By Darrell Kirby | [email protected]

Years of public service will come to a close at the end of 2021 for Ron Bigelow.

The two-term mayor of West Valley City says he will not seek reelection later this year to a third four-year term. 

Bigelow, 72, said that after a long professional career in accounting and finance, 16 years as a state representative, and director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget under former Gov. Gary Herbert, he is ready to step back and enjoy something resembling retirement in his hometown since 1977. 

“I will still be involved in some ways, but not in elected office,” he said, adding it is time for someone else to bring new ideas to the mayor’s office.   

If Bigelow finishes his current term in January, he would be tied for the second-longest serving mayor since West Valley City was incorporated in 1980. Gearld Wright was early in his third term when he died in 2002.

From the time he took office in January 2014 to today, Bigelow has overseen the continuing growth of Utah’s second-largest city from a bedroom community to one that has forged its own economic, social and cultural identity. The mayor said that progress includes the construction of new fire stations and a police department headquarters—two of the most public-facing city agencies, the addition of apartments and office space at Fairbourne Station, and the expansion of the industrial corridor on the city’s north side. Commercial development along 5600 West, the extension of Mountain View Corridor and pockets of new housing have changed the complexion of the city’s west side.  

It is hoped that ground can be broken for a veterans memorial in the city in a matter of weeks, a project strongly championed by Bigelow, a U.S. Air Force veteran. “That is something that will really be an asset to our city. It is not just for West Valley. It is for the whole state.”

With all that growth and a population nearing 140,000, Bigelow believes the city’s previous reputation for crime and other problems, deserved or not, is improving. “In spite of what people say about the west side having more crime, it’s not borne out by the statistics.” Still, the mayor said West Valley City, like all cities, has its challenges. “We’re not perfect.” 

The city’s police department, beset by scandals and controversies around the time Bigelow became mayor, has undergone reforms and earned accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, the first department in Utah at the time to meet the rigid standards for such certification. “It was a testament to the desire of the department and the public to say, ‘let’s hold our police department to a very high standard,’” Bigelow said.  

Steve Buhler has served on the city council throughout Bigelow’s eight years as mayor. “(He) has provided a steady hand to the administration of city affairs,” said Buhler, who joined the council in 2010. “He has been great to work with in that he always allows and even encourages everyone else on the council to express opinions and ideas.” 

But Buhler said the mayor has his faults. “His biggest downfall is that the only jokes he tells are accountant jokes and they're just not that funny.” 

Bigelow expects a robust slate of candidates for mayor, including some current city council members. Mayoral hopefuls and those seeking city council seats in districts 2, 4 and at-large can file with the city recorder’s office June 1-7. The primary election is Aug. 10. General election day is Nov. 2.