SALT LAKE CITY — If you live along the Wasatch Front, chances are yours is one of the 39 cities in Salt Lake, Utah, Weber and Davis counties participating in a primary election.
The ballot will serve to narrow down a large playing field of candidates to two per seat who will advance to the general election on Nov. 5.
A large majority of candidates along the Wasatch Front are battling for seats on city councils. There are 57 council races in the primary and just six mayoral races. A total of 343 candidates will run for 107 council seats.
Among the long lists of candidates on voter's ballots, the Lehi City Council race takes the lead. With 14 candidates sparring for three council seats, the number is reflective of the city's explosive growth, which has been a point of focus in the crowded council race.
Candidates' platforms range from environmental oversight of the controversial Point of the Mountain gravel pit to managing growth and preserving the city's cultural heritage.
Last week, Lehi residents packed Willow Creek Middle School's orchestra room to hear candidates debate on issues of central importance in the city.
Candidates were asked to describe how they would mitigate growth impacts such as traffic, air quality, parking and open spaces if elected.
Solutions discussed ranged from small fixes like traffic lights to a new general plan that would accommodate growth while maintaining residents' quality of life.
While some candidates vehemently opposed growth and vowed to pump the brakes on all high-density housing development, others took more moderate approaches.
Resident Heather Newall believes the city's growth is behind a push for citizen involvement in the democratic process.
"I grew up in Orem and so we always saw Lehi as kind of the older town," she said, noting that when she moved to the city as a teenager, "there wasn't a Costco, there wasn't, you know, stop lights."
"Now it's like one of the biggest, most popular places to be in the state," she said, adding that residents are "trying to wrap (their) head around it and how we're going to deal with this huge influx of people to make sure that we keep Lehi the place everybody still wants to come to be a part of."
Newall believes many residents do not "feel represented" or have a number of ideas on how to improve the city, and this, she said, has led them to run for office, attend City Council meetings and come to Thursday's debate.
"I think people want to be a part of, you know, where the direction of Lehi is heading to make sure that ... they have a say," she said.
The election will take place Aug. 13, but mail in ballots must be postmarked by next Monday. Most early in-person voting ends Friday, but some cities may have polls open on Aug. 12. The last day to request a mail ballot and register to vote online or at the county clerk's office is Tuesday.
Candidates on primary ballots across Salt Lake, Utah, Davis and Weber counties are:
Salt Lake County
Bluffdale: Four council at-large seats are up for election, three with four-year terms and one with a two-year term. Dave Kallas, Boyd A. Preece and Ty T. Nielsen will run for reelection (four-year term) against Mark R. Hales, Jon R. Hansen, Jeff Gaston, Jared Knowlton and Blain Dietrich. Ulises Flynn, Traci Crockett, Michelle A. Love-Day, Steve Walston, and Warren l. James will compete to fill the formerly council-appointed two-year seat vacated by Travis Higby, who will not run for reelection.
Brighton: As a newly incorporated town, Brighton's primary will prepare to elect both a first-time mayor and four first-time at-large council members. Mayoral candidates are R. Wade Lambert, Danial E Knopp and Don O. Despain. Council at-large candidates are Logan Cookler, Robert Cameron, Jeffery S. Bossard, Thomas Loken, Phil G. Lanouette, Jenna Malone, Bruce Engelhard, Keith A. Zuspan and Carolyn Keigley
Cottonwood Heights: Deborah Case, Christopher Mchugh and Douglas Petersen will run to replace councilman Mike Shelton in district one.
Draper: Councilwoman Marsha Vawdrey will run for reelection against Christopher H Clegg, Tab Bingham, Fred Lowry, Troy Mason, Cal Roberts, Hubert Y. Huh, David Hunt, Traci Gundersen, Joshua Phillips, James B North and Clinton Deyoung for one of three council at-large seats.
Herriman: Darryl Fenn, Kevin Allred, Heather Sudweeks, Steven L. Shields and Heather Garcia will compete to replace Councilwoman Nichole Martin, who is not running, in district four.
