SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Mia Love has a few more days left as mayor in Saratoga Springs and took the time to reflect on her administration's accomplishments during her term of service from 2010-13.
She is broadening her love of community to include a large chunk of Utah as she campaigns for the 4th Congressional District seat. Her philosophy of governance remains the same as it was as Saratoga Springs' mayor. "I didn't take this job to make a buck. I took it to make a difference and we have," Love said. "It hasn't always been easy, you know. It's been difficult, but it's been worth it."
One of the challenges was the 6,000-acre wildfire in 2012, and the mudslide down Lake Mountain into homes below when the scarred burn without its vegetation couldn't hold the rare 100-year downpour that followed months later.
The positive from those incidents was watching the residents act during the crisis.
"The community came together and really helped support each other," she said. "That was tough but you know what people are made of when tough things happen."
More than 5,000 volunteers showed up to help move mud, rocks and debris.
Love began as a city council member for the municipality of Saratoga Springs six years earlier when the city population was 6,000 people. She took part when the council approved a transition from an agriculture tax to a municipal tax.
Currently, there are more than 20,000 residents in Saratoga Springs.
"We have quite a bit of infrastructure that we put in, transportation," she said.
The community's economic development was a concern, something that has moved forward as the city continues to grow.
Finances, revenues and expenses, were also a huge concern.
Love worked with other city council members to cut expenses, reducing the city's shortfall during the economic downturn from $3.5 million to $779,000. According to city staff, Saratoga Springs now has the highest possible bond rating for a city of its size.
"If I could tell the incoming mayor, if I could say one thing to him, is to make sure that they don't blow that," Love said.
Saratoga councilman Jim Miller has known Love while they have worked together in city government and also as a neighbor.
"She has been a great person to work with and has the city's interests at heart," Miller said.
One of the successes they have seen come to pass is being able to steer Saratoga Springs through the financial chaos during the recession.
"The city had been having financial troubles and for the last three years we have received the GFOA award for financial planning," Miller said. "That's one big thing that we have done as a council and she as the mayor is put our finances in order."
He has a lot of respect for her as a politician who set priorities and standards for her council.
"She is very passionate that the council represent the city throughout the county on various boards and committees," he said.
During Love's term as mayor, she ran on a Republican ticket for the 2012 election. She ran on a fiscally conservative platform for limited government, something she has supported in the past, and placed emphasis on personal responsibility for citizens. She lost by less than 700 votes.
Not one to back down, Love announced on May 18 that she would run again in 2014. Last week, Jim Matheson announced his retirement as Utah's representative, the very office she had campaigned to win. As she continues with her 2014 campaign plans, she is building upon what was accomplished in her community by city staff, volunteers, council members during her administration. She is not backing away. She is moving forward.
"One of the things in the city isn't to do what is popular in the next four or five years. It is really important to us to look at the big picture and see how every decision that we make is going to effect us 40, 50, 60 years from now," Love said.