Craig Simons secured 76% of the vote for Midway mayor by Thursday afternoon. Though it is yet to be official, it is all but certified that Simons will be Midway’s new mayor.
In January, Simons will take over for Celeste Johnson, who has been mayor in Midway since 2018. Johnson did not seek reelection this year.
Andy Garland, with 1,294 votes, and Jared Simonsen, with 1,149 votes, appear to have been chosen for City Council. Garland spent five years on the Planning Commission and called for more fiscal responsibility in his campaign. This will be Simonsen’s third term on the City Council.
When asked what he is looking forward to as mayor, Simons said he is excited about “getting started.”
For Simons, what started with a role on the Planning Commission five years ago turned into a position as an elected City Council member. Simons kept attending interlocal meetings, learning about infrastructure, studying city design and immersing himself in the community by interacting with businesses and participating in more casual events like the town square concert series.
And that’s not all.
Simons first began his community involvement when he joined the Midway Boosters after he moved to town about 14 years ago. Then, he started participating in Swiss Days. He has been the chairman of the Swiss Days committee for the last two years.
He and his family are also the owners and operators of the city’s Homestead Crater. The Wasatch Back legend turned tourist attraction has been in the Simons family for decades — as far back as he can remember. The family business is something Simons said he prides himself on.
Now Simons will be mayor.
“Having a business and being involved in those service community organizations has allowed me to meet many of the wonderful people who live here,” Simons said.
Being a part of city government was not even on Simons’ radar six or seven years ago, he said. After making suggestions to the Planning Commission about improvements for the city that went unheard, Simons decided to make a change for himself and his city.
“I’ve long felt that you really don’t have a voice or have a reason to voice your concerns unless you’re involved. If you want to make an impact, then get involved,” Simons said. “I’ve proven that through my service … I’ve learned a lot over the last two years.”
The Midway irrigation board, the water management board with Midway City, the Historic Preservation Committee, the Heber Valley Special Service District — Simons has attended every meeting possible that would further his education of the valley and his city.
“I’ve gotten involved in going to just about any meeting I could that would add value to my knowledge,” Simons said. “I wanted to know what I was talking about.”
That’s why Simons said he knows where to start as mayor. His first task will be taking a look at the organization of the city to ensure there’s enough staff and support needed to service the community. Then, Simons said the city will take a look at zoning to ensure it’s up to date with current needs.
“A lot of these maps were done many, many years ago. The block sizes were different. Back then, this used to be a farming community. It’s not a farming community anymore. We have one dairy and some locals that do some of their own farming,” Simons said.
Apart from infrastructure and zoning, his priorities also lay with water and open space. Simons is an avid outdoorsman. He’s not a skier or “snow person,” but he is a hiker who spends a good deal of his time walking the trails in Wasatch Mountain State Park. He said it’s one of his favorite places to be in Midway and one of his most cherished pastimes.
That’s part of why he pushed for Midway’s latest open space bond when he sat on the City Council.
“We did a survey and there was 72% of the community that was in favor of trying to preserve these corridors,” Simons said.
Water, he said, is also a critical part of governing in Midway and in the Heber Valley.
“Water is critical to our livelihood as humans, right? So it’s been very educational to learn about water rights, the irrigation side of it and the way the city manages that asset,” Simons said. “We’re kind of at the top of the chain, being up in the mountains, so it’s important that we protect that commodity.”
Simons said one of the biggest challenges in his time on the City Council was dealing with growing pains in Midway. There has been an increased need for parking with new businesses coming to town and Simons said he and his fellow councilors worked to find the balance while dealing with the city’s growth.
He expects that challenge to stick around as he transitions to mayoral duties. But he also will work to “keep Midway Midway,” which was his campaign slogan.
“That can mean different things to different people. For me, that means that I can go for a walk and there’s trails that are accessible to my home that I can go on with my family, my grandkids,” Simons said.
It’s also a matter of supporting local businesses.
“I buy my gas here. It’s cheaper in Heber, but I buy it here. I buy my groceries here as much as possible. We try to support the businesses and the restaurants,” Simons said.
From his first day as mayor onward, Simons pledged to continue learning and to listen to the community.
“I’m not afraid to learn, and I love getting into processes so that I understand them, and I’ve done that. That’s an individual thing I can do,” Simons said, adding that he tries to be a voice for the people, too. “I know a lot of people in Midway, and many of them feel comfortable talking to me and I try to represent them.”