South Ogden mayor seeks 2nd job

George Garwood says he isn't planning on resigning as mayor of South Ogden if he wins his bid for a seat in the state Legislature, even though he would be holding two elected offices.

"I feel like I've been elected to serve the people of South Ogden as mayor," he said. "Both of those positions being part time, I feel I can give ample attention to both."

It wouldn't be the first time a local elected official served in the Legislature. In 2005, Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, announced he was stepping down as a member of the Clinton City Council because holding both positions simultaneously was taxing.

Garwood, who won the Republican nomination for House District 10 Tuesday by beating GOP challenger Johnathan Aubrey, said he was told by the Utah Attorney General's Office that it would be OK to hold both posts.

Assistant attorney general Thom Roberts said he was "not aware of any direct prohibition" that would prevent Garwood from holding both offices. Roberts said a number of members of the state's part-time Legislature work for government entities.

"You have an inherent problem because we don't have a full-time Legislature. Most everybody has a job," Roberts said. "You want that experience so they're not saying any particular job necessarily is a bar to being a legislator as well."

However, Garwood's opponent, incumbent Rep. Lou Shurtliff, D-Ogden, sees a potential conflict in the Weber County district.

"I think people will have to decide that, whether they think he can hold both those positions," said Shurtliff, who is running for her fifth term.

"I don't think that's very good politics," she said. "He is mayor of South Ogden and would represent as many precincts in Ogden as South Ogden. That could be a conflict of interest."

House District 10 has 13 precincts in Ogden, 12 in South Ogden, and one in unincorporated Weber County, according to the Weber County Clerk.

Garwood, who was elected to his second term as South Ogden mayor last November, said his record shows he's willing to work hard and can effectively serve his entire district.

"In the close to five years I've been mayor, I worked with Ogden city on different issues," he said. "I've always been fair and impartial. We do what's best for the community, and the community extends beyond the city, and even the county."

Garwood is believed to be the state's first black mayor and, if elected, would be the only black state lawmaker after Rep. Duane Bourdeaux, D-Salt Lake, stepped down recently.