Millcreek Mayor Jeff Silvestrini announced his plans to retire effective Nov. 10 during the night's city council meeting Sept. 22. He stated that "I needed two surgeries recently, and I learned that I also have leukemia and a hopefully benign pancreatic tumor.” He also said his decision stemmed from a desire to spend what time he has left with his wife and enjoy a long-elusive retirement.

Silvestrini began serving as Millcreek's mayor in 2016, and he is the first person to hold the office for the city. Millcreek incorporated on Dec. 28, 2015 in an effort championed by Silvestrini, who was serving on the Mount Olympus Community Council at the time. Prior to being involved with local politics, Silvestrini practiced as an attorney for 37 years and lobbied in the Utah Legislature on local government issues.

His speech discussed his journey within the council and brought many in the room to tears and the entire audience to a standing ovation. Following the announcement, the City Journals spoke with Silvestrini about his beginnings in local politics, his time on the council, and what he hopes the future holds for Millcreek and its residents.

Responses have been edited for clarity and concision.

City Journals: Thanks for taking the time to meet with the City Journals today. I was hoping we could start off by discussing your background and why you decided to run for mayor of Millcreek?

Mayor Silvestrini: I kind of felt some responsibility for having guided our community down that path, and I felt I had a particular skill set that would be valuable. But what sold it to me was after the election, I was invited to breakfast by people who were opposed to Millcreek's incorporation. They had been the ringleaders of the opposition, and they told me that based on how I behaved during the two incorporation campaigns, I was someone they'd support and trust to run the city. I also had people on the incorporation side suggest I run for mayor, and the other thing is that my wife was supportive about it, she basically told me “you need to do this.” I couldn't have done this without her.

City Journals: Across the country it seems like people are developing an interest in local politics and wanting to get involved with their communities. What do you think are some of the benefits of being involved in local politics?

Mayor Silvestrini: For myself, I'm the kind of person who wants to be involved in the decision making that affects me. I think it's important for people to get involved because in order for government to work well, we need people to be willing to step up and serve. Serving a government or HOA or community council requires some sacrifice, and an attitude of service to other people, and I think it's very important that people get invested in their community and that they do things to make things better constructively. I firmly believe that people can make change for the better if they get involved, that's the only way it really happens.

City Journals: What kind of advice would you give to those who might not have any knowledge or experience with systems of government, but who want to get involved?

Mayor Silvestrini: Come to city council meetings, OK? Come to meetings and learn about the city budget. It may sound incredibly boring, but that's what cities do. We collect tax dollars and then have to prioritize things and decide how to spend those dollars. Some people want the roads fixed and others want a playground, all those things need to be done and we need to balance that. Community councils are ground-roots ways to get involved, Millcreek has some councils with open spots. People can learn a lot by just sitting through those meetings.

City Journals: Building off that, during the meeting you discussed the possibility of introducing an educational program for residents called "Civics 101," could you elaborate on this program and what inspired the idea?

Mayor Silvestrini: I don't know if it's a failure of our educational system or people's lack of interest in the subject matter, but I am constantly surprised by how little people understand about how government works, and what the various roles and responsibilities for different levels are. I went to a question-and-answer event with office holders around the city and was really surprised by how little people knew about the responsibilities of government at different levels. So, one of the things I'd like to do in retirement is to help educate people about that, because I think if they know these things they'll feel better. More knowledge of how government works makes better citizens, better voters and that's important. For example, when people vote for a mayor or councilmember of a city, they should understand that we are providing municipal services. On the municipal level, we probably touch people's lives more than other levels of government because we provide daily services, and people should understand that's what we do. Citizens will be able to approach the right people about the right problems, and that is less frustrating and more productive.

City Journals: There are a lot of highlights from your time as mayor, but you mentioned The Promise Program last night as being the work you're most proud of. Is there a particular moment with the program that stands out to you?

Mayor Silvestrini: I don't know if I could point to just one moment. It's something we do to make a difference and make our community better through building bridges and making people feel welcome in our community. The thing that stands out to me the most is actually having kids who are in high school now come up to me and appreciate that people helped them in their school and that we listened to them. There was a woman named Jane who would take walks with children in the community and ask them things like, “What are that problems that you see?” “What do you think could be better?” I have done that several times on the west side of Millcreek and there were kids over there that said, “I we wish we had a sidewalk here because we walk here all the time,” and damn it, we put a sidewalk there. We fixed that problem, and I had those kids come back and say thank you. I've been thanked by those kids basically for listening, and those are the things that are gratifying. 

City Journals: Now that your time on the council has come to an end, what do you hope for the future of Millcreek and the council?

Mayor Silvestrini: This is a great place, and I know the people on the council care as much about this place as I do. There are so many talented and dedicated people in city government, not just in Millcreek but all over the place. One of the most striking things for me in this role was learning how many good people there are in local government in our county and state, working for the people of Utah. We serve the public, and I really give our employees so much credit because they do that and continue to come back every day and serve people even when it gets tough. I really wish people would recognize how dedicated people who work in local government are, and to understand that even if we make mistakes, we are trying to do the best thing for the people. Within the council I hope the things we started get finished, and that the leadership will continue to be responsive to the community, to be creative and take initiative. We've done some things very quickly in nine years of being a city from that kind of innovation, risk-taking and being bold. I hope that continues.

Millcreek State of the City address 2024. (Photo from Millcreek City Council live stream video)