Utah Mayors settle friendly bet, serve the community

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Last year, Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson and West Valley City Mayor Karen Lang issued a wager on an NFL game. This week, they settled the bet with a local service project.

Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson and West Valley City Karen Lang issued a wager while attending a National Football League (NFL) game last year. Mayor Wilson chose to back the Chiefs, while Mayor Lang backed the Falcons.

Under the terms of the bet, the losing mayor would have to do a service project benefiting an area under the other mayor’s jurisdiction. Today, Mayor Lang fulfilled the bet as the losing side by volunteering at the Tracy Aviary.

According to Salt Lake County, the two mayors helped assemble new enrichment toys to help Tracy Aviary’s birds stay happy and healthy. Mayor Lang acted as an official falcon caretaker for the day.

Courtesy: Salt Lake County Government

Notably, gambling is prohibited between elected officials, but Salt Lake County officials say, “While we do anticipate real work will be done on behalf of the birds, we also figure a bit of fun could break out as ‘Utah’s Falcons’ are always game for a show.”

Tracy Aviary is home to over 300 birds, many of which are endangered or extinct in the wild. They also regularly hold events on their eight-acre property to educate the public on those birds and conservation efforts.

Part of their conservation efforts include recording bird counts during breeding season, to help inform land conservation strategies.