Julie Monahan, the Democratic candidate running for Utah House District 59, has never held an elected office before. That doesn’t mean she hasn’t garnered years of experience working with local, state and federal government agencies, and it certainly doesn’t mean she lacks knowledge about District 59’s constituents and its issues.
For almost three decades, she’s lived in the Wasatch Back. She first came to Utah from Michigan in 1979 to pursue an MBA from the University of Utah. Her great aunt, who turned 90 the year after Monahan arrived in the state, had lived in Salt Lake City since sometime in the 1920s or 1930s.
“I fondly remember the stories she would tell me about sheep being driven down 13th East,” Monahan said. “She also would tell me stories of coming to Park City. … You had to have a certain car that would make it up the canyon, and then you’d get up here and it was just paradise.”
Monahan spent time with family friends at their home in Sundance, and she spent a lot of time hiking, one of the few recreational activities she said the mountains offered at that time.
By the time she finished her master’s, Utah had won her over, and she decided to stay.
She got a job at IBM, and her first account assignment was the state of Utah.
“That was my first introduction to government and how government works,” she said. “I worked closely with government executives to help them develop strategies, solutions around what we then called data-driven decision making, so it was really kind of the precursor to A.I., or you know, data analytics, some people might call it today.”
Now retired, Monahan decided to run against Republican incumbent Mike Kohler to give people a choice on the ballot and to better represent her potential constituents than she feels the supermajority in the Legislature is now.
“For me, the important thing is that I’m a moderate, independent voice. I’m not going to follow any specific dictate from a party, and I think my background allows me to bring a different perspective — a different lens — on some of the issues,” she said. “I want to make sure everyone thrives in our local communities, that there’s equity.”
Monahan’s platform consists of three major pillars: local communities, smart government and responsible growth.
Local communities
A resident of Heber City, Monahan has had a firsthand perspective of frustration over a shortage in child care and a lack of affordable housing.
“The working families and the businesses to me are the heart of the community,” she said. “First and foremost, I want to support things that are going to help them.”
She also discussed her thoughts on the Military Installation Development Authority, the state entity that uses tax-increment funding in different communities to help promote economic development and support projects with military benefits.
In a project zone next to the Jordanelle Reservoir, MIDA has facilitated much of the development that will make up Deer Valley East Village and the surrounding community.
“I am supportive of the project,” Monahan said. “I do have concerns about the amount of power that they have in terms of taxation, the fact that there isn’t any real oversight in terms of what’s built, how it’s built, any impacts of that building.”
She said she’s for more control for local governments.
Responsible Growth
“One of the things that we have to do in order to grow responsibly,” Monahan said, “is we have to also lean into preservation. We have to preserve what we all value.”
She said newcomers and longtime Utahns alike enjoy this state for its beauty and recreational opportunities, and people need to protect what they love.
“Once we lose it, it’s gone, and I do believe we could do more at the state level to help with preservation,” she said. “The state definitely has a role to play.”
She said she’s seen Utah grow from a small state into what it is today, and it’s the time for important decisions about the future.
“We’re going to be hosting the Olympics in 2034. What do we want the world to see when they come?” she asked.
Smart Government
“I want elected officials working for the public good, not for special interest,” Monahan said. “I’m not saying that always happens, but I’m saying it happens.”
She referred to an April 2024 report by the Utah Foundation that identified “politicians listening to voters” as the second-most important priority to voters, outranked only by “housing affordability.”
“It’s kind of across the board, whether you’re a registered Republican or Democrat. Everyone’s kind of feeling that way. Perhaps for different reasons, but there is that feeling,” Monahan said.
She said it’s important to pursue every available avenue to make government more transparent and accountable, to prevent overreach and protect individual freedoms.
Though she hasn’t determined how exactly to pursue each of her goals if she gets to the Legislature.
“Because of my experience in my background, I was able to lead large, complex teams — diverse teams — in IBM,” she said. “And then, of course, leaning into consulting skills, communication skills. I think all of those things will serve me very well in the Legislature and that I will be able to advocate for good ideas.”
In past years, she said she’s seen legislators go after issues that weren’t really issues with initiatives like the bills restricting transgender individuals from using the bathrooms and allowing a few school districts’ decisions to ban books statewide. Kohler voted for both.
There are also a lot of unnecessary administrative bills that — in agreement with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox — Monahan thinks could have been a phone call.
Discussing specific ways she plans to implement her platform if elected, Monahan said she will look toward ways to make local property taxes more equitable, preserve the Great Salt Lake and spend more on land conservation.
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