Jackie Biskupski (born January 11, 1966) is an American Democratic politician, who served as the 35th Mayor of

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

. Upon taking office, Biskupski became Salt Lake City's 35th mayor, the city's first openly gay mayor, and the second female mayor (after

Deedee Corradini Margaret "Deedee" McMullen Corradini (April 11, 1944 – March 1, 2015) was an American businesswoman and politician who served as the 32nd mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah from 1992 to 2000. Corradini was the first woman to serve as mayor of Salt ...

). She is also a former member of the

Utah House of Representatives The Utah House of Representatives is the lower house of the Utah State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. The House is composed of 75 representatives elected from single member constituent districts. Each district conta ...

, representing the 30th District in

Salt Lake County Salt Lake County is located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 1,185,238, making it the most populous county in Utah. Its county seat and largest city is Salt Lake City, the state capital. The cou ...

from 1999 to 2011.

Early life

In 2009, Biskupski adopted a son named Archie. On August 14, 2016, she married longtime partner Betty Iverson, who also has a son (named Jack). She currently lives in the

Sugar House A sugar shack (french: cabane à sucre), also known as sap house, sugar house, sugar shanty or sugar cabin is a commercial establishment, primarily found in Eastern Canada and northern New England. Sugar shacks are small cabins or groups of cab ...

neighborhood of

. Biskupski holds a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree in criminal justice from Arizona State University.

Early career

After graduating from college, Biskupski opened her own private-investigation firm, and later went to work for the auto-insurance industry. Biskupski decided to get involved in politics after a 1995 controversy erupted at

East High School (Salt Lake City) Salt Lake High School East or simply East High School is a public high school in the Salt Lake City School District in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It serves grades nine through twelve in general and special education. East High School was ...

, when the Board of the Salt Lake City School District and the

Utah State Legislature The Utah State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. It is a bicameral body, comprising the Utah House of Representatives, with 75 state representatives, and the Utah Senate, with 29 state senators. There are no term li ...

tried to eliminate a gay/straight student alliance club. In 1997, Biskupski was elected to the Executive Committee for the Salt Lake County Democratic party as well as the Board of Directors for the

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

Utah Legislature

When elected in 1998 to the

she became

's first openly gay person elected to a state office. She was re-elected 6 times after that, serving in the

legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...

for 13 years, before retiring in 2011. In 2000, Biskupski unsuccessfully combated Utah's ban on adoption by same-sex parents and Utah's sodomy law in response to a 1998 bill sponsored by Utah Representative Nora B. Stephens, R- Davis County: ''H.B. 103'' ("Amendments to Child Welfare"). Utah Governor

Gary Herbert Gary Richard Herbert (born May 7, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 17th Governor of Utah from 2009 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he chaired the National Governors Association during the 2015–2016 cycle. Herbert wo ...

appointed Brian Doughty in 2011 to replace Utah Representative Jackie Biskupski, D-Salt Lake, when she resigned from the

. She then went to work as an administrator for the

Sheriff's Office on January 31, 2015. In 2011, Biskupski helped found

's Real Women Run initiative which has hosted numerous events since then to encourage female participation in civic leadership and political office.

Mayor of Salt Lake City

Biskupski was elected to the office of Salt Lake City Mayor on November 17, 2015, defeating two-term incumbent Ralph Becker with 51.55% of the vote, receiving 17,290 votes to Becker's 15,840. During her transition, she called for the resignation of most City department heads, drawing criticism from former

Mayor

Rocky Anderson Ross Carl "Rocky" Anderson (born September 9, 1951), from the United States, is an attorney, writer, activist, civil and human rights advocate. He served two terms as the 33rd Mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah from 2000 to 2008. He is now running f ...

and others. During her first year in office as mayor, Biskupski made local air quality and climate change issues central to her platform, calling for

to be completely run on alternative energy by 2032 and a reduction in carbon emissions by 80% by 2040. In 2016, Mayor Biskupski called for the creation of the Department of Economic Development. In September 2016, after a yearlong negotiation, Biskupski announced a new franchise agreement between

and Rocky Mountain Power in which both parties promised to work together to develop clean-energy projects that would enable

to meet its clean energy goals. Biskupski also focused on finding long-term treatment solutions to

's growing homeless population. In December 2016, the Mayor announced the locations of four new homeless shelters in the

capital city A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city that physically encompasses t ...

