When the results of the early election were announced on Tuesday evening, it appeared that the incumbent Mayor of Park City Andy Beerman was 56% to 30% behind Councilor Nann Worel.
Beerman, who served as mayor for one term, was behind Worel in the race from the start and was second behind Worel by a long way in the primary. In the final week of the election, he had been struck by controversy over a Black Lives Matter mural, one of four racial justice murals painted on Park City’s Main Street.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Artists painted Justicia Para Todos on Main Street in Park City this weekend, Monday, July 6th, 2020.
It wasn’t necessarily the message on the mural that haunted him. He was accused of not having adequately involved the council in the decision and misrepresenting what he knew about the planned mural and when he knew it.
Worel, who has been a member of the city council since 2016, promised a more inclusive management style.
Ranking list voting in Moab brings a quick result
And in southeastern Utah, the city of Moab said that the voters had voted a new mayor for the popular tourist community by voting.
Elected Mayor Joette Langianese ousted runner-up Bill Winfield by 6 percentage points. The results come after five rounds of ranked selection votes in a crowded field of six candidates.
Langianese ran on a platform for the health, safety and welfare of all Moab residents, according to their official campaign page.
Boy up front in the Orem Mayor’s Race
In Orem on Tuesday evening along the Wasatch Front, former Mayor Jim Evans was defeated by adversary Dave Young in an effort to recapture the post, according to the early election results.
The first, unofficial figures showed that Evans was 16 percentage points behind Young in a race that focused on issues of public safety and growth. The two candidates received 58% and 42% of the vote, respectively.
These issues came to the fore at the start of election season with a stone over a property owner’s request that, in order to place signs on their properties, candidates must first sign an agreement in support of the further development of their land. Evans signed the pledge to support the existing growth plans for the University Place shopping mall, while Young refused to approve the document.
Mayor Kaufusi retains leadership in Provo
In Provo, election results showed Mayor Michelle Kaufusi had a big lead over her opponent – a man who made headlines last year when he was shot while driving by a crowd of protesters.
Ken Dudley followed, according to the first unofficial figures released on Tuesday evening, by 75 to 25 percent behind Kaufusi, who was first elected mayor in 2017.
Dudley said he started his campaign in part because of his experience last year when he was shot dead while protesting police violence. At the time he drove his SUV into the group of demonstrators, participants in the protest felt they were in danger. One protester was charged in connection with the shooting of Dudley.
Since then, Dudley has joined United Citizens Alarm, a militia group that has appeared at Black Lives Matter demonstrations in the state.
Kaufusi noted that she was supported by professional firefighters and the police.
New leaders in Davis County
There are 15 cities and towns in Davis County, the state’s third largest county, and after that election it looks like residents could have at least 11 and possibly a dozen brand new mayors.
Most of it is wear and tear. Ten mayors decided against re-election.
But on Tuesday night, incumbent Bountiful Mayor Randy Lewis was two terms behind his challenger, two-year councilor Kendalyn Keyes Harris. Harris was two to one ahead of Lewis in the opening results.
Lewis ruffled feathers in Bountiful, including engaging in an argument over the Bountiful High School Braves mascot, defending the logo, telling a woman to be “less easily offended,” and questioning whether she was an “official.” Representative “of the offended indigenous communities.
That was number 11.
And in Clinton, early returnees brought incumbent Mayor Mitch Adams into conflict with challenger Brandon Stanger. Adams was behind by 37 votes Tuesday night.
Mark Shepherd won an unopposed third term as Mayor of Clearfield, and Joy Petro won re-election in Layton.
North Salt Lake City Councilor Brian Horrocks appeared to be winning easily in the race to replace Len Arave as Mayor.
Arave, who was first elected in 2009, is stepping down after 12 years
Horrocks, who ran against Gary Widders, had received just over 80% of the vote in the results released late Tuesday evening.
First-term Syracuse Mayor Mike Gailey succeeded Councilor Dave Maughan with 332 votes in the tight mayoral contest.
Maughan has been a member of the city council since 2015.
Jordan Savage and Jennifer Carver had two seats on the council, a narrow lead over Brett Cragun and Paul Watson. Savage is seeking another term on the council.
Elsewhere, Clark Wilkinson led Lawrence Wright in the race for Centerville Mayor; Brett Anderson led Rebecca Wayment in the Farmington race; Tamara Tran had a captain in command, Jay Welk, in Kaysville.
The Mayor of St. George predicted he would hold out
Mori Kessler of the St. George News reported Tuesday evening that Michele Randall was expected to win her first election as Mayor of St. George. Randall was appointed by the city council after former Mayor Jon Pike took up a position in the government of Governor Spencer Cox earlier this year.
Alastair Lee Bitsóí, Bethany Rodgers, Bryan Schott and Robert Gehrke from The Salt Lake Tribune reported and wrote this story.
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