January 2026 | Vol. 22 Iss. 1
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Taylorsville
See Inside...
Goodbye 2025
Some of our favorite photos from the past year Page 6
Beyond the Podium
Olympic athletes regularly visit Taylorsville
Page 8
Serving Taylorsville City is a family affair for reelected council members Harker and Knudsen By Carl Fauver | c.fauver@mycityjournals.com
The city’s elected leadership has remained unchanged, yet again, following decisive votes last fall.
T
aylorsville City will swear in its mayor and two city council members this month – but there won’t be any new faces in the room. As expected, incumbent council members Meredith Harker and Bob Knudsen earned lopsided election wins last fall. Calvin Smith Elementary School third grade teacher Harker is embarking on her third, four-year term. For University of Utah Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Accounting Supervisor Knudsen, it’s his second term. He remains the most recent “new face” to join the seasoned group, entering his fifth year. For the second consecutive election, Mayor Kristie Overson was unopposed in November. She’s now, officially, the longest-tenured mayor 30-year-old Taylorsville City has ever had. Besides holding her own job, Overson is also excited to see the continuity continue on the council. “We all work very well together and have good relationships with one another,” Overson said. “Because we’ve been together for four
years, we know we can disagree on things and still work together effectively. Having Bob and Meredith returning is great. They are very involved city council members.” Harker and Knudsen are also in a little different place in life, simply because of their age. As the two youngest members of the Taylorsville City Council, they aren’t the typical demographic. Specifically, Knudsen and Harker aren’t “empty nesters.” Granted, Harker is down to just one of her four sons still at home. The other three have all “flown the coop” while she has served on the city council. As for Knudsen, nearly a decade younger than Harker, he’s still got all five children at home, ages 13 to not quite 1 (baby Ben turns a year old next month). “Obviously, still having kids at home means extra work,” empty-nester Overson added. “They’re both still busy providing for their families. There are more meals to cook… more laundry to do. They still have lots of their kids’ activities to attend. Meredith and Bob have their attention pulled in all different directions. But they are both also so good about never missing city events and committee meetings. They are
Meredith Harker and Bob Knudsen are each returning to the Taylorsville City Council
Continued page 4 for four more years, following decisive election wins. (Carl Fauver/City Journals)