, generating substantial controversy concerning the decision on where to put the shelters and the cost of land acquisition. In 2017, Biskupski approved of

's first Transit Master Plan, which was designed to implement a frequent transit network (FTN), develop pilot programs and partnerships for employer shuttles and on-demand shared ride services, develop enhanced bus corridors, and implement a variety of transit-supportive programs and transit access improvements that overcome barriers to using transit. In September 2018, Mayor Jackie Biskupski announced the formation of a Commission Against Gun Violence designed to explore policy questions regarding gun violence and to make funding recommendations to be shared with

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

and

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

officials, as well as the Salt Lake City School District.

National Leadership

In 2018, Biskupski was instrumental in the U.S. Olympic Committee selecting

to bid on behalf of the United States, potentially for the 2030 Winter Games. Biskupski serves as co-chair of Sierra Club's Mayors for 100% Clean Energy. In August 2018, Salt Lake City was selected to host th
68th United Nations Civil Society Conference
, the first time a UN conference took place on US soil outside of New York City. On November 19, 2018, Biskupski led a group of 21 mayors and council members from around

in submitting two amicus briefs with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, supporting the cases challenging President Trump's decisions to shrink Grand Staircase–Escalante (GSE) and

Bears Ears National Monument Bears Ears National Monument is a United States national monument located in San Juan County in southeastern Utah, established by President Barack Obama by presidential proclamation on December 28, 2016. The monument protects of public land su ...

s. The two cases, The Wilderness Society, et al. v. Donald J. Trump and Hopi Tribe, et al. v. Donald J. Trump, will be heard in the D.C. Court after a federal judge denied the Trump Administration's attempt to have the cases moved to the Utah District Court in Salt Lake City. In June 2017, Biskupski leads Sierra Club's
Mayors for 100% Clean Energy
, and joined with the Sierra Club'
Ready for 100 campaign
in a new effort to engage and recruit mayors to endorse a goal of transitioning to

100% renewable energy 100% renewable energy means getting all energy from renewable resources. The endeavor to use 100% renewable energy for electricity, heating, cooling and transport is motivated by climate change, pollution and other environmental issues ...

in cities throughout the country. In June 2017, Mayor Biskupski joins 61 U.S. mayors in committing to adopt, honor, and uphold the

Paris Climate Agreement The Paris Agreement (french: Accord de Paris), often referred to as the Paris Accords or the Paris Climate Accords, is an international treaty on climate change. Adopted in 2015, the agreement covers climate change mitigation, adaptation, and ...

goals. In 2017
The U.S. Conference of Mayors
made Biskupski vice chairwoman of Mayors/Business Alliance for a Sustainable Future. In February 2018, Mayor Biskupski joined hundreds of mayors opposing

Clean Power Plan The Clean Power Plan was an Obama administration policy aimed at combating anthropogenic climate change (global warming) that was first proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in June 2014. The final version of the plan was unveil ...

repeal. In July 2019,

United States Conference of Mayors The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) is the official non-partisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. The cities are each represented by their mayors or other chief elected officials. The organization was founded i ...

formally adopted Resolution 66 introduced by Biskupski, urging congressional action to combat the impact of climate change through a national price on carbon emissions. In what was regarded to be a surprise, Biskupski announced on March 16, 2019 that she would not be seeking a second term in the 2019 mayoral election, citing a "serious and complex family situation".

Environment

Biskupski serves as co-chair of Sierra Club's Mayors for 100% Clean Energy. In 2016,

became the 16th city in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

to formally adopt a 100% clean energy plan. In 2016, Biskupski create
Salt Lake City's Department of Economic Development
In July 2016, the Department becomes an official part of SLC government. Since its creation, the new Department has been responsible for attracting or expanding 29 companies in Salt Lake City, resulting in $895,000,000 of capital investment and 9,000 jobs. In May 2016, Mayor Jackie Biskupski and Rocky Mountain Power CE
Cindy Crane
launched a new initiative to double Salt Lake City's current use of clean solar power. Their program

upped the amount of sustainable energy powering government operations from 6% to 12% in 2016, in line with Biskupski's 2020 goal to have 50% of municipal operations powered by renewable energy, and 100% by 2032. In July 2016, Mayor Jackie Biskupski launche
Climate Positive 2040
, Salt Lake City's initiative to transition the community to 100% renewable energy sources by 2032 (adjusted to 2030 in 2019) and to reduce carbon emissions citywide by 80% by 2040. In keeping with

's clean energy goals set by Biskupski, in 2018, the

Fire Department made history by opening the first two net-zero fire stations in the country. On February 13, 2019, Biskupski called on

's D.C. delegation to leave America's Clean Car Standards alone. Biskupski spoke against the rollbacks currently being worked by the

United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it ...