Holladay: B. Peter Monson, Drew B. Quinn and Aspen Perry are running to replace Councilman Steven Gunn, who is not running, in district four. Daniel Bay Gibbons, Lori A. Khodadad and Chad B Iverson will run to replace Councilman Mark Stewart in district five.
Midvale: Councilman Paul Glover will run for reelection against Eric Chamberlain and Sophia Hawes-Tingey in district two.
Murray: Councilman Dave Nicponski will run for reelection in district four against Kat Martinez and Jake Pehrson. Councilman Jim Brass will run for reelection in district three against Rosalba Dominguez and Adam Thompson.
Riverton: Devin Yost, Cherity Simons, Troy D Mcdougal and Tracie Halvorsen will run to replace Councilwoman Tricia Tingey (who is not running) in district two. Claude Wells, Steven Winters, Lara A. Huff will run to replace Councilman Brent Johnson (who is not running) in district five.
Salt Lake City: In a crowded mayoral race candidates Erin Mendenhall, Luz Escamilla, Rainer Huck, Richard N Goldberger, David Garbett, Stan Penfold, Jim Dabakis and David Ibarra will vie for the chance to be one of two candidates on the general election ballot. Two council seats in the state's capital city will also have primary elections. In district four, Councilwoman Ana Valdemoros will run for reelection against Leo Rodgers and Michael Iverson. In district six, Councilman Charlie Luke will run against Jt Martin and Dan Dugan
Sandy: Two at-large seats as well as a seat in districts two and four will be on the primary ballot. Joel Frost, Cyndi Sharkey, Jim Edwards, Dea Theodore and Marci Houseman will run to replace the at-large seats of Councilman Steve Fairbanks and Councilwoman Linda S. Martinez (who are not running). In district two, Councilwoman Maren Barker will run against Will Shiflett and Alison Stroud. In district four, Tj Mclelland, Monica Zoltanski and Brooke D'Sousa will run to replace Councilman Chris McCandless (who is not running).
South Salt Lake: One at-large seat, as well as one seat in districts one, four and five will be on the primary ballot. Rosemary Card, Mary Anna Southey and Natalie Pinkney will run to fill Councilman Mark Kindred's at-large seat (who is not running). In district one, Jared Fitts, Paul Olsen, Leanne Huff and Jeanette Potter will run to replace Councilman Ben Pender (who is not running). In district four, Councilwoman Portia Mila will seek reelection against Addison Richey and George E. Kellogg. In district five, Councilman Shane Siwik run against Clarissa J. Williams and Brent Hadley.
Taylorsville: Ernest Glen Burgess will seek reelection against Don Quigley and Lisa Gehrke
West Jordan: After switching to a strong mayor form of government, the city will hold primary elections for the first mayoral seat. One at-large seat and one seat in districts one, three and four will also be on the ballot. Mayoral candidates on the ballot are Jim Riding, who serves as the council-manager mayor under the current form of government, current district four Councilman Alan R Anderson, and district two Councilman Dirk Burton. Mikey Smith, Kelvin Green and David B. Newton will run to fill a new at-large seat for a two-year term. In district one, Councilman Christopher M Mcconnehey will run for reelection against Tyrone Fields and Marilyn Richards. In district three, Zach Jacob will run for reelection against candidates Amy L Martz and Rulon Green. In district four, Dallen R Anderson, Pamela Berry, Jacob Robert Lawson, Eric Hanna and David Pack will run to fill Councilman Alan R Anderson's seat.
West Valley City: One at-large seat and one seat in districts one and three will be on the ballot. Councilman at-large Don Christensen will run for reelection against Darrell R Curtis, Chris Bell and Adam Smart. In district one, Councilman Tom Huynh will run for reelection against Paul Janssen and Christiana Tavo. In district three, Councilwoman Karen Lang will run for reelection against Russell R Sanderson, Kaletta L. Lynch, Shandie A. Gorney and Nancy M. Drozdek.
Kearns: Councilwoman Ruby Brown will run for reelection against candidates Chrystal Butterfield and Christopher J Geertsen.
