By Darrell Kirby | [email protected]

Ron Bigelow isn’t the only familiar face leaving office on Jan. 4 as he retires after two terms as mayor of West Valley City. 

Councilmember Steve Buhler will officially step away that same day after three terms on the city council. 

Buhler was first elected to the council in 2009 and has served District 2 ever since. He opted to run for mayor in 2021, but lost to fellow councilmember Karen Lang. 

“My time on the council has been a wonderful experience,” Buhler told the West Valley City Journal by email. “Everywhere I go in the city, I see good things that I had a hand in promoting, developing and approving. We have made a lot of progress over the last 12 years and I am proud to have been a part of it.” 

That partially eases the disappointment of falling short in the mayor’s race. “That was not to be,” Buhler said. 

“I feel like I let many people down by not winning the election,” he added. “I will miss the day-to-day hands-on work of building a better city.” 

Buhler first tried for a seat on the city council in 2001 at the urging of friends and neighbors. “I ran as a complete novice and lost in the primary.” With better preparation, he succeeded eight years later. Buhler works as a family law, probate and estate planning attorney as his full-time profession. 

Buhler said he has no plans to run for elected office again, noting some have suggested he run for the Utah Legislature or other position. “My attention has been so focused within the borders of West Valley City that I have no desire to serve elsewhere.” 

“I’m just a guy who, at the request of his neighbors, dedicated some time to serving and building the community where I live and that I love,” he said.