Alta residents have apparently decided it's no good running against Mayor Bill Levitt so they have stopped trying.
Levitt, Alta's mayor for the past 20 years, is running unopposed in this year's election.However, two council incumbents, Peter Lawson and Timothy Evenden, have some competition.
Retired civil servant Sam Wilkinson and real estate consultant Dwight Janerich are also in pursuit of the two four-year seats. Both seats are at-large.
Peter Lawson is seeking his second elected term. He also served a two-year term as an appointed City Council member.
Lawson is assistant general manager of Alta Ski Lift Co. He sees the future development of Alta as one of its biggest issues. A new zone, called the base facilities zone, will allow lodges in the city to expand for the first time in 20 years.
He supports careful development of the lodges interested in expanding.
"I'd like to see slow, controlled development. I think we can accommodate some additional growth. I would like to see the private land in the Albion Basin put into public hands, by donation or acquisition, for the protection of the city watershed," he said.
Sam Wilkinson is pleased with Alta the way it is. He decided to run because homeowners needed more representation on the council, he said.
"People who don't own houses in Alta, who just rent or have a business, have a different viewpoint about Alta's needs than a person who owns a house would have," he explained.
"All of Alta's needs are pretty well met. I'm not really into more government or less government as long citizens practice good judgment."
Dwight Janerich returned to Utah more than a year ago to help his family run the Snowpine Lodge.
A former ski racer, Janerich has skied at resorts all over the country, he said. He has seen what happens to popular alpine ski resorts over time.
"It's generally exploitive in nature as a result of developers trying to get as much out of a resort as they can. I think Alta will eventually be faced with some very severe pressures to develop. It is now. With my background in real estate and my experience with skiing and ski areas, I'm hoping to be able to bring a perspective to the Town Council that may not exist now.
"I don't consider myself running against any of the incumbents, I simply feel strongly about Alta and I'm interested in preserving the unique character there."
Incumbent Timothy Evenden maintains two residences. He lives in a home at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon. His unpublished phone number is to that home. However, he owns the Albion Grill Restaurant in Alta and has for three years.
He is seeking a second term on the council. "Rampant development, unchecked, could cause some problems. There is no sewer or water systems in the Albion Basin. Some homes up there work on septic tanks. There is a big potential for water contamination there.
"I just want to make sure that development doesn't go unchecked. It will occur in the canyon regardless. People have certain rights with their private land. But we want to make sure the legal bounds are respected."