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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Senate on Wednesday unanimously voted to confirm Joel Ferry as the director of the Utah Division of Natural Resources.
Ferry, who previously represented Brigham City as a Republican in the Utah House, was tapped to fill the post by Gov. Spencer Cox earlier this year. He resigned from his role in the Legislature in August after he received a favorable recommendation from a Senate committee.
Ferry's appointment is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit brought by the Utah Democratic Party because he will still appear on the general election ballot this fall. If Ferry were removed from the ballot, his opponent Joshua Hardy, a Democrat, would be the only name on the ballot for Utah House District 1. Ferry said he plans to keep his name on the ballot to give voters the chance to vote for a candidate of their chosen party.
If he wins, he said he would resign and the Republican Party would appoint someone to fill his seat.
The lawsuit brought by the Democrats is still making its way through the courts, but a judge recently denied the party's request to stop Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson from sending ballots with Ferry's name to overseas military members.
