There’s been a switch in Democratic candidates for Wasatch County Council at-large Seat A. Patrick Saucier withdrew from the race and was replaced by Robert Duncan McNeill. 

McNeill, a Democrat and Heber City resident, filed his declaration of candidacy on Sept. 1, one day after Saucier withdrew from the race. 

According to Utah law, a political party may certify the name of a different person after the close of the filing period if the candidate who already filed withdraws from the race. 

Wasatch County Democratic Party Vice Chair Claire Hassett said her party conducted a review for new candidates after Saucier decided to accept a new job in his home state of New Hampshire. 

“We found a really fabulous candidate who was willing and able to run in Patrick’s place,” Hassett said. 

McNeill, Hassett said, is a lifelong Democrat and progressive who “really understands Wasatch County” and its needs. 

“I think he will really represent our community well on the council, and he brings unique life experience that I think is going to be very helpful as we try to balance growth and development with serving our communities, being true to our community values and roots,” Hassett said. 

McNeill is the only Democratic Party candidate seeking the seat. In November, he will face Republican Party candidate Rachel Kahler and write-in candidates Jami Hewlett and Shawn Taylor. 

Taylor, from Charleston, filed his write-in candidacy on Aug. 27. Hewlett filed her write-in candidacy on Aug. 26. 

The Democratic Party vice chair said the most important thing for a candidate is to have an “ethic of public service.”

“I think too many of our elected officials in the state have gotten away from actually serving the public, listening to what their needs are and working on solutions to address them,” Hassett said. 

The position for County Council Seat A is a four-year term. 

Saucier and McNeill were both unavailable for comment by the time of publication. 

The voter registration deadline is Oct. 23, though same-day registration is available on Election Day, Nov. 3. Regular general election ballots are mailed Oct. 13, and all ballots must be in the Wasatch County Clerk-Auditor’s Office by 8 p.m. on election night.

The post Wasatch County Democrat withdraws from council race; new candidate replaces him appeared first on Park Record.

The Wasatch County Clerk-Auditor’s Office on Wednesday finalized the results of the county’s GOP primary election, which took place on June 23.

Rachel Kahler has secured the Republican nomination for Wasatch County Council Seat A in the tightest race of this election. She secured 2,722 votes, or 51%, as opposed to Brett Vance’s 2,584 votes, or 49%. The pair have maintained those percentages of the vote since the preliminary results were released, even as final ballots have been counted.

Kahler said she was initially thrown for a tailspin by the closeness of the preliminary results but that the experience has given her a greater appreciation for just how much every vote counts.

“I’m grateful that we now have a final result, so that I can really move forward and focus on part two. This is a long campaign season, almost a year, and I’m excited to look at next steps, work with Wasatch County GOP leadership and really step forward as the Republican nominee,” she said.

Kahler will go on to face Democratic candidate Patrick Saucier in November’s general election.

Wasatch County Council Seat A is currently occupied by Luke Searle, who is running for House District 59, which serves Wasatch and Summit counties. 

Searle secured the Republican nomination over Jeffrey Pierce and will go on to face Democratic candidate and former Midway Mayor Celeste Johnson in the general election.

Searle won over 3,136 votes, or 58%, of Wasatch County voters. Pierce collected 2,247 votes or 42%.

Pierce secured more Summit County votes than Searle, though, with 522 votes compared to Searle’s 256. The Summit County Clerk’s Office’s results are still preliminary, but factoring them in, Searle and Pierce garnered 55% and 45% of the vote, respectively. Summit County will finalize results on Tuesday.

Wasatch County Emergency Management Director Jeremy Hales is the Republican nominee for sheriff. He secured 3,473 votes, or 67%, while incumbent Jared Rigby secured 1,744, or 33%. Hales will go on to face unaffiliated candidate Paul Moore in November.

The clerk-auditor election is the only one with an outcome that’s officially decided before the general election.

Incumbent Joey Granger and Park City Recorder Michelle Kellogg both ran as Republicans, with no opponents from other parties. Kellogg received 2,804 votes, or 53%, and Granger received 2,477, or 47%.

Granger shared some other statistics about the election with the Wasatch County Council when she presented the results on Wednesday. 

Of the 5,632 ballots received, only 190 were cast in-person.

“I think that means that our voters are pretty confident in the mail-in process. The majority of those were put in drop boxes,” Granger said.

The GOP election saw a 47% turnout from Wasatch County’s active Republican voters. That’s 5,522 votes from 11,725 registered Republican voters, who make up nearly two-thirds of registered voters in the county.

“That’s a pretty good turnout,” Granger said.

The post Wasatch County GOP election results have been finalized appeared first on Park Record.

Republican candidates for Utah House of Representatives District 59, which represents Wasatch and Summit counties, participated in a debate at Wasatch High School on April 1, organized by Dr. Nesya Holmes with the Wasatch Republican Women’s Club.

Although the debate was considered bipartisan, the two Democratic candidates — Deer Valley Resort employee Micah Kagan and former Midway Mayor Celeste Johnson — did not attend. All three Republican candidates — Luke Searle, Jeffrey Pierce and Mark Allen — did.

