Eve Furse announced Dec. 17 she’ll retire at the end of her term in 2026 after about five years as Summit County clerk.
Soon after, fellow Democrat Malena Stevens announced she plans to run as the county’s next clerk.
Furse, a former federal magistrate judge, was initially appointed to replace Clerk Kent Jones, who retired in spring 2021. Voters elected to keep her a year later.
The Peoa resident said stepping down is bittersweet but is looking forward to more time with her husband.
“I have loved the position. It's incredibly interesting,” Furse said. “I've gotten to work with great people, for a wonderful county.”
As a county’s chief elections official, the clerk is mostly an administrator. But in Utah, it is an elected and partisan position. Furse endorsed Stevens for the role.
A Pinebrook resident, Stevens served one term on the Summit County Council and two terms on the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission. Most recently she chaired the commission that a new state law required to draft five voter districts for the council.
“I'm running because it's become clear over the last two years how important it is to have both transparency in the clerk's office and also expertise to ensure that our elections are run well according to the law,” Stevens said.
She said her other priorities include impartiality, professionalism and communication with constituents and staff.
“I believe in listening carefully and making informed decisions — even when they’re difficult,” Stevens said in her announcement. “Public service isn’t about headlines or ideology. It’s about doing the job well and respecting the institution you’ve been entrusted to steward.”
In an interview, Stevens cited her master’s degree in public administration and experience as a public servant, also having worked at Park City Municipal for about a decade.
She said she attended the recount for the 2025 Park City mayoral race too. Furse said she’s proud of how her office handled the seven-vote margin in that election.
“Our processes were tested by the recount, to see how we'd done,” the outgoing clerk said. “And when you get to have a recount and it matches exactly, then you feel pretty good about that.”
But she admitted it was a difficult year at the clerk’s office, which drew the ire of opponents of Dakota Pacific Real Estate who wanted a referendum on the controversial Snyderville Basin development.
Furse told KPCW she had decided not to run again before the ensuing controversy over her rejecting some signatures gathered in support of the referendum.
“It was not a task that I relished,” she said. “I generally like to be supportive of the community. That's part of what I love about the clerk's role, is that you're facilitating the members of your community. So rejecting signatures was something that was really hard for me to do as a person … but I felt obligated by law.”
So far, no other candidates have formally announced campaigns for county offices in 2026. The filing period for county elections is Jan. 2 through Jan. 8.
Besides the clerkship, two council seats, county attorney, auditor and sheriff will be on the ballot.
