Mayor-elect Dan Keller humbled by support from citizens of Preston

PRESTON – Dan Keller said he has been humbled by the support from the citizens of Preston after recently being elected as the city’s new Mayor.

Keller won’t officially be sworn into office until January; however, he has spent the past week meeting with city employees and department heads.

“The purpose, of course, is to set their minds at ease that we want this to be a seamless transition,” he said. “We appreciate their efforts and expect to keep the City of Preston moving forward just like it has always been.”

Keller said he has no plans at the present time to make any personnel changes, but he is keeping that door open.

The Preston native said he’ll begin his public service focusing on the two issues he feels got him elected.

“The largest issue is this ‘Road Diet’ that the current administration got us into,” stated Keller.

The lane configuration change implemented on State Street in the summer of 2018 was approved by city leaders despite objections from many residents. Crews converted the undivided four-lane roadway to a three-lane undivided roadway, made up of two through lanes and a center two-way, left-turn lane.

Some residents complain that traffic in downtown Preston is congested and slow.

“One of our first priorities is to have our legal counsel see what we have to do to get out of that,” he said. “It continues to resonate with the people that I’ve heard from. This is an issue that is not sustainable for a growing community of our size.”

“We have infrastructure problems,” admitted Keller, referencing another area he plans to tackle. “We’ve got sewer and water problems potentially. These things need to be addressed and they have been addressed to a certain degree. My plan is to work in such a way that we can correct these problems with the least amount of financial pain to the tax payers as possible.”

Keller retired in March 2019 after spending 37 years in the banking industry.

Residents in Preston will also welcome a new city council member in January.

“I like serving and contributing,” said Brent Dodge. “I want a seat at the table. I want to be able to weigh out and study the issues to the best of my ability and be a good steward of our resources and assets.”

Dodge comes from a military background and served for years in the Utah National Guard.

He currently owns and operates Affiliated Home Loans in Preston.

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