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Rep. Mike Kohler seeks reelection in 2022

Rep. Mike Kohler
Rep. Mike Kohler

State Rep. Mike Kohler says he’s enjoyed his first term representing Wasatch County and much of Park City, and is ready for another.

Kohler says he entered his first term with the intention of serving multiple terms. To represent House District 59 in 2023 and 2024, he’ll first have to defeat Democratic candidate Meaghan Miller, who was also his opponent in 2020.

“I said when I ran [in 2020], I wanted to at least get a couple of terms,” he says. “It just takes one to get your feet wet. And even though I had a lot of experience with it from a different perspective of a lobbyist, it takes a little bit of time. And also the system runs on seniority, the longer you're there, the more opportunities you get, if you will.”

He gained responsibility during the 2022 legislative session when he became the vice chair of the Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee.

He says his policy priorities include staying ahead of the curve of the evolving transportation landscape, managing development and zoning, and mitigating inflation impacts.

Kohler, who lives with his wife in Midway, says with most of his 25 grandchildren living in the state, education and funding schools are especially important to him.

Also in the most recent session, he touts a bill he passed on Utah’s water adjudication process. The bill’s purpose is to organize water rights records in accordance with real water available for use, a tedious process done by the state engineer. He says his bill will streamline the task by areas, enabling the state to better assess water demand in the decades to come.

He says as a legislator, his influence also takes the form of preventing provisions in bills that could harm the Wasatch Back.

He invites residents to reach him directly with questions.

“The best way, as far as people wanting to know about what I think, is to have them call,” he says. “I answer my own phone and don’t have anybody else doing it for me. And then just get out in public events when invited to speak. The election cycle lends itself to many of those and that's kind of where we're in for this summer.”

Along with phone calls, he says email is also a good way to reach him.

To visit Kohler’s webpage, visit house.utleg.gov.

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