My name is Wesley Bolin and I'm running for re-election to the Murray City Council. I grew up in Murray and teach history at Murray High School, my alma mater. For the last several years on the Council I’ve served as the chair of the Public Safety Committee and also as a member of the Public Works, Personnel & Finance, and Long Range Planning Committees. My aim for the coming council term is the same core goal I've had throughout my time in community service: making Murray a community where everyone regardless of their background, heritage, culture, or income feels welcome, embraced, and at home.
My goal in everything I do is to encourage empathy, connection, and belonging throughout our community. Four years ago my wife, Whitney, and I opened Bolin Books in support of that overarching goal. Our shop is an independent bookstore dedicated to literacy, community-building, and the curation of an inventory of both well-loved classic books and newly-released titles. We started our store in an 1890s building in Murray's Historic Downtown because we're committed to preserving Murray's history.
In my service this year on the City Council I urged public participation in the democratic process with calls to restore county funding for the Murray City Parks. I also participated in our efforts to create the strongest possible regulations for data center development for Murray.
I've been the youngest member of the City Council for the entirety of my more than decade of service. Throughout my entire tenure I've worked to make sure young people's voices and concerns are heard. I believe Murray should continue to value growth and expansion but not at the cost of what we already have today. In each and every vote I take I hope to move Murray towards that future.
In your opinion, who is the most underserved population in Murray? How would you use your position on the city council to address their needs?
Murray can only grow when every resident - whether they’ve lived here their entire lives or just arrived - can find a home that will grow with them. Affordable housing and housing insecurity need to be a central focus moving forward for city government. I want to continue modernizing our planning and zoning ordinances to encourage and incentivize the construction of new housing. Murray has one of the highest rates of renters compared to home owners in our entire state. We need to better protect renters while also creating more pathways to home ownership for our residents.
How would you make yourself accessible to constituents outside your existing personal and professional circles, and how would you ensure their concerns are heard?
I'm deeply involved in our community via my service on the City Council, in the classroom, and as a business owner. I seek out input whenever possible and am always eager to hear questions, find answers, and learn about what concerns community members have for Murray. I've spent years working to keep the community informed about complex local issues and also try to educate and inform as many people as possible about how our city government really works. We are stronger as a community if our residents play a central role in guiding conversations and decision making in local government.
When residents have strongly opposing views on an issue before the council, how would you approach making a decision?
I've served during multiple periods during which the community was both passionate and divided. I approach all of my decisions with deep research, the study of local history, and conversations with community members. It's easy to take a flat, public stance in the buildup to a tough decision. It's harder to do the work to find out what that decision will mean for everyone in Murray, regardless of class, income, or background. I strive in all decisions to vote in support of a long range plan for Murray that will make our community stronger, more resilient, fair, and equal.
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