Long before the position of city manager came open in West Valley City, Ifo Pili had his eye on the community. While serving as city administrator for Eagle Mountain, and then as city manager for almost four years in Las Cruces, New Mexico, he said he “saw the potential for economic development and growth in West Valley. It’s such a dynamic city, and it checked all the boxes of a place I could call home.”

Pili now has a chance to bring both his experience and his passion to the community. He begins his new position as city manager on April 8. West Valley City Council approved his hiring in February after an extensive search to find a replacement for Wayne Pyle, the longtime city manager who announced late last year that he was retiring.

“When I went to Las Cruces, we had eight kids living at home, and now we have five,” he said. “They keep graduating and leaving us to go to BYU. So it seems like all the kids are coming back to Utah, and all my siblings live here. That’s one reason I started entertaining the thought about moving back. West Valley was the only city that was really attractive to me. I loved Las Cruces—it’s bittersweet to move—but I know that this city feels like a home to me.”

Born and raised in American Samoa, Pili moved to Utah with his family when he was a high school sophomore. He received a scholarship to play football at BYU, received all-conference honors as a defensive lineman, and played in the NFL for the Houston Texans, Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots. He played for the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX, “when we lost to New England, who I signed to play with the next year,” he said with a smile.

He also earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and his MBA at BYU, and was an adjunct professor in the MBA program at Brigham Young, teaching local government management. While attending BYU, he met his wife, Jenny, who was a member of the track team.

Pili says he has a number of things and specific ideas of what he’d like to accomplish in WVC, but says, “I know the role of the city manager is really to carry out the vision of the City Council. I’ve spoken to the mayor and council members and I’m excited to get going. My first priority is to get a good understanding of what goals they have, and to meet with the staff members who’ve been here for many years. The city has been so well managed under Wayne’s leadership which leaves me with a great opportunity to build upon it.”

Pili is also excited about what he calls West Valley City’s “position” in the state.

“We’re the second largest city in Utah, adjacent to Salt Lake City, just 15 minutes from our international airport and with great transportation corridors,” he said. “We’re poised for economic development. When I started in Eagle Mountain, we had lots of sagebrush and coyotes and all the work ahead of us just to get momentum going. That’s not the case here. We’re the most diverse city in the state, maybe in most of the country, and with that comes a sophistication and a desire to keep our blue collar grid—we’re unique. We need to embrace that, to find ways to really bring the city together.”

He called West Valley “a gem. Everybody I know that has grown up here is proud to call this their hometown. We need to focus on being the best that we can be in every single aspect.” λ