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SALT LAKE CITY — Tuesday was a good day for incumbent mayors in cities throughout Salt Lake County, with only two losing their seats.
That includes the mayoral race in South Jordan, which was too close to call. Unofficially, Dave Alvord edged incumbent Scott L. Osborne by just 19 votes, or 0.2 percent, with all precincts reporting.
Osborne said he was "quite surprised" with the results, having felt like he had run a good race.
"I have no regrets — none whatsoever," Osborne said.
The tally won't be official until a canvass is complete Nov. 19, taking into account provisional and absentee ballots.
The only other incumbent to fall in Salt Lake County was Taylorsville Mayor Jerry Rechtenbach, who was ousted by candidate Larry Johnson by a 53 percent to 46 percent margin.
West Valley City Mayor Mike Winder did not seek re-election, paving the way for a victory by Ron Bigelow. The new mayor will lead the city in its efforts to clear its name after controversy surrounding Winder and a troubled police force.
Murray's new Mayor Ted Eyre ran unopposed, taking over for Dan Snarr, who ran the city for four terms before stepping down.
Bluffdale's incumbent Mayor Derk P. Timothy retained his seat, running uncontested.
In Cottonwood Heights, incumbent Mayor Kelvyn Cullimore easily retained his seat, defeating Peyton Robinson with more than 63 percent of the vote.
Troy K. Walker took over as Draper's mayor, a seat left open when incumbent Mayor Darrell Smith did not run again for the office.
Herriman Mayor Carmen R. Freeman took over the reins for interim appointee Clint Smith, beating Michelle Baguley by a 58 percent to 40 percent margin.
Robert M. Dahle is the new mayor of Holladay, filling the vacancy created by Dennis R. Webb by defeating D. Blaine Anderson.
Midvale will continue to enjoy the efforts of incumbent Mayor JoAnn B. Seghini, who won the election with 63 percent of the vote.
In Sandy, Mayor Tom Dolan will get the extra term he was looking for, earning 66 percent of the vote in his race against David Perry.
Incumbent South Salt Lake Mayor Cherie Wood appears to have earned another term in office with a slim 51 percent to 49 percent victory over challenger Derk O. Pehrson.
West Jordan welcomed new Mayor Kim V. Rolfe, who beat contender Ben Southworth in another close race, 51 percent to 48 percent. Incumbent Mayor Melissa Johnson did not pursue re-election.
The Salt Lake City Council also saw some changes, with James Rogers taking 51.6 percent of the vote to defeat Kevin S. Parke in District 1, which spans the Rose Park and northwest sections of the city. Incumbent City Councilman Carlton Christensen left an empty seat when he did not seek re-election.
The Avenues and Capitol Hill areas within District 3 welcomed back incumbent Councilman Stan Penfold, who eanred nearly 77 percent of the vote in his race against Sherman W. Clow.
Erin Mendenhall coasted to victory in District 5, which includes the Central City and Liberty-Wells areas, earning nearly 82 percent of the vote and claiming the seat held by longtime Councilwoman Jill Remington Love.
Sugar House's representative on the City Council, Soren Simonsen, did not run for office this term, leaving the District 7 position open for Lisa Ramsey Adams, who defeated Kevin Paulson by a 69 percent to 30 percent margin.
Voters in Taylorsville also chose to allow the city to be grafted into the Unified Fire Service Area.
Davis County
Nine new mayors were welcomed in, with five incumbents retaining their seats.
Bountiful saw a change from incumbent Mayor Joe Johnson's leadership when Randy Lewis won with 84 percent of the vote, beating Beth Holbrook.
In Centerville, new Mayor Paul Cutler will take over for outgoing Mayor Ronald G. Russell. Cutler claimed the title with 56 percent of the vote.
Continuing the changes in Davis County, Clearfield Mayor Don W. Wood did not run for office this time around, leaving the seat open for Mark R. Shepherd, who claimed nearly 74 percent of the vote to defeat Gary Scott Baldwin.
In Clinton, incumbent Mayor Lane "Mitch" Adams received 64 percent of the vote to Debbie Barlow's 35 percent.
Farmington's new Mayor H. James Talbot claimed the seat uncontested, taking over for Mayor Scott Harbertson.
Incumbent Fruit Heights Mayor Todd Stevenson did not run for re-election, leaving a spot open for Don Carroll, who won over Eileen Moss.
Kaysville will remain under the charge of incumbent Mayor Steve Hiatt, who beat challenger Arthur Rexford Whittaker.
Kaysville voters also decided to allocate all city power revenue to power department operations, with any extra funds going back to customers.
Bob J. Stevenson will be the new mayor of Layton, taking over leadership from current mayor Steve Curtis.
In North Salt Lake, incumbent Mayor Leonard K. Arave defeated challenger Ryan Macfarlane.
Tamara P. Long earned nearly 59 percent of the vote to oust incumbent South Weber Mayor Jeffery G. Monroe.
