Vineyard fills latest City Council vacancy

VINEYARD — The Vineyard City Council approved its newest member to fill the vacancy left by Councilman Ezra Nair, who resigned last month to work for Provo.

Christopher "Chip" Price was chosen during Tuesday's council meeting after the council interviewed some of the applicants. His term will go through Dec. 31, 2027.

"I promise that as a council member, I will seek for truth. I will legislate with honor and integrity and that when I am speaking and telling you what I believe and what I think to be true, that is going to be the thing. It's not going to be a game," he said.

While being asked questions by the council, Price said he has found that seeking perspectives of others, as well as a middle ground, is "pivotal" to success in almost every situation. While he knows he won't have all the answers or be 100% correct always, being humble and willing to work with others can lead to better outcomes, he said.

When the council voted, Price was the "clear winner," Mayor Zack Stratton said.

Price works in IT for Ascent Programs, which is a group for troubled youth homes, according to his application.

"Over the 20 years that I have been with this company, I have learned many skills in how to listen with empathy, respond and de-escalate situations. In the climate of our city, I think that I would be a good asset in helping to heal the divide," he said in his application.

Price said he wants to be a voice for the people and look for solutions that are "creative in their function but yield the desired results." He said the city needs innovative solutions as it continues to grow and evolve, and he wishes to help clean up the waste in the city from the redevelopment sites and bring in a tax base to "help ease some of the taxation fatigue that I know many of our citizens feel."

Price's fellow applicants were planning commission member David Pearce, UVU student councilwoman Laureana Lazarte and Vottiv founder Jesse Sandstrom.

Nair had been in the position for less than a year before announcing his resignation. He filled the spot left by Sara Cameron, who resigned after the 2025 election, claiming the results were rewarding "performance politics, misinformation, and efforts that undermine collaborative, fact-based decision-making," and causing an environment that "has cost our city dearly."

Nair will now be serving as the executive director for the Provo City Council. Nair also serves as the Utah County administrator and previously worked as the city manager for Vineyard.

"I want to thank the public first. Thank you so much for your engagement in the civic process in general. We have such an engaged city; I love to see it," Nair said at the end of Tuesday's meeting.

Nair thanked the council for hearing him out and working with him on issues and said it has been the "honor of my life" to work with the city staff, and he will dearly miss it.

"As I move on to other things, I'll still be a resident of Vineyard. I still love the city. I still believe in the city and will continue to be engaged," he said.

Besides Councilman Jacob Holdaway, the council is now made up of new faces compared to last year's council. Many of the city staff positions were also replaced at the beginning of this year during what some called a controversial staffing shake-up.

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