Arlyn was elected to the Salt Lake County Council in November of 2010. At the age of 29, he is the youngest County Council Member ever elected in Utah, as well as the first openly gay person elected at the county level. Arlyn is currently serving as the Council representative on the Board of Health, the Visit Salt Lake Now Executive Board, and the chair of the Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake County. Additionally, he sits on the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah board (PPAU).
For the three years prior to his election, Arlyn served as Council Advisor to Salt Lake County Council Chairman Joe Hatch. This was a dynamic period for the council because for the first time since the council’s inception, it saw a Democratic majority. During this time Arlyn oversaw many key policy initiatives, including securing domestic partner benefits for county employees, regulating pay day lending, enacting a labor friendly meet and confer ordinance, and working to enact the county’s first LGBT anti-discrimination ordinance in the areas of housing and employment.
Since taking the oath of office Arlyn has worked hard on a legislative agenda of his own to make government more transparent and accessible to citizens including his substantial amendments to the County’s Government in the Sunshine ordinance which encourage greater openness with government records whenever possible.
Arlyn is passionate about protecting our environment and open space and as such was a strong proponent of a study to improve the Foothills and Canyons Overlay Zone (FCOZ) master plan.
As an advocate for alternative transportation Arlyn pushed the County to hire an active transportation coordinator and continues to work with community partners to promote greater awareness and utilization of bicycling and other alternative forms of transportation.
Arlyn is an outspoken advocate for LGBT equality and in 2013 sponsored and passed the County’s mutual commitment registry. Arlyn is a strong supporter of marriage equality and has used his position on the Council to meet with other policy makers and stakeholders to provide greater understanding of why this is such an important issue.
Originally from rural Idaho, Arlyn has been active in Utah politics and the University of Utah community for over a decade. He currently lives in the Marmalade area with his partner, Neil Webster. They have two pit bulls, Bella and Atticus, and a dachshund named Fritz.