Allen, also a Deer Valley Resort employee, from Wallsburg, characterized himself as interested in “the Constitution, not the institution.” His top issues were accountability of elected officials and government staff, transparency of their proceedings and conservation. 

He was an advocate for House Bill 397, which was sponsored during the 2026 general legislative session by current House District 59 Rep. Mike Kohler, a Republican. The bill would have required that courts livestream and make recordings available of all court proceedings, with some exceptions. The bill did not pass. Kohler announced earlier this year that he would not seek reelection.

He also led efforts to place Bridal Veil Falls under a conservation easement in 2020.

Searle’s campaign is built on the back of his service on the Wasatch County Council. He will not run for Seat A to campaign for House District 59. 

A business teacher and Turning Point USA club advisor at Wasatch High School, Searle said he is running because Utah is becoming an unaffordable place to raise a family.

He wants to change that by lowering property taxes and making every decision as a state representative with families in mind.

He also hopes to mitigate state control on local planning and zoning, allowing municipalities and counties the opportunity to manage their own growth rather than have it managed for them.

Park City investor Pierce promised that as state representative, he would “never let those North Fields get developed,” which has become a hot-button issue in Wasatch County since the Utah Department of Transportation announced its intention to build a highway corridor in the wetland area in January.

Like Searle, Pierce is interested in lowering property and income taxes. His top issues are reducing government spending and keeping money out of politics. 

Pierce called out Searle for taking donations twice. Searle said his campaign has raised around $13,000 and that he cannot afford to fund it by himself. Meanwhile, Pierce said his campaign will be self-funded through the primary election. 

“We all can’t be millionaires,” Searle said. “I received almost 100 donations from people, but it’s 50 bucks, 100 bucks and a couple of $1,000 donations. … If a person’s bought off for $1,000, I mean, that’s pretty sad.”

Pierce also criticized the libertarian advocacy group Americans for Prosperity’s endorsement of Searle because, in Pierce’s opinion, the organization pushes “business interests” and is “not conservative” because it did not endorse President Donald Trump during the 2024 election.

Meanwhile, Searle characterized himself as the “only conservative” of the candidates running for House District 59.

When the audience was allowed to ask questions of the candidates, an audience member asked Allen, Pierce and Searle how they would represent constituents in Wasatch County over themselves. 

Pierce said the problem is that representatives are representing their donors rather than their constituents or their own values.

“People are getting rich, and their campaigns are getting funding, and we need to change it,” he said. “Property tax, I think, could be solved if this pork were to stop, but the pork is what funds their campaigns.”

Searle promised to do something similar to what the County Council has done: hold listening town halls every six months to allow constituents from across the county to voice their concerns.

“I promise to have these times before and after the legislative session where you can come in here, and we can talk about the issues, and I can listen to you, and I can hear what matters to you and (explain) why I took the votes that I did,” he said. “I’m ultimately accountable to you as a state representative.”

Allen promised that he was running for unselfish reasons, pointing to his participation in conservation efforts as evidence. If elected, he plans to hold office for only one term.

“I’d rather be fly fishing. I’d rather be skiing. I’d rather be doing a lot of things, but I can’t unsee what I’ve seen in Utah,” he said. “I want my Utah back. I want the Utah I grew up with. And the only way for me to do that is to step in and stand out.”

GOP state delegates will nominate one of the three Republican House District 59 candidates during the state convention at Utah Valley University’s UCCU Event Center in Orem on April 25. 

Democratic state delegates will nominate either Celeste Johnson or Micah Kagan during their state convention at Jordan High School in Sandy on the same day.

A primary election will be held on June 23.

The post Republican candidates for House District 59 debate ahead of state convention appeared first on Park Record.

Wasatch County Council Chair Karl McMillan announced his resignation last week, citing “cancer problems.” He will now be focusing his efforts on palliative care, a holistic approach meant to improve the quality of life of patients with serious diseases like cancer.

McMillan represented Seat F, the area of the county east of Mill Road and Center Street in Heber City and all of Hideout. The Republican has occupied the seat since 2023 and previously served one term on the Wasatch County Planning Commission. 

As chair, McMillan navigated the County Council through discussions on topics ranging from affordable housing developments to county finances.

He served on the boards of the Mountainland Association of Governments Council, the North Village Special Service District and the Military Installation Development Authority. McMillan also served on the Wasatch Open Lands Board, helping to facilitate conservation easements on more than 350 acres, according to a county press release.

He also seems to have been beloved among County Council members for his sense of humor.

“Someone asked me the other day, … ‘I don’t know why in the world anyone would ever run for public office. … You’re on the county council. Why in the world would you ever do that?’” County Councilor Mark Nelson told McMillan during the April 1 meeting. “I just want to say, thank you for running and for being here. And you have, in my opinion, two of the most important qualities you have to have: wisdom and wit. You were lots of fun to be around.”

County Council Vice Chair Erik Rowland agreed.

“Karl has served with honesty, courage, and a sense of humor that could lighten even the toughest discussions,” he said. “He always spoke his mind, stood by his principles and brought authenticity to every conversation. He will be greatly missed on the council, and we wish him strength and the very best as he focuses on his health.”

McMillan could not be reached for comment by the time of publication.

McMillan announced his reelection campaign in January. He said then that his top concern was making sure the county has infrastructure in place — water, sewer and utilities — to support new development, particularly after Utah’s recent dry winter.

McMillan withdrew from the race on March 11. Two weeks later, fellow Republican candidate Bruce Zollinger also withdrew his candidacy for Seat F. 

Democrat Joseph Tugaw and Republican Michael Murphy are the only remaining candidates running for Seat F. Each candidate was essentially guaranteed to receive their respective party’s nomination during the county conventions on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Tugaw is a former real estate investor who shared McMillan’s infrastructure concern as his top priority.

Murphy is an associate member of the Planning Commission whose top issues are increasing affordability and controlling growth.

Until inauguration day in January, an interim councilor will be chosen to fill Seat F. The County GOP will nominate someone to fill the vacancy in the next few weeks.

Deputy County Attorney Alex Stoeder will explain the next steps in the vacancy process during the County Council work meeting Wednesday. 

During the County Council meeting on April 22, officials will reassign McMillan’s board assignments and determine who will serve as county council chair until Jan. 6. Until April 22, Rowland will serve as interim chair.

The post Karl McMillan resigns from Wasatch County Council to battle cancer appeared first on Park Record.

A few dozen Wasatch County residents and 10 of the 22 candidates running to represent them in various elected offices attended a three-hour debate at Wasatch High School on Wednesday. It was the first local debate of the upcoming election.

Dr. Neysa Holmes with the Wasatch County Republican Women’s Club came up with the idea for the debate last week, organized it and invited candidates. She wanted to provide all residents, not just delegates serving the local Republican and Democratic parties, the opportunity to hear directly from candidates.

Wasatch County Republican Party Chair Patty Sprunt said the local GOP was “in no way a sponsor or involved in” the debate organized by Holmes. County Democratic Party Chair Michelle Mallery said the same about her party.

The short notice and timing of the debate raised “concerns” among candidates, Holmes acknowledged, particularly because it was scheduled during spring break, when some were on vacation with their families. Holmes did not share their concerns.

“I understand that schedules can be full. However, public service requires a level of commitment that does not always align with convenience. When you take an oath to serve, availability is not conditional. The community is paying attention. Not just to ‘what is said,’ but to ‘who shows up,’” she wrote in an email to the candidates she forwarded to The Park Record.

She later said that those who did not show up for the debate did not deserve the public’s vote.

County Council

Although the debate was organized by a Republican club, Holmes invited all candidates regardless of party. 

The only Democratic county candidate who attended was Patrick Saucier, who is vying for Wasatch County Council Seat A. However, he did not participate in the debate and instead observed as an audience member. He had been interested in participating, but he said Holmes had asked that he confirm whether or not he could attend by the Friday before the debate, which he was unable to do at that time.

Two of Saucier’s Republican opponents for Seat A, Brett Vance and Steve Farrell, participated in the debate. The fourth candidate, Republican Rachel Kahler, was on vacation with her family and unable to attend.

Vance is an Air Force veteran with over three decades of service. He was later a commercial pilot, then a test pilot for the Federal Aviation Administration. He retired from the latter role in 2021 because he declined to get the COVID-19 vaccine, a mandate on all federal employees issued by President Joe Biden that September, and was later revoked in May 2023. 

Farrell retired in 2024 after two decades as a county councilor, but he’s back in the ring this election.

“It took me about three months to realize that retirement was not for me. I’d go out and feed the cows and spend 45 minutes talking to my dog and cat, and that was the end of the day. Well, come to find out, the dog was deaf, so he wasn’t paying attention, and the cat ran away,” he joked in his introduction.

County Councilor Erik Rowland is running unopposed for a second term in Seat C, but he decided to participate in the debate anyway.

The two candidates running for County Council Seat F, Joseph Tugaw and Michael Murphy, did not attend.

Holmes often asked the candidates different questions instead of allowing all to answer the same question.

The only metric on which all three County Council candidates could be evaluated at the debate was their approaches to the county’s rapid growth.

Vance saw the Heber City Municipal Airport and Heber Valley bypass as catalysts for upcoming growth and development. He said updating the General Plan will help manage that. That update will be the first since 2001 and is expected to be published this summer.

Examining the county budget and personnel and infrastructure needs were other ways Vance said he would approach managing “undisciplined growth” as a county councilor.

Farrell said he’s running because Wasatch County is losing its rural character and agricultural heritage. He hopes to change that through conservation easements and open space bonds. His advocacy for both on the County Council and Open Lands board has earned him recognition, including a $1 million donation to Utah Open Lands that the Mountainside Resort Foundation made in Farrell’s honor when he retired in 2024.

Rowland agreed with Farrell. Rowland serves on the county’s Open Lands Board and recently led an effort among elected officials to send a letter to the Utah Department of Transportation rejecting its proposed bypass route through the North Fields. Rowland plans to be “aggressively responsible” with the county budget instead of spending as much as possible, while also “standing strong against development pressure” to maintain the county’s rural character.

Wasatch County sheriff

The table for Wasatch County sheriff was the only one with all candidates, incumbent Sheriff Jared Rigby, Wasatch County Emergency Management Director Jeremy Hales and Summit County Sheriff’s Office Detective Eric Mainord, attending. 

Holmes’ asking different questions of each candidate was most noticeable in the sheriff’s debate.

Holmes asked Mainord and Rigby what metrics they would track and report to the public. Then, she asked Hales how he would improve the Sheriff’s Office’s internal culture and retain deputies.

Later, Holmes asked Mainord and Rigby whether they had ever been subjected to any findings, disclosures or professional actions that could impact their credibility in court. Then, she asked Hales about his top three public safety concerns.

She said later she was trying to gear questions toward the candidates based on their experience.

Holmes also told The Park Record several days before the debate that the sheriff’s race was the “most important” in the upcoming election.

The sheriff’s debate largely revolved around the Sheriff’s Office’s internal culture and an investigation into alleged misconduct by Rigby, published by The Park Record last year. 

The investigation performed by a third party between March and August found no gross mismanagement or illegal activity at the Sheriff’s Office but outlined other concerns, including employees’ fear of retaliation for participating in the investigation and alleged favoritism and absenteeism on Rigby’s part. He denied the allegations and any wrongdoing.

At the debate, several people asked Rigby about the investigation during an audience Q&A. Attendees included former Sheriff Todd Bonner and former Sheriff’s Sgt. Jake Fredrickson, the son of former Sheriff’s Lt. Shane Fredrickson, the employee who first requested the investigation.

Rigby denied wrongdoing but admitted that he is “not perfect,” nor is the Sheriff’s Office.

He pointed to the establishment of monthly interlocal meetings with local mayors and the hiring of employees to monitor the Sheriff’s Office and increase its public outreach as examples of what the Sheriff’s Office is doing to better itself. 

For example, the county hired a professional standards director, Kurt Cottrell, to monitor the Sheriff’s Office in December, though Rigby did not mention Cottrell by name.

“I also feel like meeting one-on-one with the employees helps a great deal, and especially over the last year, it has. There have been those that, unfortunately, have retired, have left the Sheriff’s Office because they felt uncomfortable with this or that, and I feel badly about that,” he said. “Even though there are individuals who are frustrated with the ending of their careers, I hope they know, and I hope all of you know, too, that we so very much appreciate their service and love them, and they always have a place in our office.”

He urged the audience to ask any of the Sheriff’s Office’s about 120 employees how they felt about their employer after those changes had been made, adding that the “overwhelming majority” would say that they “love being there.”

Hales and Mainord also spoke about what they would do to improve the Sheriff’s Office’s internal culture.

Hales said he wanted to give deputies opportunities to train and take on new responsibilities. He hopes to encourage retention not only because retraining new officers would cost the Sheriff’s Office “thousands and thousands of dollars,” but also because he wants to give the officers the “opportunity to feel that same pride that (he) felt for the last 25 years (in his law enforcement career).” 

Mainord said he would commission an external audit of administrative and financial issues. 

He then brought up a medical situation he had responded to in the past, during which he had to give mouth-to-mouth to an infant who had choked on Teddy Grahams.

“I, for years, had dreams where I woke up, and I could literally taste the graham crackers,” he said.

He said that was an example of the stress law enforcement officers go through, which he hopes to mitigate as sheriff by spending as much one-on-one time with his employees as possible.

Other candidates

Neither of the candidates running for Wasatch County attorney attended, nor did any of the three candidates running for the nonpartisan school board seats.

Current Park City Recorder Michelle Kellogg attended, though she had no one to debate because her opponent for Wasatch County clerk-auditor, incumbent Joey Granger, was not there. 

Kellogg’s comments focused on her commitment to “run elections efficiently, honestly, transparently and in accordance with state law, and to go above and beyond to ensure that there are no errors in that process.” She pointed to her experience as Heber City deputy recorder and recorder as evidence of her suitability for the job. In those roles, which she held between 2009 and 2015, she oversaw the counting of ballots by hand in each election. 

Next week, the county Republican and Democratic parties will hold their respective county conventions, during which delegates will nominate candidates to represent their respective parties on the ballot. The GOP county convention is on Tuesday, while the Democratic county convention is on Wednesday.

Wasatch County state delegates will nominate candidates for House District 59 during the Republican and Democratic state conventions on April 24 and 25.

Both parties plan on organizing debates after the nominating conventions, but are still working out the details. There have been discussions about hosting a bipartisan debate

A primary election will be held on June 23 for candidates who met the signature gathering requirement.

The post First Wasatch County debate ahead of primary election sees meager turnout appeared first on Park Record.

Gary Pugmire has been involved in just about every election since he was 18 and has been a Republican precinct chair in every area he’s lived in for the past three decades. He’s now precinct chair for the Wheeler Park neighborhood in Heber City, a role he’s held for about eight years.

“I feel like lots of people are reluctant to take a leadership role. So by default, I get elected pretty consistently,” he said.

The Wasatch County Republican Party caucus at Wasatch High School on Tuesday garnered about 450 attendees. Though it was one of many such events Pugmire has attended over the years, he has little love for Utah’s caucus system. 

Through the caucus system, local Republican and Democratic parties elect county and state delegates. Delegates represent precincts, or neighborhoods, at the county and state conventions. They vet candidates and vote for who they would like to see represent their political party on the ballot. ​Candidates who do not receive the party nomination can also make it on the ballot through signature-gathering.

The Wasatch County Republican Party has 53 precincts, with 53 state delegates and 304 county delegates elected between those precincts.

Pugmire’s biggest issue with the system is that it primarily attracts people who are “ultra-wanting to be involved,” leaving out “a big swath of the voters,” particularly political moderates.

Despite his issues with the system, Pugmire continues to be involved because he feels it’s the way he can affect most political change.

“People worry about federal (issues) because that’s what’s on their evening news. But they forget to worry about … county issues,” he said. “The only way to be an influencer in that is to become either a county delegate or a vice chair or a chair in a precinct.”

Midway resident Cary Hobbs agreed. Though he no longer serves as a delegate or chair, he still attends the caucus every two years.

“In Utah, the caucus really means a lot because it’s so heavily Republican. Every year, a Democrat might get a chance to win, but probably, it’s pretty tough. So, the best thing you can do is have some influence on which of the Republicans get on the ballot,” he said.

As an example of the caucus’ influence, he recalled being a precinct chairman during the Utah Republican Party convention in 2004, during which the party decided not to nominate incumbent Republican Gov. Olene Walker. Walker left office with an 87% approval rating, according to the Deseret News. 

“I thought she was great,” Hobbs said. “I get to the precinct meeting, and these hardline Republicans in there say, ‘Absolutely not. We need somebody that’s a man that can get in.’” 

Republican Jon Huntsman went on to win the primary election with more than 66% of the vote and was elected governor later that year.

Despite the caucus’ influence in Utah, many attendees of the Wasatch County Republican Party’s event Tuesday weren’t sure how the system worked.

That was true for lifelong Heber City resident Sydney Holmes. 

“I don’t know what a caucus is, still,” she said after entering the building. 

Holmes came to learn more about the political process and meet candidates.

Though she remembered when there were so many farms in Heber City that cows would consistently wander into her family’s yard, she was on the lookout for candidates who “embrace the growth” rather than unsuccessfully trying to “mitigate it.” 

For her, that meant candidates in favor of constructing the Heber Valley bypass, which she hopes will take traffic off of Main Street and increase safety for pedestrians. 

Much like Holmes, 18-year-old Wasatch High School senior Matteo Willis didn’t attend the caucus with an understanding of the system, but simply to become more politically involved.

Willis and several other students volunteered at the event, wearing white t-shirts emblazoned with the word “freedom” in all caps. 

The group represented Wasatch High School’s chapter of Turning Point USA, a conservative political organization whose mission is “to identify, educate, train and organize students to promote the principles of freedom, free markets and limited government,” according to the nonprofit’s website. 

Members of the club were invited to volunteer at the caucus by Luke Searle, a Wasatch County councilor and candidate for Utah House District 59. Searle teaches business marketing at the high school and was asked to be Turning Point USA’s adviser by student members.

“When I was a young conservative in high school, I was grateful for people who just welcomed me in and helped me get through the process. And so I’m trying to do the same thing,” Searle said. 

Willis co-founded the Wasatch High School club with other students after witnessing the fatal shooting of Turning Point USA’s co-founder, Charlie Kirk, at Utah Valley University in September. Now the club has 42 members. 

“I saw everything that went down. After seeing that, definitely showed me there’s some evil on this world. I kind of wanted to help start a club to show some important values from Turning Point and my own ideas,” Willis said. 

Turning Point USA’s alignment with the Christian right was shared by the Wasatch County Republican Party. 

Heber City Mayor Heidi Franco began the caucus with a Christian prayer, and organizers asked attendees to ensure their values aligned with the party’s platform. They read the party’s preamble, which “affirm(s) our belief in God and declare(s) our support for government based upon a moral and spiritual foundation.”

Wasatch County Republican Party acting Chair Patty Sprunt then quoted John Adams, who said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Sprunt also expressed her gratitude for the prayer Franco had given and for religious freedoms.

Attendees were then divided into various rooms by precincts, where they elected precinct chairs and vice chairs and county and state delegates.

Precinct 106, which represents an area in Red Ledges, stayed in the auditorium. The precinct represents some 800 people and is the largest in Wasatch County, with 15 county delegates and two state delegates, as opposed to other precincts’ one. 

Jackson Talley, 19, volunteered to be a county delegate. The teenager has been politically involved since he was 16, including as an intern for Sen. John Curtis’ 2024 campaign. Curtis did not receive the Republican Party nomination but was able to get on the ballot by gathering signatures.

“I think (the caucus system) allows people to get involved that wouldn’t usually be involved,” Talley said. “But at the same time, I think that signatory system also allows candidates that aren’t endorsed by larger groups … to be able to get their name on the ballot. So I would say I like the current system the way it is right now.”

Carol Gallagher volunteered to be a state delegate after serving as an alternate the past two years.

Her biggest issues were mitigating property taxes, levying impact fees on developers, bringing down the density of developments and asking candidates about the Utah Department of Transportation’s Heber Valley bypass.

“I hate to see it go through those fields,” she said. “I would ask that to candidates, people that were running. I’d say, ‘OK, if you’re against the North Fields being used as a freeway, what’s your alternative?’ And people struggle. I think we all do. … I don’t know where it can go at this point.”

Gallagher’s central principles — “smaller government and values based upon faith, family and country” — were shared by many who attended the caucus that night.

Fifteen Republicans are running in the upcoming election.

This year’s election will determine who fills three Wasatch County Council seats and county sheriff, attorney and clerk positions. It will also fill an opening for a representative for the Utah House of Representatives District 59.

Searle and Mark Allen are running for House District 59. 

Brett Vance, Rachel Kahler and Steve Farrell are running for Wasatch County Council at-large Seat A. Erik Rowland is running unopposed for reelection to Seat C. Karl McMillan, Bruce Zollinger and Michael Murphy are running for Seat F. 

One Republican, Jon Woodward, is running for Wasatch County attorney.

The Wasatch County sheriff candidates are all Republicans: incumbent Jared Rigby, Jeremy Hales and Eric Mainord. 

The Wasatch County clerk-auditor race is also between Republicans, incumbent Joey Granger and current Park City Recorder Michelle Kellogg. 

The Republican Party county convention will be held on April 7, during which delegates will vote for party nominees.

The post Involvement seen at Wasatch County Republican caucus reflects majority-red state appeared first on Park Record.

Mark Allen said he wouldn’t have dreamed of running for office 10 years ago. But when state Rep. Mike Kohler — who represents House District 59, comprising Wasatch and Summit counties — announced that he would not be seeking reelection in this fall’s election, Allen knew he wanted to carry on Kohler’s legacy.

“Within 10 minutes, I was over at the clerk’s office filling out forms,” the Wallsburg Republican said. “I think the locals were asleep at the switch for a while, and we had people who wanted political power that got into office. … I thought, ‘Well, I want my kids and my grandkids to know that their grandpa was willing to stand for something.’”

Allen said he values Kohler’s willingness to listen, traditionalism and interest in agricultural and water protections. Allen is currently employed as a snowcat groomer at Deer Valley Resort. He’s never run for office before, but has been civically involved. 

In the past, he helped manage social media for political campaigns, including American Fork Mayor Brad Frost’s 2024 successful bid for reelection and Utah County Sheriff Mike Smith’s first campaign in 2018.

Allen is also a volunteer for Citizen Portal AI, a website that uses generative AI to write summaries of public meetings. The candidate said he added 3,100 of Utah’s public entities, from cemetery committees to water boards, to the website’s system. Allen sees Citizen Portal AI as a tool to better inform the public.

“I don’t like going to public meetings, but there’s one thing I like less, (and that’s) finding out I missed a public meeting, and I missed a chance to have my voice heard,” he said.

Allen has been involved in conservation efforts since 2016 as the executive director of the American Fork Canyon Alliance, a nonprofit facilitating “courteous multi-user group interactions and best practices in American Fork Canyon and the Uinta National Forest.” He said he helped initiate efforts to preserve Bridal Veil Falls through a conservation easement in 2020.

He listed watershed, agricultural, open space and North Fields protections as some of the most pressing issues facing Wasatch and Summit counties. 

The Utah Department of Transportation’s proposed Heber Valley bypass on the west of Heber City is another concern. He said he does not like Alternative A or B and would like to “have some discussions” about a different route if elected. UDOT will have the final say on the bypass, not the Utah House of Representatives.

Allen pointed to affordable housing and cuts to Medicare and Medicaid as other pressing local issues.

“$600,000 for a starter home? Our pioneer ancestors didn’t do it that way. They built a small thing and then they added on, paid as they went,” he said.

Among his biggest concerns statewide, government “bloat” and lack of transparency and accountability in all three branches ranks first. 

The second was immigration.

“We’ve kind of left the barn door open for too many years. We’ve got too many mouths to feed, and not all those people who are here are here legally,” Allen said.

If elected, Allen said he plans to serve one two-year term. He also said he will rely on the support of Republican delegates rather than gathering signatures through paid petition campaigns.

“I want to be beholden to none and just follow my conscience,” he said.

The candidacy filing period ended Jan. 8. Three other candidates, Wasatch County Councilor Luke Searle, former Midway Mayor Celeste Johnson and Deer Valley Resort employee Micah Kagan have filed candidacies for District 59. Searle and Allen filed as Republicans, while Kagan and Johnson filed as Democrats.

If necessary, a primary election will be held on June 23 after the candidates’ respective party conventions. The general election will be held on Nov. 3.

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The combined voter turnout of Wasatch County’s five municipalities was just about 50% this year.

Joey Granger, the Wasatch County clerk and auditor, said she usually anticipates voter turnout around 35%. She sees that as an “average to even high turnout” for a municipal election. 

