Mike Winder

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Mike Winder
Mike Pic head shot.jpg
Assumed office
January 1, 2017
Member of the Utah House of Representatives
from the 30th district
Preceded byFred Cox
Mayor of West Valley City
In office
January 4, 2010 – January 6, 2014
Preceded byDennis Nordfelt
Succeeded byRon C. Bigelow
West Valley City Alderman
In office
January, 2006 – January, 2010
Personal details
Born (1976-01-27) January 27, 1976 (age 45)
Salt Lake City, Utah
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Karyn Hermansen
ChildrenFour
ProfessionBusiness executive and author

Michael Kent Winder (born January 27, 1976) is an American businessman, author, and politician. He was the mayor of West Valley City, Utah between 2010 and 2014. A Republican, he currently represents District 30 in the Utah House of Representatives, a position to which he was first elected in November 2016. He is the author of fourteen published books on Utah and LDS history, including Presidents and Prophets: The Story of America's Presidents and the LDS Church. He has received criticism in the press for using false identities and undisclosed pseudonyms for city promotion, for a political attack, and for editing of the Wikipedia article about him.

Education and family[]

Winder was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and graduated from Taylorsville High School.[1][2] From 1995 to 1997 he was a missionary in Taipei, Taiwan for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

He holds a Masters in Business Administration and an Honors B.A. degree in History from the University of Utah. He has also completed an executive leadership program with Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.[3]

Winder is married to Karyn Hermansen, who was elected to the Granite School District Board of Education in November 2014.[4] They have four children.[5]

Business career[]

Winder was Business Development Manager for West Valley City from 2000–2004, during which time he also chaired the Chamber West Economic Development Committee.[6]

From 2004-2009 he was vice president of marketing for Winder Farms.[7] He was director of public affairs for The Summit Group Communications from 2009–2011.[8]

Winder founded Neptune Strategies in 2012, a marketing and development firm.[9] His principal client has been Friends of Traditional Banking, a Super PAC, where he has served as executive director.[10][11]

Winder later was employed as a vice president of community development and director of entrepreneurship programs for Zions Bank from 2014-2017.[12] He was hired as economic development manager in 2017 and later promoted to be assistant city manager for the city of Millcreek, Utah following their incorporation.[13]

Political career[]

Winder has served as a member of the state and Salt Lake County Republican Party Executive Committees, deputy campaign manager for Congressman James V. Hansen, and chair of the Research and Policy Committee for the Jon Huntsman, Jr. for Governor campaign. He is the founder of the GenX GOP Network.[14]

He was elected to an at-large seat on the West Valley City Council in November 2005 with 71% of the vote over 12-year incumbent Barbara Thomas.[15]

He was elected on November 3, 2009 as the seventh mayor of West Valley City, Utah, with 76% of the vote; his opponent was Kevin Fayles.[16]

At 29, he was the youngest council person in city history, and when sworn in on January 4, 2010, at age 33, he became the youngest mayor in city history.[17]

In 2012, Winder and former county council member Mark Crockett emerged from the Salt Lake County Republican Convention field of six to face off for the GOP nomination for county mayor.[18] Crockett narrowly defeated Winder in the GOP primary election, 50.7% to 49.3%.[19]

In 2016, Winder ran for the Utah State House of Representatives, defeating incumbent Fred Cox in the Salt Lake County Republican Convention by a delegate vote of 62% to 38%.[20] He went on to defeat his Democratic opponent Frank Bedolla 59% to 41%.[21] He was sworn in as a member of the Utah State House of Representatives on January 1, 2017.

