OGDEN — Matthew Godfrey has narrowly won a third term as Ogden's mayor, holding off challenger Susan Van Hooser by a mere 181 votes.
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Godfrey tallied about 50 percent of the votes to edge out Susan Van Hooser.
In his three mayoral elections, this was by far Godfrey's closest race of all.
His past margins of victory were 57 percent in 2003 and 54 percent in 1999.
Godfrey, 37, received just 207 more votes in the primary than Van Hooser, 64, so the margin from primary to final remained steady.
Van Hooser, an Ogden councilwoman and a retired teacher from the Ogden City School District, was hoping to become Ogden's first-ever female mayor.
However, Godfrey's win sets him up for a 12-year run, or more, as Ogden's mayor — the longest in recent years. A. Stephen Dirks, mayor from 1973-83, held the modern longevity record.
Legendary pioneer and the first Ogden leader, Lorin Farr, holds the all-time record with 21 years as Ogden's mayor.
The Godfrey-Van Hooser race was close from the start Tuesday. With the first posting of districts, Godfrey had a narrow 51.6 percent to 48 percent lead and it got even closer from there.
Godfrey has said he wants to continue making changes he's heard the people of Ogden requesting.
"Crime is down 23 percent in the past seven years," he said. "We have lowered property taxes three times, and we have recruited more than 7,000 jobs to Ogden. We have completed more than 60 acres of redevelopment in downtown Ogden and have another 120 acres currently under way. This has generated more than $1 billion of private investment that will go a long way in providing more tax relief to homeowners. Ogden is undergoing a major renaissance, and we would like a chance to finish what we started."
Godfrey said his main goals are to finish the 120 acres of downtown redevelopment, lower crime by another 10 percent and to attract another 4,000 jobs to Ogden.
Recreation is high on his list. He wants Ogden to become the capital of high-adventure recreation by completing more recreation venues and attracting even more outdoor recreation companies to Ogden.
Having lived in Ogden most of his life, Godfrey holds a master's degree in accounting from Weber State University. He's worked for Iomega and other local businesses.
Ogden's mayor is a full-time position, paying $80,294 a year.
Some Ogden voters showed up at polls to find their status as legitimate voters was questioned. In a rare — for Utah — case of vote challenging, a list of 146 names was given to polling stations. Weber County Clerk/Auditor Alan McEwan said two Godfrey supporters challenged address information for those voters about two weeks ago.
When those voters arrived at the polls, they were not allowed to vote electronically. Rather, they were required to provide two forms of identification as well as proof of address, then were allowed to vote by provisional ballot.
Contributing: Rebecca Palmer
E-mail: lynn@desnews.com