the American people,” said Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) and former Delaware Governor Jack Markell, Honorary Co-Chairs of NewDEAL. ”As so many of them have stepped up in key ways to protect Americans during the coronavirus crisis, we are reminded of the importance of supporting great leaders outside of Washington.”

100 percent of NewDEAL Leaders have won re-election races in 2018 and 2019, and more than a dozen rose to higher offices in the past two years, such as U.S Representative Ben McAdams.

“We are in a unique moment for state and local leaders as we must find solutions for the urgent challenges created by COVID-19, while not losing focus on longer-term issues that will also affect our residents’ economic security for decades to come,” said Mendenhall. “I look forward to sharing lessons with and learning from other leaders who are setting the standard for effective governance, and I am excited to be part of NewDEAL’s efforts to expand opportunities for communities nationwide.”

Mendenhall spent six years on the city council before becoming Mayor in January. She was selected to join NewDEAL in part because of her “proven track record of making progress as an activist and councilmember.”

The NewDEAL said they brings together leaders focused on expanding opportunity, helping them develop and spread innovative ideas to spur economic growth that is broadly-earned and sustainable. Most importantly, the organization facilitates the exchange of ideas among its members and connects them with other pro-growth progressive political, policy, and private sector leaders.

Learn more about Mayor Mendenhall and the NewDEAL at http://www.newdealleaders.org/leaders.

The new class of NewDEAL Leaders includes: