City Council bids farewell to three members

With 24 years of city council service between them, the departing of former councilmembers Lyle Summers, Kim Rolfe and Jim Lems won’t likely go unnoticed.

“These three men have served their city with such dedication and devotion that I am honored to call each of them my friend,” Mayor Melissa Johnson said at the Jan. 4 special city council meeting.

Johnson acknowledged the difficulty of being in a position of public servant, and hearing more about the bad things that are going on in the city than the good things.

Residents call to complain, but not often call to give words of encouragement or support, “because when everything is going along just great, they don’t pay attention; but when something is wrong, they pay attention and they call their councilmember,” Johnson said.

Summers has been on the city council for 12 years, and has also served in the Open Lands committee and on the Board of Directors for the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District.

“I know that the city would not be in the situation we are now regarding our infrastructure if it weren’t for Lyle’s dedication,” Johnson said.

But Summers is too modest to take that kind of credit alone.

Summers said there have been a lot of changes in the city the last 12 years, which has been amazing.

“But I don’t take credit for any of that because I was one of seven who has voted for or against all these things that have happened,” Summers said.

His most memorable moment was back in 1989 when he was campaigning. He knocked on a door and was met by a Hispanic man. Summers spoke to the man, asking him about how he liked living in West Jordan and asked him for his vote.

The man looked at him for a moment, and Summers saw a tear in his eye, and said something Summers will never forget: “This morning I was sworn in as a citizen of the United States, and tonight somebody knocked on my door and asked me for my vote. Isn’t this a wonderful country?”

“I want you to know that it is a wonderful country. With guys like me that weren’t even born in Utah, that can go from farm boy to city council,” Summers said.

The first time Johnson had really spent much time with Rolfe was at a town hall meeting talking about a power substation - a really hot topic at the time.

“Kim was so great,” Johnson said. “He took on the hard questions. I pretty much just had to sit there and it really showed me what grace under fire is all about.”

Johnson was impressed with the way Rolfe responded with level headedness and straightforwardness without giving a typical political response.

“More than anything else I’ve come to know about Kim - he will speak his mind, he will do it with civility, he will do it with politeness, he will even do it with affection. But you never have to question where you stand with Kim Rolfe,” Johnson said.

Rolfe was the go-to man for engineering and development, lending his background expertise in construction to the city, even offering to continue moving forward.

“I’m a simple ditch digger, and I’ve had the opportunity to represent District 1 in the city for eight years and I thank all the staff that’s put up with me, because the mayor stated correctly that you always know exactly where you stand,” Rolfe said. “I thank those that voted for me and those that worked with me on the council.”

Johnson said she always appreciated Lems for his compassion for the people struggling in the community, not just those in his district or even just the people in West Jordan.

“I found that Jim’s level of compassion exceeds that of those who I would find in his same position. You tend to be insulated a little bit on the council, and Jim didn’t allow that,” Johnson said.

Lems serves on the Salt Lake Community Action Program board, which helps low income people become self-sufficient.

“I wanted you to know how much I respect and admire Jim for his years of service to the city,” Johnson said.

Lems said it had been his pleasure to serve the last four years. At time it had been very hard and at other times a very fun thing to do, but he looks forward to watching the next city council.

“I have faith in you to guide this city in the next direction,” Lems said.