“Any of the areas like ours that experience the rapid amount of growth and new people coming in, you’re going to see this type of activity happen,” Granger explained. 

In the case of small towns, they’re often “lucky to even get candidates to fill the position,” she said.

That was certainly the case in Interlaken. The town of just a few hundred was established in 2015. Ten years later, it held its first election. 

Bart Smith, town administrator, clerk and recorder, is thrilled. 

“It’s always been a challenge finding candidates. It’s a volunteer position,” he said. “We have typically really low attendance at our council meetings.”

Three candidates stepped up for two open seats this year, and the two incumbents were reelected. 

Smith saw it as a battle between the status quo and new ideas. Longtime residents have an understanding of how the town operates, but Smith said an influx of homeowners is coming in with new ideas.

“If you’re just moving in, you might look at how we spend our money and go, ‘Hey, you could save some money there, or you could spend some money here,’” he said. 

Smith sees the incumbents’ victories as an affirmation that residents like the way the town has been running.

Interlaken received 82 ballots from its 155 registered voters, or 53%.

Charleston, another small town, had the highest turnout in the county at 79%. Of its 327 registered voters, 259 cast ballots this year. 

Charleston’s town clerk and lifelong resident Karen Mair said it’s an election unlike any she’s seen, not just because of the turnout. The town is currently undergoing a recount because the mayoral candidates, one of whom is a write-in, were split by only one vote.

Mair said the town is undergoing changes, such as commercial expansion and annexations, that are changing the dynamic of the town. She added that many residents are senior citizens who would be affected financially by any changes the town makes, which may have been a factor contributing to high civic engagement.

Demographics may have also contributed to high voter turnout in Hideout, at least according to recently elected Mayor Ralph Severini. He described the town as “on the more mature side” age-wise.

“There are a lot of physicians, attorneys, accomplished executives, and they tend to vote,” he added.

But that can’t be the only piece of the puzzle. Hideout’s 69% voter turnout is almost 30% higher than the 41% turnout during the 2023 election. That turnout could be attributed to a number of other factors, including growth, annexations and developments looking to bring commercial businesses to the town.

Severini has lived in Hideout for nine years. He said this election cycle was the first time the town held a debate and the first time Severini saw any campaign signs around town.

Of the municipalities that held elections, the two most populous towns had the lowest turnouts. 

Midway had 1,981 ballots cast out of 4,143 registered voters, or almost 48%. City Recorder Brad Wilson said that turnout is typical for Midway, which tends to land somewhere around the mid-40s percentage-wise.

Heber City Recorder Trina Cooke said the city tends to generate around 30% voter turnout. Turnout this year was 48%, or 4,301 ballots cast out of 8,933 registered voters.

Cooke theorized that higher turnout could have something to do with the national political climate. She said she “wouldn’t be surprised if municipal elections are up everywhere.”

As for city public information officer Ryan Bunnell, he attributed the turnout to a number of factors.

“Last five years in particular, we’ve seen a significant population spike. Our last several elections, I think there’s been a bit of a curiosity as to when the new citizens would activate,” Bunnell said.

He speculated the activation may have happened this year. This election also saw increased spending by candidates, as well as some “fuel” in the mayoral race between Heidi Franco and Scott Phillips, Bunnell explained. 

“I think that there were some campaigning variables that might have been a little more incendiary than years past,” he said. “People were definitely feeling passionate about their candidates, particularly in that mayoral race.”

Bunnell explained that he became civically involved around the early 2010s, and wanted to change a pervasive culture that saw Heber City as a commercialized pit stop on the road to larger municipalities. As Bunnell became more civically engaged, he began to understand the process of his local government, making the powers that be much less of a mystery.

“If I had a wish as a public information officer, it would be that people would … become critical thinkers on their own, instead of just depending on what somebody said on Facebook,” he said. “I love that citizens are getting more involved in their municipal and county governments. It is the true place where your actions can be immediately seen and recognized.”

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Heber City Council candidate Morgan Murdock was knocking on doors until an hour before the voting deadline on election night. It’s the primary tactic he’d used throughout his campaign, exposing him to diverse perspectives and creating connections that might not have otherwise existed.

In his conversations with Heber City residents, Murdock heard plenty about traffic, housing and development. But even after winning a seat on the City Council, he’s struck by how much there is left to learn.

In Murdock’s own words, he’s “motivated to do (his) homework” — a fitting comment from a former teacher and administrator.

He believes his experiences in education — brainstorming effective solutions to academic or behavioral concerns, fostering a positive culture in the classroom and ensuring fairness in teaching students with disabilities — will transfer positively to city governance.

A fluent Spanish speaker, Murdock used the language daily throughout his career in education after picking it up as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Quito, Ecuador.

Now, as a newly elected city councilor, Murdock hopes to bridge the gap between city governance and the Latino community. He has a few ideas about how that might be accomplished, including co-sponsoring cultural events and increasing the presence of Spanish interpreters in city council meetings. 

A cornerstone of Murdock’s campaign has been “responsible growth” that ensures infrastructure keeps pace with development.

