From Deseret News archives:

Handful of Utah voters turn out: Some incumbents eliminated; rain blamed as most residents stay home

Published: Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2005 9:05 a.m. MDT
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
The biggest surprise was in Clearfield, where the race for mayor was too close to call. Mayor Thomas Waggoner was behind by 21 votes to his two challengers. On Tuesday, election officials will hold a canvas to count 36 absentee and 15 provisional ballots.

Issues in the Clearfield mayoral race have centered around city spending. Current officials want to move the city's commuter rail station at a price that could exceed $10 million; challengers say it's too pricey.

In Layton, incumbent councilman Renny Knowlton was knocked out of the race for mayor. For Knowlton, it was an all-or-nothing race — his council seat was up for election this year. Knowlton said he lost because the race was "between four good candidates."

Incumbent Layton councilmen Steve Curtis and Stephen G. Handy will move on to compete in the Nov. 8 general election.

Layton had 14.5 percent voter turnout, one of the highest in Davis County with the exception of Farmington. Davis County Clerk Steve Rawlings said Farmington had 24 percent voter turnout — something he credits to the debut of new electronic voting machines.

Farmington was the first city in the state to use the new machines. All incumbents in the city moved on to compete in the general election.

Not surprisingly Farmington had one of the state's highest turnouts.

Story continues below
Davis County Clerk Steve Rawlings attributed the high in Farmington to a hot mayoral race and the debut of new electronic voting machines.

Bev Haslam, West Bountiful recorder, was the first to report her city's election results. The city had 11 percent turnout. "It's just so sad to see so few people make a decision for the whole city," she said. Of course, West Bountiful had a better turnout than Clinton, where less than 6 percent of registered voters punched a card.

In Tooele, the vacancy left by retiring Mayor Charlie Roberts will be filled either by current city recorder Patrick Dunlavy, 58, or second-term city councilman Steven D. Bevan, 56. Roberts has said he endorses Dunlavy's candidacy.

Another mayorship left vacant by a retiring incumbent is Taylorsville's, where City Councilman Russ Wall, 48, took a commanding first place in Tuesday's primary. He will face political newcomer Richard T. Morley, 55, in November.


E-mail: bsnyder@desnews.com

Contributing: Kersten Swinyard, Nicole Warburton, Doug Smeath

Comments

You can be the first to comment on this story.

Image

Voting judge Diane Wheeler kisses husband Max Wheeler after he voted in Farmington. An electronic voting maching is at left.

previousnext

Latest comments

Letters: Global warming a plot

I do not know if there is gobal warming or not. I think that is the wrong...

Letters: Trump card for believers

"Non-religious shoving their beliefs down the throats of the rest of us?"...

I hope when I am in my seventies I no longer have mortgage and rent payments...

Good luck. Should be a fun game. Teams seem equal in total package even if...

Don't hate!!! BYU and Utah fans are the same - they all applied to BYU, no...

Letters: No constitutional right

And you prefer a ruling oligarchy, who have produced nothing, created...

Letters: Trump card for believers

Why does the government need to aknowlege God? Does the government have a...

Editorial: Food is not the enemy

I don't think it matters what Kate Moss says... and those that are offended...

the honest truth: If this man was your loved one would you want people going...

Get used to this Utes fan. This young team will be all over the place this...

Advertisements