19 hopefuls vying for Ogden City Council seat to be vacated by Shaun Myers

OGDEN — Ogden City Councilman Shaun Myers is stepping down effective July 31, and 19 would-be replacements have stepped forward to fill out his term.

It's the first time since 2006 that the Ogden City Council has had to fill a vacancy, according to Glenn Symes, who manages the City Council office, and the seven City Council members, including Myers, will pick the new member at a meeting next Tuesday.

Myers was elected to the at-large C seat on the City Council in 2023, and his four-year term started in January 2024. The replacement — who must be a registered voter and a city resident for at least 12 months — will serve out the remainder of the term, which runs through December 2027, starting Aug. 1.

Myers is stepping down to take on a role as second counselor in the presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Ogden Temple. He's also president of Myers Mortuary in Ogden and said the varied responsibilities would limit his ability to keep serving in the City Council post.

"I felt like the residents deserved someone who will represent them," he said. Serving as a City Council member, he said, has been a "tremendous honor and privilege."

The varied hopefuls to replace Myers will each have four minutes to address four questions put to them by the Ogden City Council at next Tuesday's meeting. A candidate must get at least four votes to win the special election.

If no candidate gets a majority vote in the first round of balloting, "two finalists will be determined for a second round of voting. If necessary, this will be done via tiebreaker by pulling names from a bowl," the City Council said in a press release. "Once two finalists have been determined, they will be interviewed again before the council votes a second time."

The following are the 19 hopefuls, listed in alphabetical order with their occupations:

• Andrey Akhmedov, a software engineer with Raft LLC, based in McLean, Virginia, and a U.S. Air Force reservist serving as a staff sergeant intelligence analyst.
• J. Levi Andersen, a history teacher at Mound Fort Junior High School in Ogden.
• Arlene Anderson, clinical informatics manager for Intermountain Health and a member of the Ogden School District Board.
• Pieder Beeli, an engineer with the U.S. Air Force at Hill Air Force Base.
• Alexander Castagno, team leader with ARUP Laboratories in Salt Lake City.
• Jeffrey Heiner, vice president of client services for MarketStar in Ogden and a former member of the Ogden School District Board.
• Eric Holmes, senior project manager for Salt Lake City.
• Sheri Morreale, who didn't list an occupation.
• Eric Neff, director of admissions advisement and recruitment at Weber State University in Ogden.
• Sylvia Newman, who retired from work at Weber State University and currently serves on a committee of the Weber County RAMP Tax Advisory Board.
• Travis Pate, gallery attendant and weekend coordinator at Eccles Art Center in Ogden.
• Jeremy Peterson, a real estate broker and property manager and a former member of the Utah House.
• Heath Satow, an Ogden sculptor
• Jeremy Shinoda, senior buyer for Westinghouse Electric Company and a member of the Ogden Planning Commission.
• Juliene Snyder, a full-time mom.
• Rick Southwick, associate broker with eXp Realty, based in Bellingham, Washington, and a member of the Ogden Planning Commission.
• John H. Thompson, a retiree who previously worked for the Utah State Retirement Fund.
• John M. Thompson, education programs manager for Cache Refugee and Immigration Connection in Logan.
• Jose Torres, a dietician with Sacred Circle Healthcare in Salt Lake City.

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