That’s a goal shared by incumbent Yvonne Barney, who won her bid for a second term. 

Barney moved to Heber City in 1985 and has witnessed soaring costs of housing firsthand. One family member lives in the basement of their friend’s house. Another family member with three children was the victim of mortgage fraud and has been forced to move into a $2,700 per month, three-bedroom condo.

For Barney, responsible growth begins with protecting private property rights and limiting high-density developments. She wants developers to prove that they’re building with the needs of the community in mind, not just to make a buck.

On the campaign trail and in the council, Barney aims to be forthright. 

“I noticed that on the campaign trail, there were some things sometimes where I would just, not in a flippant way, but say things, and then afterwards, citizens would come up to me and say, ‘Boy, you just put that out there, didn’t you?’” she said. “On the campaign trail, it is so easy to get caught up in the rhetoric. … We get stuck in trying to show a different face to our citizens.”

Despite her bluntness, Barney has also been characterized as a compassionate, calming presence on the City Council. In fact, during the final debate of the election, mayoral candidate Scott Phillips shared that he was learning to be more empathetic by following Barney’s example.

Although she’s not one to gloat, Barney said that she expects of herself “a certain decorum” as a public official. After all, childish bickering only distracts the council from what they were elected to do.

“What we say as elected officials, and how we treat our citizens — and not just our citizens, but one another on the campaign trail — really, really matters,” she said. “I always say that to my kids: ‘When you start having kids, remember who you are and set a good example for your kids because they’re watching you.’ … Our citizens are watching us. They expect responsibility, and they also expect us to  show a little respect towards each other, and above all, them.”

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Heber City has re-elected Mayor Heidi Franco, the city’s Leslie Knope from “Parks and Recreation” — a woman who’s more than a little passionate about local government.

An online American government professor by day, she spends her nights running from meeting to meeting, whether it be with the city or as one of the many boards she’s a part of: Heber Light and Power, Animal Control, Wasatch Open Lands and the Heber Valley Historic Railroad Authority, to name a few. 

“When you’re chair of these other boards, it’s like a whole ‘nother bureaucracy that you need to manage,” she said. “If you’re not going to be proactive and make sure the agendas are efficient … things are not going to get done. And then minor things will turn into crises over the year.”

Like her sitcom counterpart, Franco is an avid fan of parks and open space. Ask her for trail recommendations and she’ll tell you where to find the most deer and which areas of Mount Timpanogos look the most like idyllic “Teletubbyland.”

Franco believes Heber City’s parks should be world-class, but that doesn’t mean they have to be a big-budget item. For Franco, accomplishing that goal starts with meeting the bare necessities in existing parks, like water fountains and appropriate shade to hide under on scorching summer days. 

Franco is against high-density annexations, particularly east of the city and in sensitive land areas like the North Fields, but she rejects the branding that she’s anti-development. She simply believes growth should be responsible and protect natural resources. 

Franco thinks Heber can learn a few lessons from their neighboring town, Midway.

“Midway has set strong standards for development in their city: on density, on architectural standards, on where they want annexations,” she explained. “When developers come in, they know that they want to meet those standards. They want to build to those standards because that’s going to protect their investment — their investment will be successful, they hope, because of those standards. I would love to be able to do that within Heber City. … I’ve just seen a lot of examples where we don’t have that same protection culture in our city.”

Developments “dump(ing)” traffic onto Highway 40 and Main Street, instead of solving the problems they create, is another concern for Franco. She wants to ensure roads are built to accompany growth.

The Utah Department of Transportation’s announcement of their bypass route in January will be Franco’s foremost concern in her second term. She wants to ensure citizens are well-informed about how they’re affected and “what is really at stake” so they can participate and comment in public meetings.

Interacting with residents on the campaign trail, Franco observed that many are “very happy” to live in Heber City, but longtime residents are “struggling.”

“Yes, we deal a lot with affordable housing, but it’s the people that already live here that are really struck with being house rich and cash poor,” she said. “I’m always really focused to make sure that our impact fees are keeping up with inflation and the higher and higher costs from our capital facilities plan.”

This election, Franco tried new strategies she’s never employed: targeted text messages, a beefed-up social media presence and endorsing two city councilors, Yvonne Barney and Nick López. Barney was elected for a second term, while Morgan Murdock will be taking Scott Phillips’ council seat. Although she did not endorse him, Franco has known Murdock for over a decade and said that he is “well-respected” in the community and that she looks forward to collaborating with him.

Although Franco was impressed by a 49% countywide voter turnout, she encouraged all Heber residents to register to vote because “city issues are only growing along with our growth.” 

Her message to those who voted for Phillips is that she still wants to hear their voices.

“The city council — in political science, we call it a marketplace of ideas. And all the ideas get heard. That slows things down, and it makes us take time, and we need to learn the facts and get things documented, but that is the point of government — to take its time, to be able to hear as many voices as want to be heard,” she said. “If things don’t work … then we revise, and we do more public outreach. And I will continue that public outreach and push the city council to do more surveys so that we can get a really accurate picture of what the public wants because the public gets to pay for it.”

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