Weber County
Harrisville: Councilwoman Ruth Pearce and Councilman Gary Robinson will not run for reelection, leaving Councilman Grover Wilhelmsen to run for one of three council seats. Candidates Blair Christensen, Kevin Shakespeare, Austin Tracy Moffitt, Heidi Wahlen, Richard S. Hendrix and Brenda Nelson will also be vying for a seat.
Roy: Three council seats on are on the primary ballot. Councilwoman Karlene Yeoman will not seek reelection. Councilmen Joe K. Paul and Dave Tafoya will run for reelection against Trina Favero, Chris Collins, Chad Andrews, Brad Sawyer, Braeden Stander, Diane Wilson, Trent Wilkins and Ann Jackson.
Hooper: A mayoral race and two council seats will be on the ballot. Candidates running to replace Mayor Korry Green (who is not running) are Dale R. Fowers, Lori L. Brinkerhoff and Tyce Jensen. On the City Council, councilman Kyle Cook will not run again, leaving Councilman Ryan R Hill to run for one of two seats against Cindy Cox, Travis South Argyle and Chris Morris.
Ogden: Mayor Mike Caldwell will run for reelection against Angel Castillo, Daniel Tabish and John H Thompson.
North Ogden: Councilman Ryan M. Barker will run for reelection to fill one of three four-year term seats while vacating a two-year term seat. Councilman Phillip D. Swanson will run for another four-year term in his current seat. The two will run against candidates Ronald B. Flamm, Michael Anaya, Julie Anderson, Kevin Burns, Terry D Bexell, Meg Sanders, Charlotte Ekstrom and Randy Winn. Councilman Carl Turner will not run for reelection. Councilwoman Cheryl Stoker, who is currently completing a four-year term, will now run for the two-year seat vacated by Barker. She will face candidates Stefanie Casey and Wade Carl Bigler.
Pleasant View: Councilman Ken Francis will be running for a four-year council seat while vacating a two-year seat, which candidates Celso Chaparro, Kevin Bailey and Gary Lindley will run for. Councilman Boyd N Hansen and Councilwoman Sara B. Urry will run for another four-year term, vying against Francis and candidates Ann Arrington, David Marriott, Toby Mileski and David K Wade.
South Ogden: Councilwoman Sallee Orr and Councilmen Brent J. Strate and Adam S. Hensley will run for reelection against Juan Arce, Jorge Barragan, Jeanette C Smyth and Jeremy D. Howe.
West Haven: Councilwomen Stephanie Carlson and Lacy Richards will run for reelection against candidates Carrie Call, David E. Smith, Nina Morse, Russell Erickson, Rob Higginson and Kim Dixon. Councilwoman Dawnell Musselman will not run for another term.
Davis County
Bountiful: Councilwoman Kate Bradshaw and Councilman Richard Higginson will be running for reelection for two of three seats. Their opponents are Millie Segura Bahr, Jesse D. Bell, Seth Robert Wright, Natalie Blundell Hayes, Bret Hutchings and Joseph Andrew Pascoe. Councilman John M. Knight will not run for another term.
Clearfield: Councilwoman Nike Peterson and Councilmen Kent Bush and Vern R Phipps will run for reelection against candidates Kent Bush, Chris Uccardi, Tyler Watkins, Jaden Rosencrans, Michael D. Rolow, Bryan Hoag, Devin Prouty, Vern R Phipps and Ruth K. Jones.
Kaysville: Four council seats will be on the primary ballot — three with four-year terms and one with a two-year term. Running for a four-year term are incumbents David Ellison Adams III and Stroh L. Decaire, and candidates John Swan Adams, Mike Blackham, Caleb Stroh, Tim Allen Hodges, Brett Tarbox and Tamara (Tami) Tran. Gregory Todd Carlile, Andre M Lortz and Zane J. Larsen will run for the two-year term seat.
Layton: A mayoral seat and three City Council seats will be on the primary ballot. While Mayor Scott Freitag will run for a council seat, Councilwomen Joyce Forbes Brown and Joy Petro, as well as Councilman Bruce Davis, will run to replace him as mayor. Running against them for the mayor's seat are candidates Scott Williams and Tricia Pilny. Councilman J. Scott Carter will run for reelection against Freitag and candidates Tom Cavanaugh, Chris Crowder, Zach Bloxham, Clint Morris, Ja Eggett, Shiloh Kestel, Tyson Plastow and Dave Thomas.