Winder was re-elected in 2018, following a victory over former-Representative Fred Cox in a Republican county convention rematch 67% to 33%[22] and a general election win over Democrat Robert Burch, Jr. 57% to 43%. Winder was elected to a third term in 2020 in a rematch with Burch, 58% to 42%.[23]

Author and historian[]

An historian, he is the author of fourteen published books on Utah and LDS history, including Presidents and Prophets: The Story of America's Presidents and the LDS Church.[24] In 2005, Winder was appointed by Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. to a four-year term on the Utah Board of State History, and reappointed in 2009. In 2012, he was appointed by Governor Gary Herbert to a four-year term on the Advisory Board for the Office of Museum Services.[25][failed verification]

Winder presented an academic paper as part of the Abraham Lincoln Sesquicentennial in 2009 and was published in the Journal of the Theodore Roosevelt Association in 2011.[26][27] As mayor in 2012, he also authored the first photographic history of West Valley City for Arcadia Publishing.[28] Winder is a past president of the Utah British Isles Association.[29]

Controversies[]

In 2011, Winder wrote articles promoting West Valley City for the Deseret News and KSL.com under the assumed name "Richard Burwash". The name was a pseudonym inspired by a 16th-century ancestor of Winder's. In the articles, Winder quoted himself as mayor.[30][31]

Winder confessed to the use of a pseudonym and said he wrote the articles because he was "frustrated that the newspaper had drastically reduced its city government coverage after layoffs last year but not its crime coverage and wanted to try to restore balance."[32] Winder accepted a reprimand by the West Valley City Council, resigned from his job with a public relations firm, and issued a public apology to his constituents.[33][34][35]

In 2017, he sent robocalls to display a false source phone number in telephone caller ID systems, causing it to appear that the calls were coming from the cell phone of the leader of Americans for Prosperity (AFP). AFP had sent out attack mail that falsely criticized Winder's stance on an issue that never came before a vote on the House floor.[36][37] This practice, known as "spoofing", is illegal.[37] AFP filed a complaint with the Utah Attorney General's office, but later withdrew the complaint after receiving a public apology from Winder.[37] Winder said "I was taken aback by the mail piece, and in a knee-jerk reaction sent some calls I shouldn't have. I appreciate Evelyn and her team and look forward to a better working relationship going forward."[37]

In 2017, Winder was also accused of using multiple user accounts to edit the Wikipedia article about him, to promote his accomplishments and remove unflattering information. He refused to confirm or deny the allegation.[36]

Publications[]

  • John R. Winder: Pioneer, Temple Builder, Dairyman; Horizon Publishers; ISBN 978-0-88290-676-8; (1999; Hardback)
  • Counselors to the Prophets; Eborn Books; ISBN 1-890718-04-1; (2001; Hardback)
  • The Christmas Animals: A Children's Book illustrated by Lindsey E. Ayres; Eborn Books; ISBN 1-890718-09-2, (2002; Hardback)
  • Ned Winder: The antics and adventures of a Utah Legend; with Bret R. Bassett, (2002; Paperback)
  • Presiding Bishops; Eborn Books; ISBN 1-890718-10-6, (2003; Hardback)
  • Utah in 2050: Glimpses of Our Future; Eborn Books; ISBN 1-890718-11-4, (2003; Hardback)
  • Presidents and Prophets: The Story of America's Presidents and the LDS Church; Covenant Communications; ISBN 1-59811-452-2, (September 2007; Hardback)
  • Life Lessons from Fathers of Faith: Inspiring True Stories About Latter-day Dads with Gary W. Toyn; Covenant Communications; ISBN 978-1-59811-603-8, (2010; Hardback)
  • When the White House Comes to Zion with Ronald L. Fox; Covenant Communications; ISBN 978-1-60861-232-1, (2011; Hardback)
  • It's Fun to Be the Mayor: A children's book illustrated by Andrea Vitali; Eborn Books; ISBN 978-1-890718-72-5; (2011; Hardback)
  • Images of America: West Valley City; Arcadia Publishing; ISBN 978-0-7385-9541-2; (2012; Paperback)
  • Called to Serve: Celebrating Missionary Work around the World; Covenant Communications; ISBN 978-1-62108-667-3; (2014; Paperback)
  • Guy Stuff in the Scriptures; Covenant Communications; ISBN 978-1-62108-753-3; (2014; Paperback)
  • Favorite Scriptures of 100 American; ; ISBN 978-1-46212-313-1; (2019; Hardback)

