Amy Fowler to resign from Salt Lake City Council following DUI arrest

Amy Fowler. Photo: Salt Lake City Council

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, May 30, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Salt Lake City Councilwoman Amy Fowler announced her resignation Tuesday, nearly a month after she was involved in a hit-and-run crash and arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Fowler, who has represented District 7 since January 2018, said her resignation will be effective July 3, allowing her constituents to be “fully represented during the remainder of the FY24 budget process.”

“After much thought and consideration, I announce my resignation from the Salt Lake City Council,” she said in an emailed statement. “Thank you to the residents of District 7 for twice electing me to serve. It has been an honor.”

The City Council also issued a statement Tuesday supporting Fowler’s decision to resign.

“We know this was a difficult decision and we trust it was made with the best interests of District 7 constituents and her personal wellbeing at heart. We thank Amy for her years of dedicated service to our city and wish her the best in her future endeavors,” the statement reads.

The City Council will appoint a replacement within 30 days of Fowler’s resignation. Voters will decide who serves the remaining two years of her term in November.

Fowler, 44, was arrested by the Utah Highway Patrol in Springville on May 3 in connection with a hit-and-run crash in the Salt Lake area, according to a probable cause statement filed in Springville Justice Court.

The councilwoman failed field sobriety tests and later consented to a breath test, which indicated a blood alcohol level of 0.111 — more than twice Utah’s 0.05 limit, according to UHP.

On May 9, Fowler publicly apologized for her arrest and said she would be stepping away from some public duties for 30 days.

“While I cannot talk about the details, I am taking responsibility for the situation that occurred last week, and I do want to take a moment to apologize,” Fowler said at the start of the Salt Lake City Redevelopment Agency meeting. “I am truly sorry that this has affected my colleagues on the council, as well as the mayor, city staff and the city as a whole.”

Fowler said she regrets “causing any distraction from the important work that is happening at the city.”

“I truly apologize to my constituents, to my colleagues on this council and to the city,” she said. “I recognize that this incident may have caused a lack of trust, and I will work hard to rebuild that trust. I believe we are a community of compassion and forgiveness.”

Fowler was sitting in her vehicle with the engine running in Springville following the hit-and-run crash when deputies arrived, court documents state.

“I could smell an odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the driver’s face and breath. Her eyes were red and bloodshot and she was very emotional,” the arresting deputy writes.

Fowler told UHP her vehicle had been hit by another vehicle, “but she did not stop because she did not think they stopped,” according to the statement.

Fowler also had “diminished fine motor skills” and “could not use her fingertips” to provide documents to the deputy, instead using “her whole hand to retrieve papers and hand them over,” the statement continues.

Fowler denied using alcohol when questioned by the deputy and initially refused to perform field sobriety tests, according to UHP. She later participated in the tests but failed them, the affidavit states.

“I’m taking this seriously on a personal level,” she said May 9. “It has sincerely been an eye-opening experience for me and has truly made me reflect on my relationship with alcohol and the decisions that I have made. I am deeply committed to working through these issues with my therapist and my God.”

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