Sunset greeted their new mayor when Beverly K. Macfarlane beat Ryan D. Furniss, filling the position left open by Mayor Chad Bangerter, who did not run for office this term.
Syracuse may see change under the leadership of Mayor Terry Palmer, who claimed victory over Douglas Peterson, filling the shoes of current Mayor Jamie Nagle.
Woods Cross will now be led by Rick Earnshaw, who defeated incumbent Mayor Kent M. Parry with 61 percent of the vote.
West Bountiful Mayor Ken Romney will continue his service in the office, having run without competition.
Utah County
Voters in Provo approved Mayor John R. Curtis for another term, winning with an overwhelming 86 percent of votes over contender Jason Christensen.
David S. Sewell will now serve on the Provo City Council, filling an at-large position left open when Councilwoman Laura Cabanilla did not run for another term.
Kim Santiago, who ran an uncontested race, will take over for Rick Healey as the representative for City Council District 2, which covers the Oak Hills, Wasatch, BYU and northwest Joaquin areas.
Stephen A. Hales will represent the downtown, Franklin, Dixon, Provo High, Joaquin and Maeser areas contained within District 5.
As of press time, Richard Brunst was leading in the race for mayor of Orem, with nearly 57 percent of precincts having reported. The new mayor will take over leadership from current Mayor James T. Evans.
The majority of voters in Orem also were in favor of continuing a 0.1 percent sales tax for cultural, arts and recreation enrichment in the city and had voted against a property tax increase.
In Alpine, results for the race between incumbent Mayor Hunt Willoughby and Don N. Watkins were not yet available.
Results for the American Fork mayoral race between Bill Thresher and incumbent James H. Hadfield were not available as of press time, nor were the results of the proposed $20 million road improvement bond.
Incumbent Cedar Hills Mayor Gary R. Gygi retained his seat by a large margin, capturing 74 percent of vote over challenger Curt Crosby.
A ballot measure in Cedar Hills requiring voter approval for any city building costing more than $400,000 was not approved by voters.
In Eagle Mountain, incumbent Heather Jackson was defeated by Christopher Pengra, 68 percent to 32 percent.
Hal Shelley defeated Jamie D. Towse, who challenged the incumbent Elk Ridge mayor.
As of press time, results for the Goshen mayoral race between incumbent Fred Jensen and Steven Staheli were not available.
Highland Mayor Lynn V. Ritchie did not seek re-election and will be replaced by either Larry Mendenhall or Mark S. Thompson. Results of this race and the road maintenance bond were not available as of press time.
In Lehi, Mayor Bert Wilson will continue his public service after winning in the race against Jim Hewitson, earning 57 percent of the vote.
Voters in Lindon elected Jeff Acerso, who won with 67 percent of the vote, claiming victory over James E. Slade. Incumbent Mayor Jim Dain did not run for office.
Also in Lindon, an arts and recreation tax was approved by 67 percent of voters, increasing sales tax within the city by 0.1 percent.
Results for the Pleasant Grove mayoral race between Bruce W. Call and David Peterson were not available as of press time, in addition to the outcome of the proposed $16.96 million bond.
Saratoga Springs' incumbent Mayor Mia Love did not again seek the city office, leaving an opening for Brandon Mackay or Jim Miller. Results of this race were not available as of press time.
In Spanish Fork, Steve Leifson filled the mayoral office left open by incumbent G. Wayne Andersen, who did not seek re-election. Leifson won with 62 percent of the vote margin over Chad K. Argyle.
Santaquin and Genola, where the candidates ran unopposed, did not hold mayoral elections.
Kirk Hunsaker was named mayor of Santaquin, succeeding James DeGraffenried, who did not seek re-election.
It came as no surprise that Lonny Ward is now mayor of Genola, the sole mayoral candidate in the race, taking over for Mayor Danny Throckmorton.
Weber County
In Ogden, incumbent City Councilman Neil K. Garner will continue his service in Municipal Ward 1, which covers central and west Ogden, after challenger Pamela Shupe Stevens was disqualified after not complying with Utah's campaign finance statement rules.
Municipal Ward 3, covering east and central Ogden, will be led by incumbent Doug Stephens, who defeated Turner C. Bitton with 56 percent of the vote.
Marcia L. White will fill the Council Member At-Large Seat A, claiming 64 percent of the vote, ousting challenger Stephen D. Thompson. White is taking over for Councilwoman Susan Van Hooser, who did not run for another term.
Incumbent councilman Bart Blair will remain the Seat B Council Member At-Large; candidate Courtney Jon White was disqualified for not following the Utah campaign finance rules.
Cache County
Hyde Park saw a voter turnout of more than 50 percent of registered voters in the ballot initiative to determine whether to allow the sale of alcoholic beverages within the city. The ballots were counted by hand, and as of press time officials had not reached a final tally.
