Trent Staggs (born May 10, 1974) is an American entrepreneur and 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 was a candidate for the United States Senate.[2][3]
In 2013, Staggs was elected to the Riverton City Council for the 4th district.[6]
Mayor of Riverton (2018–present)
Staggs in 2018
Staggs was elected mayor of Riverton in 2017 with 60% of the vote.[7] In 2020, he was the Republican nominee for mayor of Salt Lake County, Utah. He lost to Democrat Jenny Wilson.[8] In 2021, he was re-elected Riverton mayor unopposed.[9]
Staggs left the Unified Police Department (UPD) of Greater Salt Lake in favor if one that serves exclusively Riverton City, 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.[10]
In June 2019, the city swore in 35 officers for the new police department.[11] He also led an initiative to reduce misuse of opioids in the city in partnership with Utah-based medication disposal organization called NarcX.[12]
In 2019, he rejected a proposal that would have increased the salary of the Riverton mayor.[13]
In 2023, he was named best mayor in Utah by the Best of State organization.[14]
In May, Staggs became the first person to officially announce his candidacy for the U.S. Senate.[15][16][17] In an op-ed for Real Clear Politics in June 2023, 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.”[18]
At the Utah state Republican convention on April 27, Staggs won 69.7% of the delegate vote to become the party's official candidate in a four-way primary in June.[19]
