For Dolan, this year's election was as much about gravel pits as it was politics as voters also cast their ballots to decide the fate of a 107-acre parcel near 9400 South and 1000 East. Forbush led the effort to get a referendum to allow residents to vote for or against a City Council zoning change paving the way for a big-box development by the Boyer Co.

Voters opted by a 9 percent margin to keep the zone change, ending a yearlong struggle by Forbush and Save Our Communities against developing the gravel pit.

"I think the gravel pit had a lot to say about how people were voting," Dolan said.

Tooele voters also rejected a fluoride proposal Tuesday, voting against adding fluoride to their drinking water with a 66 percent vote. This is the second time in six years Tooele voters have faced the ballot question calling for a boost of naturally occurring fluoride levels from 0.2 parts per million to 1 part per million.

In other races Tuesday:

• Draper Mayor Darrell Smith defeated Summer Pugh with 76 percent of the vote.

• Steve Curtis beat Layton mayoral candidate Steve Handy by a 4 percent margin.

• Farmington Mayor Dave Connors lost his seat to Scott C. Harbertson by 232 votes.

In Salt Lake City, voters picked Soren Simonsen to replace Dale Lambert, while Eric Jergensen and Carlton Christensen retained their district seats.

Mayor Dan Snarr of Murray will also remain in his posts after defeating challenger David Wilde. Snarr, who garnered 4,386 votes to contender David Wilde's 3,374, will now serve a third term in office.

Some things will be changing in Salt Lake County, however, most notably in Bluffdale where the incumbent mayor was ousted by voters after disputes over a proposed development. City Council member Claudia Anderson, a leader in the effort against the high-density development, defeated Mortimer in a 54 to 46 percent vote.

A new mayor will also take over in West Jordan where voters chose David Newton.

Tooele voters will also see a fresh face at the helm next year after electing City Recorder Patrick Dunlavy to replace Mayor Charlie Roberts, who will be joining the state Tax Commission. Dunlavy has been a city employee for 38 years, a key point in his campaign to beat City Councilman Steven Bevan in the mayoral race.

Voter turnout throughout the county varied from cities dipping as low as 5 percent in the uncontested mayoral race in Midvale to a high of 46 percent in Bluffdale. Overall, Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen said the 20 percent average turnout was decent.

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E-mail: estewart@desnews.com