Former Heber City Councilor Rachel Kahler said she ran for the City Council in 2019 because she saw growth on the horizon. Now the Republican is running for Wasatch County Council Seat A to continue that fight for responsible growth and promote communication with the public.
When County Councilor Luke Searle, who currently occupies the at-large seat, announced his bid for Utah House of Representatives District 59, Kahler said she saw an opportunity to serve her community again. Kahler, who leads the Community Alliance for Main Street, served on the Heber City Council from 2020 until 2023.
Looking back, Kahler said she is most proud of her willingness to work with her fellow councilors. She pointed to what she called a small project — the installation of a four-way stop on Center Street and Mill Road. At the time, traffic and Heber City engineers said traffic did not warrant a four-way stop at the cross street.
Concerned with the completion of Timpanogos Middle School causing unsupervised crossings during school hours, Kahler pushed for the stop and ultimately succeeded.
“I feel like it was one example of bringing a project that was maybe a little bit ahead of its time when it comes to the traffic studies, but from a public safety standpoint it was so needed,” Kahler said.
Transportation, Kahler said, is still a major issue in Wasatch County. That’s especially due to the Utah Department of Transportation’s work to pursue a Heber Valley bypass road. This month, UDOT identified Alternative B, which cuts through the North Fields, as the preferred bypass route.
“I’m committed to clear and responsible transportation planning right now with UDOT’s release of Alternative B as the preferred route,” Kahler said. “I think it’s important that we have champions within the county that are working with UDOT to put a plan in place to see the construction of that bypass completed.”
Along with transportation planning, Kahler considers growth to be the No. 1 issue in Wasatch County.
“It’s the No. 1 pain point with residents, whether they’ve lived here 50 years or five years,” Kahler said. “For me, the biggest thing is communicating to the public what is going on.”
She said that has been her biggest strength as an elected representative — putting out information for the public to review and then engaging in conversation to help people understand hard-to-digest details.
“A lot of people don’t understand that it could be up to 20 years that these projects have been in the works and density has been approved, and it just takes that long before the developer proceeds,” Kahler said, adding that she would be committed to helping residents understand such processes.
Planning for growth, transportation and proper infrastructure is all part of preserving the community for future generations, Kahler said. She’s witnessed changes happening in Wasatch County since growing up there, and Kahler said now is the time to define historic buildings, homes and rural areas that need to be preserved. Last year, she worked with the Heber Leadership Academy to create a 37-site historic walking tour.
“What I have found in giving tours to some of our Wasatch County senior citizens is it’s bringing to light a lot of the stories of the original settlers in this valley, but it’s also bringing to light a need to preserve and just keep some of these beautiful buildings and keep the stories alive that have been forgotten,” Kahler said.
As a County Council member, Kahler said she would be committed to preserving the past. But Kahler said she would also be set on planning for the future with proper infrastructure, transportation planning and responsible growth.
Kahler is one of three candidates running for at-large Seat A. The others are Republicans Steve Farrell and William Vance, and Democrat Patrick Saucier. The position is for a four-year term. A primary election will be held on June 23 after nominees are chosen at their respective party conventions.