Notes[]

  1. ^ "Winder touts track record in mayoral campaign". Sltrib.com. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  2. ^ "13 NAMED STERLING SCHOLARS". Deseretnews.com. 14 April 1994. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  3. ^ "Mike Winder" (PDF). Hinckley Institute of Politics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-06-09.
  4. ^ [1]
  5. ^ "GOP star a political force". Salt Lake Tribune. October 15, 2010. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  6. ^ "Forty under 40: rising stars.(Cover Story)". Accessmylibrary.com. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  7. ^ "Utah Local News". Sltrib.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  8. ^ Page, Jared (15 November 2011). "Winder resigns from Summit Group firm after writing news stories under fake name". Deseretnews.com. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  9. ^ "Neptune Strategies". Utah Registries Inc. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  10. ^ "Disbursement for allocated federal/nonfederal activity". Federal Elections Commission. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  11. ^ "Our Leadership". Friends of Traditional Banking. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  12. ^ "Utah Entrepreneur Program". Zion's Bank. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  13. ^ "Staff Directory". Millcreek City. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  14. ^ [2][dead link]
  15. ^ Jensen, Derek P. (November 9, 2004). "Victory in hand, Nordfelt makes plans for the future". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  16. ^ "Gems Election Results\website=Secure.slco.org". Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  17. ^ "Utah Local News - Salt Lake City News". Sltrib.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  18. ^ Roche, Lisa Riley (14 April 2012). "Mark Crockett, Mike Winder headed to GOP primary in county mayor's race". Deseretnews.com. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  19. ^ Page, Jared (10 July 2012). "Mark Crockett defeats Mike Winder in vote tally, will face Ben McAdams in November for S.L. Co. mayor". Deseretnews.com. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  20. ^ Davidson, Lee (17 April 2016). "Salt Lake County Republicans defeat two incumbents". sltrib.com. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  21. ^ "2016 General Election Results\website=Secure.slco.org" (PDF). Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  22. ^ "Salt Lake County Republican Convention 2018 Results\website=slcogop.com" (PDF). Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  23. ^ "Robert Burch Jr.\website=ballotpedia.org". Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  24. ^ B, Geoff (31 October 2007). "Book review: 'Presidents and Prophets'". Millennialstar.org. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  25. ^ "Boards - Utah Division of Arts & Museums". Heritage.utah.gov. 30 May 2013. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  26. ^ Arave, Lynn (19 September 2008). "Lincoln frequently worked with LDS faithful". Deseretnews.com. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  27. ^ "Home - Theodore Roosevelt Association". Theodoreroosevelt.org. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  28. ^ "Utah Local News - Salt Lake City News". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on 2017-07-07. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  29. ^ "Great Britain a true friend". Deseretnews.com. 1 May 2003. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  30. ^ "Mayor Used Alias to Promote Town". New York Times. November 13, 2011. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  31. ^ Page, Jared (10 November 2011). "West Valley City mayor admits using false identity to write news stories". Deseretnews.com. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  32. ^ "West Valley mayor admits writing articles". Salt Lake Tribune. November 11, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  33. ^ "WVC Council openly reprimands Winder for actions with the press". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. December 6, 2011. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  34. ^ "West Valley City Mayor Mike Winder resigns from public affairs job". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. November 16, 2011. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  35. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2012-05-29.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  36. ^ Jump up to: a b Davidson, Lee (March 14, 2017). "Mike Winder accused of manipulating Wikipedia page with multiple accounts in violation of ethics policy". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  37. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Davidson, Lee (March 12, 2017). "Winder at center of conservative infighting over online tax". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved February 28, 2019.

External links[]

Preceded by
Dennis J. Nordfelt 		Mayors of West Valley City
2010 – 2014 		Succeeded by
Ron C. Bigelow
Retrieved from ""