Four department head positions at the County Courthouse are up for reelection this fall, and although Election Day is nearly 300 days away, some incumbents are already eyeing the November ballot.
This year voters will decide whether to keep the Summit County attorney, the Summit County sheriff, the Summit County clerk and the Summit County auditor. With four incumbents announcing their plans to run for reelection, voters now have some insight into what the November ballot could look like.
Summit County Attorney Margaret Olson, who was appointed to the position in May 2017 and formally elected in 2018, will run for reelection. Olson said the past four years have been challenging, but rewarding, and she’s fully engaged with more to contribute to the community.
“I try to go out every day and earn the voters’ trust,” Olson said. “I’m not ready to give it up yet.”
Olson considers fighting against the Hideout annexation, representing the Summit County Health Department during the pandemic and the acquisition and opening of a flagship Children’s Justice Center the greatest achievements during her time in office. She’s also proud of seeing two murder convictions go through the court system as well as fewer convictions for nonviolent offenders with an alternative justice system through the county Drug Court.
“I’m really proud of those things, those things just float to the top because they’re so big,” she said. Olson added that working with a team of qualified people from across the county is another highlight of the job.
If reelected, Olson is keeping her eyes on the Hideout annexation fight and is ready to argue in front of the Utah Supreme Court or Court of Appeals if the town appeals the legal victories the county has won in the dispute. She’s also involved in work at the Legislature and opioid litigation, which was initiated in 2018.
Summit County Sheriff Justin Martinez also announced his plans to run for reelection.
Martinez, who is hoping for a third term as sheriff, said he is proud to have helped increase the professionalism of the Sheriff’s Office and said he’ll continue striving for achievement.
He considers the 911 dispatch merger, the creation of a drone program and a school safety initiative as the major accomplishments during his tenure. Martinez is also proud to have reduced the Sheriff’s Office vehicle fleets from large SUVs and trucks to smaller, environment-friendly cars.
Looking to the future, he believes there’s been a “paradigm shift” with his office becoming a community-centric agency rather than just a group of law enforcers. Martinez said he’s developed a great working relationship with the community and it’s something he plans to continue improving if reelected.
“I’m just not ready to retire,” he said.
Evelyn Furse, the Summit County clerk, also plans to appear on the November ballot.
Furse was appointed to the position in May, and when she initially ran for the appointment, she committed to campaigning for the position during the next election. Furse said she has loved the position thus far and enjoys connecting with the community and hearing input from residents.
She’s proud of how the county managed the November 2020 election despite national unrest over the topic. Her office helped install six secure ballot drop boxes in new locations around Summit County — mostly outdoors rather than inside as in the past — to improve accessibility.
The Clerk’s Office also tested a program called Boatz that is meant to help active military members or people with disabilities vote in a safe, secure way. She said identifying residents who don’t have equitable access to voting is important.
“It may be a small number, but I feel that matters,” she said.
Furse said she is also an advocate of government transparency and helped the county become approved for programming that will link the minutes from County Council meetings to the video recordings so citizens can more easily follow discussions.
If elected, Furse plans to continue improving elections in Summit County and serving its residents.
“I’ve got my feet under me and I can really now move ahead on behalf of the citizens of the county,” she said. “I would really appreciate the vote to continue to represent them and I think I’ve learned a lot in a way that would enable me to do that better going forward.”
Summit County Auditor Michael Howard, who’s served in the role for seven years, is also seeking a final term.
He sees the Auditor’s Office as an independent check on county finances and is proud to keep the local office “above the board.”
Howard considers his efforts to track down the property owner of a nonprofit with delinquent taxes as one of his greatest achievements in office. He said the property had a high value but the owner was unaware taxes were owed.
The owner sold the property and paid back the taxes. And because the nonprofit was dedicated to funding scholarships for disadvantaged youth, the property sale allowed it to provide scholarships for around 10 students.
Moving forward, Howard wants to expand county audits — not because of any issues but to help increase the ability for his office to help service the county.
“It’s good to have someone be the check to ensure there’s balance and we’re doing the right things,” he said.
The filing window for candidate to formally launch a campaign is March 7-11.