Trent Staggs

Trent Staggs (born May 10, 1974) is an American politician, serving as the mayor of Riverton, Utah since 2018. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served on the Riverton City Council and is a candidate for the United States Senate.[2][3]

Trent Staggs
Staggs in 2023
Mayor of Riverton, Utah
Assumed office
2018
Member of the Riverton City Council
In office
2014–2018
Personal details
Born
Trent Phillip Staggs[1]

(1974-05-10) May 10, 1974
Orem, Utah, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseAlisha
Children2
Alma materUniversity of Utah (BA)
Brigham Young University (MBA)
Websitetrentstaggs.com

Early life and career

Staggs was raised in Orem, Utah, as one of 10 children. He graduated from Bingham High School in South Jordan, Utah, and served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tahiti. He graduated from the University of Utah with degrees in political science and economics. He later earned an MBA from the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University. He is married and has two children.[4][5]

Staggs has been an executive in the direct sales, finance, and technology industries for more than 20 years. After business school, Staggs worked for brokerage firm Morgan Stanley as the VP of online operations. Following four years there, he started his own consulting firm, Staggs Management Group. He also served as an executive of Unicity International.[6]

Most recently, he served on the board of directors of clean-energy technology company Vivakor, which he helped take public in 2022.[7] He also serves on several corporate and civic advisory boards.

Mayor of Riverton (2018–present)

Elections

Staggs was elected mayor of Riverton in 2017 with 60% of the vote.[8] In 2021, he was re-elected unopposed,[9] following an unsuccessful bid for the Salt Lake County mayor in 2020.[10]

Tenure

During his term as mayor, Staggs has focused on public health and safety. In 2018, Staggs initiated a biannual educational series to combat anxiety and other mental health challenges for students.[11][12] Staggs also led an initiative to reduce misuse of opioids in the city in partnership with Utah-based medication disposal organization called NarcX.[13] Staggs oversaw Riverton's leaving the Unified Police Department (UPD) of Greater Salt Lake in favor if one that serves exclusively the city itself, based on concerns that low-crime cities in Salt Lake County, like Riverton, were paying too much for the service and not seeing an increase in the number of officers.[14] In June 2019, the city swore in 35 officers for the new police department.[15]

Staggs has also focused on Utah's statewide challenges of growth[16] and water conservation.[17] In 2019, he rejected a proposal to increase the salary of the Riverton mayor.[18]

In 2023, Staggs awarded Enes Kanter Freedom the city’s first “Freedom Award” to recognize the former Utah Jazz player’s efforts on behalf of “the Constitution, the liberties that are constitutionally protected, particularly freedom of speech.”[19] To show his commitment to free speech in his native Turkey, China, and elsewhere, Kanter had changed his legal name to include the word “Freedom” the year before.[20]

In 2023, Staggs was named Best Mayor in Utah by Best of State.[21]

COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Staggs rejected shutdowns for his city, advancing instead universal and repeat testing “so children can still go school and parents can continue to work.”[22] He rejected mask mandates, calling them "unenforceable."[23]

Staggs likewise led an initiative to help the local economic challenges from the COVID-19 lockdowns, which included the elimination of licensing fees for businesses and certain signage restrictions.[24][25]

2024 U.S. Senate election in Utah
Main article: 2024 United States Senate election in Utah

In May, Staggs announced that he was running for the US Senate against incumbent Mitt Romney,[26][27][28] who announced he would not seek a second term on Sept. 13, 2023.[29]

In an op-ed for Real Clear Politics, Staggs wrote that “If our children are going to grow up with the same opportunities we had, we need leaders who are committed to the conservative principles of smaller government, safer families, and stronger economy.”[30] Staggs’ Senate run has been endorsed by Kari Lake,[31] Turning Point USA, former Trump Administration officials Kash Patel and Ric Grenell, the Utah Republican Veterans’ caucus, the Utah State Fraternal Order of Police,[32] and more than 30 elected officials from across Utah. [33]

