Tuesday evening, Summit County's roughly 80 precinct delegates selected Malena Stevens to serve the remainder of Eve Furse’s term as Summit County Clerk following Furse’s resignation, announced last month. Stevens, who ran unopposed, will take over the role pending approval by the Summit County Council.
Delegates also nominated Stevens to appear on the November ballot, where she will compete with Republican nominee Suni Woolstenhulme for a full term in the position.
The evening also provided a snapshot of delegate sentiment in two competitive races for county council.
In District 4, representing a portion of Snyderville Basin, 87% of delegates supported John Kucera above Christie Babalis. Both candidates warned of the risk, and reality, of continued development.
“We must ensure that impacts are mitigated and air on the side of cautious and incremental growth, and not on the side of over-development,” Kucera said.
Babalis struck a similar tone, as she recalled getting stuck in traffic on a recent trip through Kimball Junction.
“And I remember looking around wondering, how did we get here? Not just the traffic, but the pace of growth, the strain on the infrastructure, the feeling that decisions are happening faster than we can keep up,” she said.
In District 5, representing the Jeremy Ranch area, Meredith Reed received 55% of delegate support to incumbent Canice Harte’s 45%. Reed used her remarks to lay out her style of leadership.
“People want leaders who are present, who are accessible, who are engaged…Trust is the foundation of public service and trust requires transparency,” said Reed.
Harte used his time to reflect on his past three and a half years on council.
“I try to be moderate. I try to be someone who's a bridge builder…and that's the way I approach my duty as a council member, trying to work with everyone there,” Harte said.
Precinct delegates, chosen by Democratic party voters at the March caucus, cast votes. However, the races will be decided in the June primary, as all council candidates gathered signatures to petition onto the ballot.
No Republicans filed to run for spots on the Summit County Council, so the primary will decide who appears on the ballot in November.