- Salt Lake County voters participated in the 2025 municipal general election on Tuesday.
- Key mayoral races include Bluffdale, Cottonwood Heights, Draper, Herriman, and Murray.
- In Holladay, Kearns and Riverton, new mayors will be elected due to retirements.
SALT LAKE CITY — Several mayors in Salt Lake County appeared on track for reelection as the first vote tallies rolled in Tuesday evening.
While a handful of mayorships are up for grabs with incumbents not seeking reelection, many of the counties and cities will see little change at the top if the preliminary results hold.
The mayoral races in Bluffdale, Cottonwood Heights, Draper, Herriman, Murray, Midvale, Sandy, South Jordan, South Salt Lake, West Valley City and White City saw incumbents facing off against challengers to retain their seat in office.
While in Holladay, Kearns and Riverton, no matter which candidate wins, a new mayor will be chosen to lead the city.
Here's how the results look for several major races in the county, with preliminary results reported as of 10:40 p.m. on Tuesday:
The race for Bluffdale mayor pits incumbent Natalie Hall against former city event manager Connie Pavlakis. Hall, who also worked for the city prior to her election, is just wrapping up her first term in office.
The contest tightened as time went on Tuesday evening, with Hall holding a 50.29% edge over Pavlakis, but the two candidates are separated by only 13 votes.
In Cottonwood Heights, Mayor Mike Weichers, who was elected in 2021, is looking to secure a second term in office. He faces challenger Gay Lynn Bennion, a Democratic state representative from House District 41, which includes the towns of Alta and Brighton as well as most of Cottonwood Heights and portions of Holladay, Midvale and Murray.
Weichers is one of the few incumbent mayors on track to lose reelection Tuesday night. He trails Bennion 56%-44%.
Draper Mayor Troy Walker is seeking a fourth term in the seat and holds a strong lead over his challenger Braxten Rutherford, an elementary school teacher and freelance writer. Walker had nearly three-quarters of the vote based on early results.
Herriman residents appear willing to elect Mayor Lorin Palmer to a second term. He faces a challenge from Ty Brady, an insurance entrepreneur, but leads with 74% of the vote.
In Holladay, Councilman Paul Fotheringham and Daren Watts, a former OB/GYN physician, are vying for the mayoral seat. Mayor Robert Dahle announced earlier this year that he was not seeking another term in office.
Fotheringham jumped out to an early lead with about 57% of the vote.
With Kearns Mayor Kelly Bush not seeking reelection, Deputy Mayor Tina Snow and Jesse Valdez, a former photojournalist who works for the Utah Department of Corrections, are vying to fill her seat.
The race was separated by only a few dozen votes when the first round of votes was reported, but Valdez grew his lead to 86 votes, or 52%, with the latest update.
Midvale Mayor Dustin Gettel faces two challengers for the seat in a ranked-choice race. The incumbent faces Brandee Boyer and David Fair, both of whom are also seeking the role.
Gettel, who previously served on the City Council, was appointed mayor last December following the resignation of Marcus Stevenson.
Gettel appears ready to cruise to his first full term in office with nearly a third of the vote.
In Millcreek, Councilwoman Cheri Jackson was chosen on Monday by the City Council to replace Jeff Silvestrini as mayor. Silvestrini announced his retirement in September due to health complications.
In Murray, current Mayor Brett Hales is seeking another four years in office, facing off against Bruce Turner, who has served as Murray City Power's operations manager. Hales leads with more than 60% of the vote on Tuesday night.
Riverton will elect a new mayor after Mayor Trent Staggs decided not to run again. Staggs has served eight years as mayor after serving four years on the City Council. He will be replaced by a sitting councilwoman, either Tish Buroker or Tawnee McCay.
Buroker boasts a strong early lead, with close to 70% of the early vote.
Sandy Mayor Monica Zoltanski is hoping to score a second term, but Councilwoman Cyndi Sharkey also wants the seat. Zoltanski was elected in 2021 as Sandy's 27th mayor and the first woman to be elected as the city's chief executive.
Zoltanski is on track to win another term; she leads Sharkey by several thousands votes.
South Jordan Mayor Dawn Ramsey had a dominant showing against challenging Noah Barrett, an automotive worker. Ramsey is on pace to win a third term in office and leads Barrett 83% to 17%.
In South Salt Lake, Mayor Cherie Wood, who has served in the role for 15 years, is on track to secure another term. She leads challenger Brittany Karzen, who was named program director for the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole in September 2024, with nearly two-thirds of the vote.
Taylorsville Mayor Kristie Overson will cruise to reelection as she is running unopposed.
West Valley City Mayor Karen Lang is another incumbent who boasts a strong showing on her way to likely reelection. She leads June Hesleph, who works for the Utah State Tax Commission, with more than three-fourths of all votes cast.
In White City, Mayor Paulina Flint is bucking the trend of strong incumbent showings, as she trails challenger Allan Perry 62% to 38%.
