With ballots sent on Tuesday, voters can submit their ballots by mail or vote in person on June 23. Six candidates will face a primary election this June.
Primary elections are triggered when candidates are unable to secure the party nomination or if they opt for signature gathering, which can automatically trigger a primary. Candidates running for county office must gather signatures from 3% of registered voters in their party who are residents of the relevant area, according to state code.
Wasatch County Sheriff
Two Republican candidates are vying for Wasatch County sheriff: Incumbent Sheriff Jared Rigby and Wasatch County Emergency Management Director Jeremy Hales. Rigby and Hales opted for signature gathering, which automatically puts them on the primary election ballot.
Rigby and Hales participated in a candidate forum hosted by KPCW and The Wasatch Record on May 27. The candidates shared their views on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the department’s future, growth in the county and fiscal responsibility.
Hales has worked in Wasatch County for nearly 25 years and now serves as the director of emergency management and 911 communications. Hales ensures everything from emergency calls to disaster planning runs smoothly.
Hales said his time as a school resource and D.A.R.E. officer made a big impact, saying that working with children and the school district was “really remarkable.”
As sheriff, Hales said he hopes to help the department grow alongside Wasatch County, which has seen and will continue to experience rapid growth.
“I want to bring a new voice and a new opinion that people will understand,” Hales said, adding that he hopes to support people’s constitutional rights as sheriff.
Rigby, who is running for a third term, began working as a Wasatch County corrections officer in 2001 before transitioning to patrol. He said he accomplished “many changes” in the Sheriff’s Office throughout his tenure.
As sheriff, Rigby said he would continue to address the top issues in Wasatch County. Growth, to start. Then, fostering public trust and working with law enforcement agencies across the Wasatch Back.
Rigby is currently under public scrutiny as an investigation by the Summit County Sheriff’s Office into Rigby’s actions is underway. That’s preceded by multiple investigations into the Sheriff’s Office over recent years.
Rigby addressed these allegations and investigations at the candidate forum.
“There have been five allegations and five investigations in the last year and a half, having to do with me or our office,” Rigby said. “Four out of five, there have been determinations, findings that there is no criminal conduct, there is no policy violations, there’s no wrongdoing, there’s no serious misconduct.”
Rigby said he is grateful to serve the Wasatch County community and hopes to continue to do so in the future.
Clerk-auditor
Park City Recorder Michelle Kellogg and incumbent clerk-auditor Joey Granger, both Republicans, will appear on the primary ballot for the clerk-auditor position.
The Clerk-Auditor’s Office maintains all countywide elections, prepares agendas, takes minutes during Wasatch County Council meetings and keeps all approved county ordinances and resolutions on file. The office is also responsible for the county’s financial functions, conducting reviews, internal audits and issuing financial statements and reports.
Kellogg, a Heber City resident, worked for Heber City for nearly eight years before her 10-year tenure as Park City’s recorder. The Park City position is appointed by the city’s manager.
Kellogg said she is looking to use her experience and skills to benefit the Wasatch County community. She is well-versed in Government Records Access Management Act requests and managing elections, which is a major part of the job.
Though she thinks it is a “good office now,” Kellogg said she wants to bring it “from being a good office to being an excellent one.”
Granger said she does not feel she is finished with her work as clerk-auditor. She is proud to have “modernized” the office in the past five years and “clean up financials,” too.
“I want to continue to implement new processes or improve existing services that will serve the public’s needs,” Granger said.
County Council
Republicans seeking Wasatch County Council Seat A include Rachel Kahler and William (Brett) Vance.
Vance is Wasatch County’s self-proclaimed “America First” candidate. The former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and test pilot said it’s time to bring conservative values back to the County Council.
“We have a very clear set of values in this party, and the voters elect us because they trust we will vote on their issues the way we said we would,” Vance said.
At April’s GOP nominating convention, Vance was the only confirmed party nominee who earned more than 60% of the vote.
Kahler, a former Heber City Council member, said she wants to run for Seat A to continue the fight for responsible growth. She chose signature gathering rather than the convention route and was not considered at the nominating convention.
Kahler said she is most proud of her willingness to work with fellow councilors. She asserted that transportation is a major issue in Wasatch County, but so is public trust, communication and growth.
“For me, the biggest thing is communicating to the public what is going on,” Kahler said.
The winner of the June primary election will face Democrat Patrick Saucier in November’s general election. Saucier was the lone Democratic candidate to submit his candidacy for Seat A.
How to vote
The primary election will determine who earns their party’s vote for office. Several of the candidates will go on to face Democrat or unaffiliated challengers, such as in the elections for county sheriff and Seat A on the County Council.
Other elections, such as the clerk-auditor race, will almost certainly be secured after the primary election, as no other candidates have emerged.
Ballots were mailed to registered Republicans on Tuesday. There is no county-level Democratic primary election this year. All ballots must be received by the county offices by June 23, which is also when in-person voting will take place.
Secure ballot drop box locations are open 24 hours a day beginning June 3 and close at 8 p.m. on Election Day. Early in-person voting will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 15, 16, 17 and 18 at the Wasatch County Administration building. Election Day voting will be held from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the same location.