Over 60 file to run for municipal slots

By Collin Overton

Staff Writer

6-13-2019

 

More than 60 candidates filed for municipal offices across Sanpete County’s 13 incorporated cities and towns by the deadline last Friday, June 7, although the deadline for write-ins extends into the fall.

Manti

Five people have filed for the four, four-year council seats in Manti: Gary Chidester, Linda Christiansen, Donna Birk, Jason Vernon and Darren Dyreng. Three of the candidates— Dyreng, Vernon and Chidester— are currently on the council and are seeking re-election.

Ephraim

Incumbents John Scott and Richard Wheeler, and challengers Ted Meikle and Kimberlee Jacobson have applied for three open seats on the Ephraim City Council. All three openings are
four-year terms.

Mt. Pleasant

Mt. Pleasant will hold both a mayoral and a city council election. Dan H. Anderson, who was appointed in 2018, and David Brown, who is retired, has lived in Mt. Pleasant seven years and has a degree in business, will vie for mayor. Seven candidates are running for three council seats, which means there will be a primary election. The contenders for council are Stan Farnsworth, Keith Collier, Cathy Ostler, Rondy G. Black, Randy Wootton, Russell G. Keisel and Sam Draper run for city council seats. There are enough contenders for city council to force a primary, which will be held Aug. 13.

Moroni

In Moroni, Jenifer Lamb, Bevan Wulfenstein, Jared Howells and D. Craig Draper will run unopposed for four-year council seats. Wulfentein and Lamb are currently on the council. One candidate, Troy Prestwich, is running unopposed for a two-year seat.

Spring City

The Spring City elections will see Cami Hathaway and Cynthia DeGrey contend for mayor, while Cody Harmer, Joe McGriff and Craig Clark run unopposed for re-election in city council.

Centerfield

Centerfield has three open seats and seven candidates running for city council. Jonah Christensen, Kimberly E. Beck, Jaden Sorenson, Jon Hansen, Jackie Pay Huff, Christi B. Garff and Jerry Trafny have announced their candidacies.

Fountain Green

Fountain Green has seven candidates running for four council seats. DeWayne E. Omer, D. Brian Casselman, Stuart A. Smith, Stuart Hansen, Shelith E. Jacobson, Jerime Ivory and Julio Tapia are all running for fouryear council seats. Jacobson and Ivory currently sit on the council.

Gunnison

Gunnison, on the other hand, has 11 candidates running for three, four-year council seats. Brian Sorensen, Shawn Crane, Rodney L. Taylor, Stella S. Hill, Blake Donaldson, Justen K. Mellor, Scott Andersen, Michelle Christenson, Ron Gale Christenson, Scott Hal Pickett and Scott W. Reid are on the ballot for the Aug. 13 primary.

Fairview

In Fairview, four residents are seeking three four-year council seats and one running for a twoyear seat. Matthew Sorenson, Robert St. Jaques, Brad Welch and Cliff Wheeler will contend for the three available four-year seats, while Michael C. MacKay will run for a two-year term.

Sterling

The Sterling Town Council will see three people running unopposed for city council: Yvonne Larsen, Justin Alder and Kendall Vorhees. Larsen will run for a two-year seat, while Alder and Vorhees will run for four-year terms.

Mayfield

In Mayfield, Aaron Peterson and Jake Dyreng will run unopposed for two council seats. Peterson is currently finishing a term on the council.

Wales

In Wales, no one filed for one town council seat, while Joshua Pecora is running for the other. As things stand, the town will not be required to hold an election in November.

Fayette

Three applicants will contest for two, four-year town council seats in Fayette. Incumbents John D. Bown and Joan Spainhower will run for re-election, while Kelly Sue Mellor will also try for a seat. Jed Bartholomew will run unopposed for mayor.

Anyone who wants to run as a write-in must register by Sept. 3.