Lindon mayor vying for seat on commission

LINDON — Lindon Mayor Larry Ellertson announced Tuesday his candidacy for Utah County Commission, a move largely motivated by Utah County Commissioner Gary Herbert's bid for the governor's seat.

"If he was running for county commissioner, I wouldn't do it," Ellertson said.

Herbert, who has spoken with Ellertson many times about the duties of a county commissioner over the past five months, was not surprised with Ellertson's announcement.

"Clearly my path is focused on running for governor, and I expect that others will file for County Commission seat," Herbert said, adding that he supports Ellertson.

"Frankly, he is extremely well-qualified," Herbert said.

Herbert announced his interest in the governor's seat in October. But candidates are given from March 7-17 to officially file to run for elected office.

So far, Ellertson is the sole person to announce an intention to run.

Ellertson, who has been mayor of Lindon for about seven years, said friends and community leaders encouraged him to run for commission years ago.

At that time, he wanted to serve in the city where he lives. He changed his mind when Herbert decided to vacate his seat to run for governor.

Ellertson said he sees "room for improvement" for the county and city governments to work together. "The bottom line is we all serve the same people," Ellertson said.

Among those issues is transportation. Ellertson's concern is how to make I-15 traffic flow better in light of the tremendous growth in the north and south of the county.

Ellertson also is president of the Utah League of Cities and Towns and United Way of Utah County. He also was chairman of the board for the Provo-Orem Chamber of Commerce.

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