Forget about Deedee Corradini and Dave Buhler. Folks scattered from Woodruff in Rich County in the north to Big Water in the south were busy Tuesday deciding who would steer their communities.
And the winds of change are blowing in a lot of small towns all across rural Utah. Among the races watched the closest:- The strife-torn town of Springdale elected three new city council members, all of whom campaigned against the policies of Mayor Bob Ralston.
- For the first time ever, a City Council candidate opposing Big Water Mayor Alex Joseph - the only mayor the town has ever had - has won an election.
- In a litmus test on a hazardous waste dump to be built on the outskirts of East Carbon, residents re-elected the town's mayor, an ardent supporter of the landfill.
- Buddy Black, son of the late Cal Black, a powerhouse in rural Utah politics, failed to win a seat on the Blanding City Council.
- In what may have been the closest election, Grand County residents voted on whether to bond for $3.9 million to renovate the county courthouse. The measure passed by 23 votes - of 1,751 votes cast.