SLC council member Amy Fowler won’t resign but promises to “restore confidence” after arrest for drinking and driving.

The two-time leader, who is stepping down as RDA vice-chair, apologizes and promises to reflect on her “relationship with alcohol”.

Amy Fowler, a two-year member of the Salt Lake City City Council, vowed Tuesday to continue in her elected office and to work to “rebuild trust” after she was arrested last week on suspicion of drunk driving.

In a two-minute statement during a city council meeting, an apologetic Fowler said her arrest was an “eye-opening experience” and made her reflect on her “relationship with alcohol.”

“I’m committed to working through these issues with my therapist and my God,” Fowler said. “I also want to assure you that this experience has not diminished my dedication and commitment to working for this city. I will continue to work hard for and represent the residents of District 7 and the city as a whole.”

Fowler’s comments, her first public statements on the incident, came less than a week after her May 3 intoxication arrest in Utah County.

Late Tuesday, Council Chair Darin Mano said in a statement during the meeting that Fowler would be stepping down from her role as vice chair of the city’s redevelopment agency and would be stepping “for 30 days from some of her public duties as councilwoman to focus on this issue.” . personal issue.”

“We believe it’s important to recognize that council members, as human beings, make mistakes and mistakes,” Mano said. “We also believe in showing compassion and grace to all people, including our fellow councillors, at times like these. We want to make it clear that as City Council, we believe the safety and well-being of the public is our top priority.”

According to the Utah Highway Patrol, Fowler was involved in a collision in Salt Lake County but failed to stop and exchange information with the other driver. She was arrested in Springville just before 11 a.m.

Nobody was injured in the crash.

Fowler told a UHP soldier that she was hit by another car but didn’t stop because she didn’t see the other driver stop.

“She was in her vehicle with the engine running,” the police officer wrote in a report. “I could smell the odor of an alcoholic drink from the driver’s face and breath. Her eyes were red and bloodshot and she was very emotional.”

According to the report, Fowler initially denied drinking and refused to undergo a sobriety test before eventually agreeing to a test. Her breath test returned 0.111, according to the report. The legal limit in Utah is 0.05.

She was booked into the Utah County Jail and released hours later on $680 bail. She faces a drunk driving charge in Springville Justice Court.

Fowler’s attorneys said Friday that she would respond to her drunk driving summons “in due course.”

Fowler was re-elected to a second term in District 7, which includes Sugar House, in 2021. She runs her own law practice, Fowler Law.

It’s unclear to what extent Fowler will step down from her public role over the next 30 days, but her absence comes at a bad time for Sugar House residents. Next month, the council will discuss the budget for the coming fiscal year.

Mano said District 7 residents can count on the support and representation of Fowler and the rest of the council during their absence.

Judi Short, a District 5 resident and vice chair of the Sugar House Community Council, said she was “disappointed” with Fowler’s decision to remain on the council.

“She needs help,” Short said. “And she needs to take some time off and get that help.”

Fowler said Tuesday she takes responsibility and regrets being distracted from working in the city.

“My sincere apologies to my constituents, my colleagues on this council and to the city,” Fowler said at the meeting. “I recognize that this incident may have created a lack of trust and I will work hard to restore that trust. I believe we are a community of compassion and forgiveness.”