Seelig is new face in Utah House
Jennifer Seelig, 36, officially replaced retiring Rep. Duane Bourdeaux, D-Salt Lake, following a noontime swearing-in ceremony by Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy, in the House of Representatives chambers. She will fill the District 23 seat until the the end of the year. The winner of November's election, in which Seelig is running for the seat as Democrat, will begin a new two-year term in January.
In her short acceptance speech, Seelig said that she hopes to continue Bourdeaux's "legacy" as an advocate for children, minorities and education. Bourdeaux represented the west Salt Lake City district for 10 years.
"The district has benefitted from Duane's leadership . . . for the last decade," she said. "His passion for fairness and justice is a model for all of us."
Seelig is a member of the Salt Lake City Planning Commission and sits on the Rose Park Community Festival Planning Board. Professionally, she is a legislative policy and research analyst for 1-800-CONTACTS, and has done similar work for the Utah League of Cities and Towns, the Salt Lake City mayor's office and the Salt Lake City Council.
In a news release, Bourdeaux, who resigned in March, said that he had confidence in Seelig as a representative.
"She is extremely active in the community and already knows many of the sitting legislators," he said. "I've known her personally for a number of years and I've been very impressed with her professional and political work in the past."
E-mail: jloftin@desnews.com
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