Brent R. Taylor

Brent Russell Taylor (July 6, 1979 – November 3, 2018) was an American politician and Army National Guard officer. He served as mayor of North Ogden, Utah from January 2013 until November 2018, when he was killed while serving in Afghanistan.

Biography
Taylor was born in Ogden, Utah.

He graduated from Chandler High School, in Chandler, Arizona, in 1997, where he was student body president.

Taylor was an Eagle Scout. He received his bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University, in political science, in 2006, and his master's degree, in public administration from University of Utah. Taylor was working on a doctorate in international relations at University of Utah in 2012.

Taylor served in the Utah Army National Guard for more than 15 years, of which at least 7 were on active duty. He served two tours in Iraq, where he worked as a convoy security commander and later as an advisor to an Iraqi national intelligence agency, and another two in Afghanistan, where he worked as a combat advisor to the Afghan Border Police.

Major Taylor was a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, Meritorious Service Medal and the Army Commendation Medal.

Taylor was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Political career
In 2009, Taylor was elected to a four-year term on the North Ogden City Council. He ran for mayor in 2013, receiving 56.79% of the vote, defeating fellow Council Member Wade Bigler. He ran unopposed in 2017 and was re-elected to a second term. On January 5, 2018, Taylor was ordered to deploy to Afghanistan later that month for a period of 400 days. He recommended Brent Chugg to serve as acting mayor during his absence, which was approved by the City Council. Chugg was sworn in on January 19.

Family
Taylor married Jennie Ashworth and together they had 7 children. In an effort to carry forth Brent's legacy, his widow and children launched a memorial foundation in his name shortly after his death. The Major Brent Taylor Leadership Legacy Foundation focuses on helping to train service-oriented leaders, honor military families and engage community members through cultural arts events. majorbrenttaylor.com

Death
On November 3, 2018, a member of the Afghan National Security Forces opened fire at a base near Kabul, where Taylor and other service members were helping to train them. Taylor was killed and another service member was injured. Other Afghan forces returned fire, shooting the gunman.

On January 8, 2019, Acting Mayor Chugg was chosen to serve out the remainder of Taylor's term.

In February 2019, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution to rename the North Ogden Department of Veterans Affairs Outstation as the Major Brent Taylor Vet Center Outstation.