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- Aimee Winder Newton announced she won't seek reelection to the county council after her third term ends.
- Laurie Stringham and Sheldon Stewart, meanwhile, announced they would run for reelection.
- Jiro Johnson similarly announced plans to file for a full four-year term on the council.
SALT LAKE CITY – Longtime Salt Lake County Councilwoman Aimee Winder Newton announced she will not seek reelection this year.
Winder Newton, a former Republican gubernatorial candidate who has served on the nine-member council since 2014, said on Thursday that she made the decision last spring to call it quits after her third term ends.
"It has been a deep honor to be the first Republican woman elected to the council, serve as the first chairwoman, and represent District 3 with conservative principles and a strong commitment to working across the aisle," said Winder Newton, who also works in Gov. Spencer Cox's office as a senior adviser and director of the Utah Office of Families.
At the same time, Laurie Stringham, a Republican who was elected to serve on the Salt Lake County Council in 2020, announced Thursday she will seek another six-year term representing one of the council's at-large seats.
"Families are feeling squeezed, neighborhoods are changing fast, and too many people feel like decisions are being made around them instead of with them," Stringham said. "I'm running for county council because I believe we can protect what makes our communities strong while building a county government that's more responsive, more transparent, and more effective."
Sheldon Stewart, a Republican member of the council, is also up for reelection after winning his first term in 2022. He said he'll run for a second term "with a single, clear goal: reducing the size of Salt Lake County government."
"Shrinking government is not easy," Stewart said in a social media post on Thursday. "(I)t requires knowing exactly how the system works to make smart, effective cuts. We need to ensure that the county focuses only on essential services and gets out of the way of our cities and citizens."
The other Salt Lake County Council seat on the ballot this year is held by Jiro Johnson, a Democrat who took office earlier this year after longtime councilman Arlyn Bradshaw resigned to take a new job. Johnson told KSL he plans to soon file his candidacy to seek a full four-year term.
"I'm running again because I want to continue building a Salt Lake County that doesn't leave our residents behind and provides the basis for people to grow up, live in, and enjoy everything that makes this county great," Johnson said.
The Salt Lake County Council is responsible for adopting a budget while also passing ordinances and regulations for Utah's most populous county. Last month, the council approved a 14% property tax increase despite strong opposition from residents who attended a public hearing.
