Voters send message; boot incumbents in Salt Lake City and elsewhere

SALT LAKE CITY — The east and west sides of Utah's capital city will have new representation on the City Council next year.

Charlie Luke and Kyle LaMalfa both ousted incumbents Tuesday night, shaking up the seven-member Salt Lake City Council.

Luke, a public relations and government affairs consultant, pushed JT Martin out of office after a single term, collecting 61 percent of the vote to Martin's 38.5 percent in east-side District 6.

Luke said he believes his call for Salt Lake City government to get back to the "nuts and bolts" — infrastructure and municipal services — really resonated with voters.

"I think those things have been neglected," he said after the votes were counted Tuesday night. "I look forward to redirecting the council's focus back toward those things."

On the west side, LaMalfa received 57 percent of the vote to defeat longtime Councilman Van Turner, who finished with 42.4 percent.

LaMalfa said voters "clearly heard our message about education, public safety and infrastructure." And, he said, they also appreciated his personal touch.

"I knocked on 4,000 doors. I tried to meet every voter," LaMalfa said. "People on the west side are going to be represented by a person they can connect with on a personal level, and that's important."

Turner, who has represented District 2 for nearly 12 years, said he was disappointed in the low voter turnout, which in Salt Lake City was about 21 percent. But he also praised LaMalfa's campaign for its hard work and wished his successor well.

"I'm grateful for all the support I've had for the last three terms," Turner said. "It's been a real pleasure to serve the community. My congratulations go out to Kyle, and I hope he can continue to carry the community forward."

Luke Garrott was the lone Salt Lake City Council incumbent to hold onto his seat, earning an easy 77.5 percent to 21.1 percent victory over Jack Gray. Garrott essentially ran unopposed, as Gray was mostly absent from the race.

In the race for Salt Lake City mayor, Ralph Becker earned a landslide victory in his bid for a second term, as expected, garnering 75 percent of the vote.

A little more than 24 percent voted for J. Allen Kimball, a 79-year-old Avenues resident and political newcomer who said he ran against Becker because nobody else did.