(EPA) and the

Trump administration Donald Trump's tenure as the 45th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 2017, and ended on January 20, 2021. Trump, a Republican from New York City, took office following his Electoral College victory ...

Housing

On December 12, 2017, the

Council voted unanimously to adopt Mayor Biskupski's
Growing SLC
,'' a housing plan for the

. In February 2017, Mayor Biskupski launched the City's first affordable housing plan in 20-years
GrowingSLC
2017-2022 lays out a plan for policy changes, investment, and direct action to create and preserve affordable housing in Salt Lake City. Since 2017, the City has increased the number of units in the City's affordable housing pipeline from 200 in 2016 to more than 2,000 today.

Transportation

Biskupski created partnerships between Salt Lake City and dockless scooter companies,

Lime Lime commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Botany ...

and

Bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

to increase transit use by people who live more than a quarter of a mile from the bus or TRAX. In August 2019, from funding fro
.05% increase in sales-tax
Salt Lake City launches the first phase of City'
Transit Master Plan.
Three Frequent Transit Network lines are opened on 900 South, 200 South, and 2100 South.

Infrastructure

Under Biskupski's leadership, Salt Lake City's International Airport is being entirely rebuilt to create the nation's first 21st century hub airport, a $3.6-billion-dollar project that does not use a single taxpayer dollar. In November 2018, Salt Lake City voters approv
Mayor Biskupski's $87-million bond
for road repair. In keeping with

's clean energy goals set by Biskupski, in 2018, the

Fire Department opened the first two net-zero fire stations in the country. Women's_March_2019

Gender equality

In January 2017, in a first of its kind for the State of Utah, Mayor Biskupski issues new City policy providin
6-weeks of paid parental leave for any employee of Salt Lake City government
extending the benefit to recently hired mothers, fathers, and those who become parents through adoption or foster care. Salt Lake County follows Salt Lake City shortly after. On March 1, 2018 Biskupski signed

's Gender Pay Equity policy which aimed to eliminate systemic bias and discrimination that adds to the under valuation of work performed by women it requires Human Resources to conduct regular audits on gender pay equity and specifically, the policy prohibits individuals participating in City hiring processes from asking an applicant about their current or past salary history. At the 2019

Women's March, Biskupski called on

to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, (ERA) which would enshrine gender equality in the

U.S. Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the nation ...

Utah Inland Port

Biskupski has been a vocal opponent of the Utah Inland Port in its current legal state. Issues cited by Biskupski include loss of local control of the land, lack of transparency in the decision-making process, and environmental disruption. On March 11, 2019, Biskupski directed the Salt Lake City's Attorney's Office to bring a lawsuit against the port, challenging the legality of the legislation underlying the port's creation.

Public Safety

In April 2016, Mayor Biskupski announced a plan to restructur
SLC911
including addressing staffing issues. By November 2016, numbers show an 84% decrease in mandatory overtime shifts. In October 2017, Mayor Biskupski issues a
executive order
directing the release of police body-worn camera footage within 10-days of a critical incident. In 2018, under Biskupski's leadership, the

Salt Lake City Police Department The Salt Lake City Police Department (SLCPD) is the police department of Salt Lake City, Utah. History The SLCPD was founded in 1851, under a then newly created City Charter, when the Mayor authorized a police department to be created and forty ...

experienced a three-year, 25% decrease in crime citywide. In July 2019, Mayor Biskupski unveiled new wheelchair lift trailers to expand emergency services response by police, fire.

Public Art

In April 2017, Biskupski inaugurated 18 permanent public art sculptures in downtown

. In February 2018, Biskupski launches th
Arts for All
program which provides eligible residents the opportunity to receive up to four free tickets per year to select performances at the Eccles Theater. To be eligible to enter the ticket drawing, residents must receiv
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
benefits or be eligible for free or reduced school lunches. In August 2019, Mayor Biskupski complete
ColorSLC
, the largest public art project in SLC history.

Voting record: Utah Legislature

References

External links

Project Vote Smart - Jackie Biskupski
profile *''Follow the Money'' - Jackie Biskupski
20062004200220001998
campaign contributions
America's 11 Most Interesting Mayors
from ''Politico'' magazine {{DEFAULTSORT:Biskupski, Jackie 1966 births 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Arizona State University alumni Lesbian politicians LGBT mayors of places in the United States LGBT people from Minnesota LGBT state legislators in Utah Living people Mayors of Salt Lake City Democratic Party members of the Utah House of Representatives People from Hastings, Minnesota Women mayors of places in Utah Women state legislators in Utah