References
  1. "Meet Mayor Trent Staggs". Trent Staggs for Utah. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  2. Collins, Eliza (August 20, 2023). "Mitt Romney's Political Journey Reaches a Crossroads". Wall Street Journal. South Jordan, Utah. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  3. Mills, Glen (August 27, 2023). "U.S. Senate Candidate Profile: Trent Staggs". ABC 4 Utah. Salt Lake City, Utah. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  4. "About Mayor Staggs". City of Riverton, Utah. January 4, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  5. Mills, Glen (October 11, 2020). "SLCO Mayoral Candidate Profile: Trent Staggs". ABC 4 Utah. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  6. "About Mayor Staggs". City of Riverton, Utah. January 4, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  7. Singh, Meghavi (February 16, 2022). "Vivakor, Inc. Announces Closing of $8.0 Million Underwritten Public Offering and Nasdaq Listing". Seeking Alpha. New York City. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  8. "Official Final Election Results 2017 General Election, Salt Lake County, Utah" (PDF). Salt Lake County. November 11, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  9. "Official Final Election Results 2017 General Election, Salt Lake County, Utah". City of Riverton, Utah. November 16, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  10. McKellar, Katie (November 5, 2023). "Trent Staggs concedes Salt Lake County mayor's race to Jenny Wilson". Desert News. Riverton, Utah. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  11. Stefanich, Logan (February 1, 2022). "Columbine Survivor Uses Tragedy To Start 'Chain Reaction Of Kindness'". KSL. Salt Lake County, Utah. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  12. Flores, Cristina (July 29, 2019). "Riverton is committed to student safety, mayor says". KUTV. Riverton, Utah. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  13. Bojórquez, Kim (October 16, 2019). "State lawmakers hope to follow Riverton's footsteps in combating opioid crisis". Deseret News. Riverton, Utah. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  14. Roe, Ginna (July 19, 2018). "Riverton City Council decides to leave UPD, form own police department". KUTV 2. Riverton, Utah. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  15. Berg, Alison (June 25, 2019). "Riverton swears in 35 officers for its new standalone police department". The Salt Lake Tribune. Riverton, Utah. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  16. Semerad, Tony (July 11, 2020). "Over 20 years ago, Utah aimed for 'quality growth' as its population boomed". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  17. Bink, Addy (June 7, 2021). "Riverton mayor urges water conservation". ABC 4 Utah. Riverton, Utah. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  18. Williams, Mariden (June 19, 2019). "Time for a pay raise? Mayor Trent Staggs says no". The City Journals (Riverton). Riverton, Utah. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  19. Vejar, Alex (April 13, 2023). "Why former Jazzman Enes Kanter Freedom received an award from a Utah mayor". The Salt Lake Tribune. Riverton, Utah. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  20. "Why NBA player and political activist Enes Kanter added Freedom to his legal name". NPR. January 13, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  21. "2023 Winners by Category – Community Development". Best of State. Utah. May 24, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  22. Staggs, Trent (October 13, 2020). "Trent Staggs: We need universal and repeat testing to stop COVID-19". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake County, Utah. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  23. Mullahy, Brian (June 25, 2020). "Riverton mayor calls mandating masks 'heavy-handed', says city police won't enforce". KUTV. Riverton, Utah. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  24. Tanner, Courtney (March 29, 2020). "Salt Lake County issues new stay-at-home order, closing some businesses; Utah's coronavirus cases now at 719". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake County, Utah. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  25. "Riverton mayor announces economic recovery plan". ABC 4 Utah. Riverton, Utah. February 16, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  26. Bates, Suzanne (May 23, 2023). "Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs announces run for Mitt Romney's Senate seat". Desert News. Riverton, Utah. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  27. Wagner, John (May 24, 2023). "Sen. Mitt Romney draws a Republican primary challenger in Utah". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  28. Metz, Sam (May 23, 2023). "Utah Mayor Plans To Challenge Mitt Romney In GOP Primary For Utah Senate Seat". Huffington Post. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  29. Balz, Dan (September 13, 2023). "Mitt Romney says he will not seek a second term in the Senate". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  30. Staggs, Trent (June 16, 2023). "Enough Is Enough: Why I'm Going To Replace Mitt Romney". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  31. Hatch, Heidi (September 18, 2023). "Former Arizona governor candidate Kari Lake rallies for Trent Staggs in private fundraising event". KUTV 2 News. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  32. Poonia, Gitanjali (August 10, 2023). "Brad Wilson, Trent Staggs get endorsements in potential run against Sen. Mitt Romney in Utah GOP primary". Deseret News. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  33. Morris, Kyle (September 15, 2023). "Brad Wilson, Trent Staggs get endorsements in potential run against Sen. Mitt Romney in Utah GOP primary". Fox News. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
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