Rough ride for incumbents on the west side

Tuesday night was a rough ride for city council incumbent candidates in the west side of Salt Lake County, with several losing their seats while others won by narrow margins.

Riverton residents ousted incumbent Mark Easton and voted in three new council candidates, who ran on a platform opposing the recent council approval of high-density housing.

Lisa Leonard, Roy Tingey and Gayla Brinkerhoff gained council seats. All three candidates said one reason they ran was high-density developments the Riverton City Council approved in the face of efforts to preserve the city's rural way of life.

In West Valley City, council incumbent Margaret Peterson won the battle of experience against former councilman Duane Moss by a 12 percent margin. Peterson, who has served on the council for 13 years, faced a challenge by former council member Moss, who himself served four terms on the council.

Peterson said the future of West Valley City will be wrought with difficult choices in preserving city services in the face of an uncertain economy. Peterson, who has fast become a quick study on city funding nationally, said she will lend her experience to find a way to work through the tough budget decisions that she believes lie ahead. She also plans to continue her development of after-school programs for West Valley's children.

Moss could not be reached for comment, but said earlier Tuesday that he did not want to talk to the media if he was defeated.

In West Valley City Council District 1, incumbent Carolynn Burt secured a comfortable win over newcomer Pete Moesser with a 20 percent margin. Burt, who will now serve a second term, said she believes growth is a major issue in West Valley City, where room to expand is fast becoming scarce. Burt also said she will strive to change the planned corridor for the West Valley TRAX line, which she says would be built too close to residential areas where children play. Burt said she believes the TRAX line should service the Valley Fair mall and the E Center.

Moesser, who recently moved to West Valley City, although he grew up in the area, said he attributed his defeat to a lack of prominence in the community. Moesser said he would not rule out another run against Burt in four years.

In West Jordan, candidates who said their care and concern for their community is what prompted them to run took the vote. First-time candidate Kim Rolfe, who works as a real estate contractor, beat out incumbent Natalie Argyle with a 6 percent margin.

Local city government watchdog Rob Bennett beat out challenger Jay Bowcutt, and local Mike Kellermeyer beat out challenger David Rees. Both Bennett and Bowcutt said their concern for their city and increased citizen involvement in making decisions for their city's futures is what motivated them to run.

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