As with the U.S. Supreme Court, a single change in the makeup of the nine-member Salt Lake County Council next fall could bring a very different face to our governments.

Depending on whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, that may be a pretty or ugly face.

A County Council vote this past week brought the stakes to the forefront. Along party lines, the council voted 5-4 not to give various benefits to domestic partners of county employees.

The five Republicans on the council voted no. The four Democrats voted yes.

Several GOP council members said county residents — and Utahns in general — decided the "marriage" issue last fall when they voted to change the Utah Constitution to clearly say a marriage is between a man and a woman.

In other words, no legal recognition for domestic partners — most notably partners in a same-sex relationship.

The GOP council members extrapolated that constitutional vote into citizens not wishing to give domestic partners privileges traditionally held by married spouses, although I'm not so sure you can draw one from the other.

Democratic Councilwoman Jenny Wilson, sponsor of the ordinance that was voted down last Tuesday, says providing benefits like health care to domestic partners — regardless of whether the couple is married or not, the same sex or not — is coming.

It will just take Salt Lake County government a little longer to get there.

It could get there in the 2006 elections.

Rarely does any group of Utahns get the chance to decide if a large governmental body will be governed by one party or another.

What, you say? They get the chance every two years. It's called an election.

But in much of Utah — and across the state as a whole — Republicans hold such large majorities that Democrats just don't have a chance at taking control.

For example, the Utah House is 56-19 for the Republicans. Even if the 15 GOP House members from Salt Lake County were defeated in one swoop and Democrats held all of their current Salt Lake County seats, the whole House would still remain in Republican control.

But with the change of one seat on the Salt Lake County Council, Democrats could gain control of the largest local government in the state, as they would join Democratic County Mayor Peter Corroon in setting the agenda.

Two GOP council members are up for election next year: Cortlund Ashton in District 5 and David Wilde in District 3, who has announced plans to run for mayor of Murray. I don't know if they will seek re-election.

Ashton is from a south-central district, which is likely Republican leaning. But Wilde is from a central valley district that includes parts of West Valley City, Midvale and Murray, locales where Democratic legislators have won before.