The city, however, has said that the associations were largely ineffective because people didn't participate in them. The exception, however, was Pugh's Corner Canyon Community Council.

Smith rebuts Pugh's accusations of ignoring open space by citing the city's purchase of Corner Canyon. Draper paid for the $14 million purchase Oct. 28 with a $7 million voter bond, a $6 million bond on city assets, $500,000 from a state conservation agency, and $500,000 from Salt Lake County. More than 1,000 acres in the canyon will remain undeveloped for hiking, biking and horseback riding with a perpetual conservation easement on the land.

The winning candidate will spend the next four years wrestling with the pressure that most growing communities face — how to balance preservation with development. Smith, who is running for his second term, has lived in Draper for all of his 61 years.

"I feel like it's a mixture between the old and the new — the history and the newness combining into a quality community," Smith said. "The settlers of Draper set a standard that continues to be felt and admired and respected."

Pugh thinks that Draper can be judicious with its growth because people naturally want to live in the city.

"It's a great place to live because you're so close to downtown Salt Lake City, the mountains, the ski areas and St. George," Pugh said.

Voters will select Smith or Pugh on Tuesday in the general election. They also will elect two at-large City Council candidates from the field of Stephanie Davis, LaMont Smith (an incumbent), Jeff Stenquist and Troy Walker.

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E-mail: kswinyard@desnews.com