Jenny Wilson (politician)
| Jenny Wilson | |
|---|---|
| County Councilwoman At Large and Salt Lake City Mayoral Candidate | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 1, 1965 Salt Lake City |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Residence | Salt Lake City, UT |
| Website | 2014 archive of campaign site |
Jenny Wilson (born November 1, 1965) is a member of the Salt Lake County Council and daughter of Ted Wilson, former mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah, US. She was re-elected to her second term in an at-large seat on the Salt Lake County Council in 2014, having previously served from 2005 to 2011. After her election in 2004, she vowed to enact stronger ethics laws and bring about needed reform to Salt Lake County.
In September 2006, she announced her candidacy for the 2007 Salt Lake City mayoral election.[1] She lost nomination in the September 2007 primary election.
Career
She graduated from East High School in 1983, and received a degree in Mass Communication from the University of Utah in 1988. Throughout college, she worked for the Sundance Institute as an office assistant, where she helped with the first Sundance Film Festival. After 10 years in the workforce, she entered a mid-career program at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and received her Masters in Public Administration in 1998.
After working as the press secretary for her father's campaign during the Utah governor's race in 1988, she worked for the National Association of Counties, the National Cable Television Association and on Capitol Hill for Congressman Les AuCoin of Oregon. She returned to the Sundance Institute from 1990-1992. She joined the U.S. Senate campaign of her former employer, Congressman AuCoin. Following that campaign, she returned to Washington, D.C., where she was hired by Congressman Bill Orton of Utah. She later became his chief of staff, and served in that capacity until he retired from the Congress in 1996.
She joined the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games of 2002 in 1999. She served as a director of volunteers, where her specific duties included retention, communication and special events.
Following the completion of her work for the Olympics, she joined the staff of "Cover the Uninsured Week", a national campaign to draw attention to the large number of Americans who go without health insurance.[2] She was later hired by "Voices for Utah Children" to direct the "Covering Kids" campaign, dedicated to decreasing the number of Utah children who go without health coverage.
In 2010 she joined the Moran Eye Center as Executive Director of Institutional Advancement, where she served until March 2013, overseeing marketing, communications, government relations and development.
Wilson also produced and directed a documentary film titled The Grand Rescue, which was completed in 2014.
References
- ↑ Dethman, Leigh (September 6, 2006). "Wilson is hoping to follow in her father's footsteps". Deseret News (Salt Lake City).
Jenny Wilson and Rocky Anderson are Democrats. One is mayor, and the other wants to be -- but the similarities end there. Wilson, who currently serves on the Salt Lake County Council, announced her plans Tuesday to follow her father's footsteps all the way to the mayor's office. Her father, Ted Wilson, served as mayor from 1976-85.
- ↑ Stettler, Jeremiah (February 17, 2009). "Gay rights issue: S.L. County OKs adult-designees' benefits". The Salt Lake Tribune.
For nearly two decades, David Turner has watched his colleagues provide their families with health insurance. But he couldn't do the same -- not even when his partner battled prostate cancer. Why? Because his employer, Salt Lake County, wouldn't offer benefits to same-sex partners. That's about to change. The County Council voted 6-3 on Tuesday to extend health insurance, dental coverage, extended funeral leave, life insurance and a variety of other protections to unmarried partners or other "adult designees" of county employees. The vote is a political triumph for Democratic Councilwoman Jenny Wilson, who has fought feverishly for same-sex-couple benefits since taking office in 2005. She has argued that a more-progressive approach to health care and other job perks would reduce turnover, increase productivity and save long-term medical expenses by offering more expansive preventive care.