Local elections are important, especially so in Utah. Unlike most other states, Utah does not allow recall elections for local offices. Once an official is elected, voters cannot recall them because of bad policy decisions, poor conduct, or giving themselves a big raise.

Knowing this, it is critical that the public take time to get it right from the start. 

In Maine, Marine veteran and oyster farmer Graham Platner was poised to challenge Susan Collins for her long-held Senate seat. Progressives were literally lining up behind him because of the prospect of taking control of the upper house in Congress.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona), Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California), Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico), the Maine AFL-CIO, Teamsters Local 340, and the United Auto Workers all publicly endorsed Platner. 

And while House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries never endorsed Mr. Platner, given the opportunity on “Meet the Press” in June 2026 to weigh in on his character to serve as U.S. senator, Jeffries dodged the question by joking about the Knicks winning the NBA championship. 

They all missed the warning signs. And worst of all, the public also missed or simply chose to overlook them when they selected Platner as the Democratic candidate in the primary.

The signs were there before the June 9 election. Reports had exposed Platner’s volatile past, including accusations from an ex-girlfriend of physical intimidation, shoulder-grabbing, and being forcibly trapped in a room. Then there was a sexting scandal brought to light by his wife, deeply offensive Reddit history filled with anti-gay slurs and comments blaming sexual assault survivors, and even a Nazi SS chest tattoo. 

Thanks to everything good in this world, he has reluctantly and definitely removed himself from the race.

There are lessons for the voters of Summit County. What warning signs should we look for to make sure we get good representation? Indicators that candidates will put the needs of the public ahead of their own. That they have the character to serve. That they will not use their positions to enrich themselves.

One indicator is how an official handles their compensation and benefits package. According to data published by the state auditor on the Transparent Utah, 2024 Summit County Council members Canice Harte and Roger Armstrong recorded $0.00 in nontaxable reimbursements. It also appears that Harte opted for a lower-tier benefits package that cost the county just $16,022.63 — meaning his entire compensation package was lowest among his peers.

By absorbing expenses out of their own pockets and selecting lower-cost healthcare plans, Harte and Armstrong demonstrate the public-first mindset that voters should hunt for on the ballot.

On the flip side, the data proves how officials treat a part-time council seat like an executive compensation package. During the same calendar year, Council Chair Malena Stevens ran up a total cost to taxpayers of over $105,971, driven by a maximum-tier benefits package of $36,608 and thousands in reimbursements, most likely for travel. While a council chair is compensated more, the difference between her $105,000 total package and Harte’s $78,000 should be a warning sign for voters. 

All of this is before the Summit County Council voted for a significant increase in their base pay this year. As part of the $100.5 million county budget passed in December 2025, the council voted unanimously to increase their base salaries to $70,000 per year. If we look at the average base of $60,274 in 2024, that increase represents a 16.1% jump in compensation.

While that pales in comparison to what Park City Council tried to quickly approve, we do see a pattern in which our elected officials are moving from servants of the people to high-paid executive managers.

While compensation, benefits,and reimbursable expenses are not the only warning sign, voters would be smart to avoid following the political insiders who line up behind a candidate to maintain their power base or because of party affiliation.

Voters should look to elect servant leaders who will work for the people who elected them and not enrich themselves because in Utah, voters cannot recall officials for bad policy decisions, poor conduct or giving themselves a big raise.

Ari Ioannides, chair of the Summit County Republicans, is a recovering tech entrepreneur, founder of BootUP PD, and serves on local government and nonprofit boards. He offers a conservative perspective on local politics. He can be reached at [email protected]