North Salt Lake: Councilmen James R Hood Jr., Brian J. Horrocks and Stan Porter will run for reelection against B. Scott Allen, Barry Hoover Bryson, Gary Widders, Natalie Gordon and Manuel Delgado.
Sunset: Councilmen Norm Noyes, Chad Bangerter and Ricky Carlson will run for reelection against candidates Ryan Furniss, Annie O'Connell-Torgersen, Beverly K. Macfarlane, Christy Villani and Laura Penman.
West Bountiful: Councilmen James L. Ahlstrom, James Bruhn and Andrew Williams will run for reelection against candidates Brison Lundgren, Alan Malan, Dennis Dee Vest, Rod Wood, Jessica Gertsch and Brady Tracy.
West Point: Councilmen Jerry G. Chatterton and Gary L Petersen will run for reelection against Brian Vincent, Roland W. Whitesides, Johnny E. Willis, Shawn Kotter, Annette Judd and Nathan Tooley.
Utah County
Highland: Candidates Doug Cortney, Timothy A. Ball, Brittney P. Bills, David B. Larsen II, Kim Rodela, Troy A. Dyches, Kenneth S. Knapton III, Wayne Knoll Tanaka, Christopher Thayne will run to replace Councilmen Brian Braithwaite, Ed Dennis and Tim Irwin, who will not run for another term.
Mapleton : There are three City Council seats on the primary ballot. Incumbents Scott Hansen and Mike Nelson will run against candidates Adam Fife, Sam Bernard, David Floyd Stewart, Jessica Egbert, Patrick Bennett Hagen, Therin Garrett, Nannette Jackson and Leslie Jones.
Eagle Mountain: There are three council seats on the ballot. Incumbent Councilman Colby Curtis will run against Jeremey Bergener, Kaden Shumway, Devyn Smith, Carolyn Love, Jonathan Vail, Rich Wood, Jared Gray, Ben Porter and Matt Downing.
Lehi: Lehi has the largest number of candidates — 14 — per seat in council races across the Wasatch Front. Incumbents Paige Albrecht, Mike V. Southwick and Johnny Revill will run against candidates Ammon Crossette, Jason Oviatt, Cody Black, Michelle Miles, Steven Werner, Jonathan Wills, Montane Hamilton, Tahnee Hamilton, Matthew Wynn Hemmert, Henry Rudolph Kneitz III and Katie Koivisto.
Orem: Three council seats are on the primary ballot. Incumbents Debby Lauret and Sam Lentz will run against Mickey W. Cochran, Jeffrey K. Lambson, Tommy Williams, Martin Wright, Spencer Rands, David Halliday, Terry D. Petersonf, David G. Przybyla and Nichelle Jensen.
Pleasant Grove: Three council seats are on the primary ballot. Incumbents Cyd LeMone and Eric Jensen will run against Alexander Carter, Brent Bullock, Roy F. Spindler, Aaron Spinhirne, Carrie Hammond and Dustin J. Phillips.
Provo: In district three, Shannon Ellsworth Robin Roberts and Jeff Handy will run to replace Councilman Dave Knecht, who will not run for another term. In district four, candidates Beth Alligood, Eric Ludwig, Travis Hoban and Valerie Paxman will run to replace Councilman Kay Van Buren, who will not run for another term.
Springville: Three council seats are on the primary ballot. Incumbent Councilman Jason Miller will run against Craig Conover, Liz Crandall, Harold D. Mitchell, Patrick Monney, Deborah Hall, Matt Packard and Katie S. Jones.
Santaquin: Three council seats are on the primary ballot. Incumbent Councilman Lynn Mecham will run against candidates Kody Curtis, Jennifer S. Bowman, William Morgan, Jordan G. Wood, Micheal David Weight, Douglas J. Rohbock, Denise Prue Rohbock, David Hathaway and Jessica Tolman.
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Correction: An earlier version did not list Marci Houseman as one of the candidates for two at-large seats on Sandy's City Council.