Incumbents look strong in Provo

PROVO — Challengers predict a changing of the guard in Provo.

According to unofficial vote tallies, Steve Turley will face incumbent Stan Lockhart in the Nov. 4 general election for the citywide council position.

Turley said he knows he's in for a fight — but he thinks it is time for a change in Provo's city government.

"I welcome the challenge," Turley said. "It's going to be a vigorous debate between the old school and the new school, and I'm pleased the voters have picked me to represent a step in the right direction."

With 100 percent precincts reporting, Lockhart brought in 50.65 percent of the vote, compared to Turley's 33.06 percent.

Voters across Utah cast ballots Tuesday to pare the list of candidates for the general election. The top vote getters now gear up for the Nov. 4 election.

While Provo's mayor announced he will not run for governor, Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson campaigned to keep his job. He advanced Tuesday to the November final election

Unofficial figures show Anderson got 44 percent of the vote. He will face second-place finisher Frank Pignanelli in what could be a contentious campaign.

Meanwhile, in Provo, Lockhart, former chairman of the Utah County Republican Party, said he spent many nights knocking on doors, telling voters that he has listened to the concerns of residents and has made reasonable and common-sense decisions for the last four years.

But Turley said a feeling of discontent in Provo is reflected in the percentage of votes that went to political newcomers — not Lockhart.

"We had a large field of challengers, and an incumbent with a lot of history, but it looks like the voters — at least half of them — want to change," Turley said. "It's an absolute victory to find that there is that much discontent out there. I think half of the people are asking for change, and that's going to make for a really fun general election."

The District No. 1 position was a horse race between incumbent Mark Hathaway and Cynthia Dayton, with Hathaway receiving 474 votes to Dayton's 471. New voting districts forced Hathaway to run for the seat after his citywide position was eliminated.

Incumbent Barbara Sandstrom handily won her District No. 4 primary race with 60.97 percent of the vote. Former Councilwoman Shari Holweg will advance to the general election with 23.76 percent of the vote.