Cities prepare for vote

Forget primary elections and "declaration of candidacy" forms.

In Fruit Heights, candidates for municipal office are selected through an outdated, nonpartisan nominating system — something that most cities along the Wasatch Front have long abandoned. It saves money, city officials say, and ensures that someone is always on the ballot in November.

Plus, build-up to the city's nominating convention is fun, said former Mayor Forest Barker, who was in office when Fruit Heights adopted the convention system. Even now, residents are talking about what party — Sagebrush or Pine Cones — they'll choose on Sept. 13, this year's date for the nominating convention.

"The talk, it's beginning to spread in the town now," Barker said. "Every time we have an election year, it'll start just like this."

While some cities say conventions are "exclusive," where candidates with the most friends in attendance are nominated for office, Fruit Heights officials have no complaints about the system. Especially when it comes to budget, said Mayor Rick Miller, who is not seeking re-election.

"It's a good program for a city our size, for a city that can't support a primary election," said Miller, about his city of about 6,000. "I wouldn't recommend it for a big city, but for a small city, it works well."

With a convention system, those interested in municipal office select one of two parties to be part of. A party chair is informed of their desire, then on nominating night, interested candidates share their platforms and votes are taken.

The person with a majority of votes is selected to run against the opposing party's selection in November. This year, the mayor and two council seats are up for election in Fruit Heights.

Barker, who said he was mayor around the late 1950s, said more women have run for office in Fruit Heights since the convention system was started. The system makes it less intimidating to declare candidacy, he said.

"It's as open as the day is long," Barker said. "If I wanted to run, I would simply choose one party or the other and let them know that I wanted to run."

On the other hand, Doretta Shumway, town clerk for Vernon in Tooele County, said city officials did away with the system because it "eliminated" some people who wanted to run for office.

In Vernon, under convention rules, those that hold a government office are not eligible to run, said Shumway. Vernon is near Dugway and the Tooele Army Depot.

When asked whether the city was prepared to absorb possible costs from a primary election, Shumway laughed. The mayor and two council members are up for re-election. Only five residents have declared their candidacy; two for mayor, three for council.