More than 250 Wasatch County Republican Party members gathered on Tuesday at Rocky Mountain Middle School to select their chosen nominees for three county council seats, the county attorney, the county clerk-auditor and the Wasatch County sheriff.  The nearly 90% quorum at the Wasatch Republica n Party convention was more than Wasatch County Republican Party interim chair Patty Sprunt hoped for. She said the party’s interest in the convention was significant, an indicator of how crucial this year’s general election is for Wasatch County. Wasatch County Sheriff Jared Rigby was chosen as the party nominee after two delegate voting processes. Ballots were hand-counted each round. Rigby is running for a third term in office. Summit County Sheriff’s Office detective Eric Mainord and Wasatch County Emergency Management Director Jeremy Hales are also running for Wasatch County sheriff.  The first count found Rigby with 116 votes in his favor while Hales had 89 and Mainord had 44. Delegates voted for a second time without Mainord in the running because there was not a 60% vote in favor of any candidate. That secondary vote found Rigby with 115 ballots in his favor and Hales with 104.  Rigby said he was grateful for the show of support from Wasatch County Republican Party delegates.  “And I’m grateful for the deputies in our office. They’re amazing, hard workers,” Rigby said. “That’s what people need, is that consistency from our office.” Rigby said he is looking forward to meeting directly with “all voters” throughout the remainder of his campaign. All three candidates for Wasatch County sheriff met the signature-gathering threshold and will appear on the primary election ballot in June.  Wasatch County clerk-auditor candidate and Park City Recorder Michelle Kellogg was chosen as the party’s nominee over Joey Granger, who currently holds the clerk-auditor position. Kellogg received 59% of the vote with 148 ballots in her favor. Both Granger and Kellogg opted for signature gathering, as well as the convention process.  Kellogg discussed the need for communication in office. She said that any changes in election processes would be implemented immediately if she is elected to the clerk-auditor position.  “I’m very encouraged,” Kellogg said after receiving the nomination. “I just want people to know that I plan to elevate the office.” Janet Carson dumps the drop box full of ballots for the Wasatch County sheriff nomination vote on the table in preparation to count after the first vote. Credit: Christopher Reeves/Park Record Though former County Council member Steve Farrell planned to come out of retirement to regain his at-large Seat A on the County Council, Farrell lost the nomination to William (Brett) Vance. Neither Vance nor Farrell opted for signature gathering, which would have secured a spot on the primary election ballot.  Vance, a self-proclaimed “America first” candidate, is a former pilot for Delta. Vance left the Federal Aviation Administration during the COVID-19 pandemic when he refused the COVID-19 vaccination. He said he was pleased with the “vote of confidence” from the Wasatch County Republican Party, having felt like an “underdog” in the race, running against a former County Council member.  Vance will not be running unopposed. Democrat Patrick Saucier filed candidacy for the seat. And, former Heber City Councilor and Republican Rachel Kahler is also vying for the at-large seat. Kahler, who has spoken previously about responsible growth and communication with the public, opted out of the convention process and instead met the signature-gathering requirements for the race.  The convention vs. signature-gathering process sparked some debate on Tuesday. Sprunt voiced her distaste for the signature-gathering process during the convention. She asserted that the process did not “put trust” in the Wasatch County Republican Party Delegates and allowed candidates to “force themselves” onto the primary election ballot.  In order to bypass the convention process, candidates running for county office must gather signatures from 3% of registered voters in their party who are residents of the relevant area, according to Utah state code. Candidates can also choose both the convention process, where delegates choose their nominees, and the signature-gathering process. That’s what all three candidates running for sheriff opted to do, as well as candidates for clerk-auditor.  Some delegates, like Ally Isom, said that she supports the two processes.  “I think having both options is really healthy,” Isom said, adding that it is “fair” to have both the convention and signature-gathering processes.  Three candidates are running unopposed either in the party or altogether and opted for the convention process. They were chosen as the party’s nominee automatically by vote of acclamation.  By show of hands, Erik Rowland was chosen as the nominee for Wasatch County Council Seat C, which encompasses Heber City east of U.S. 40 and north of E Center Street. Rowland is running for reelection. He said that defending his seat as an unopposed candidate felt “like a vacation,” but Rowland also said he wants to be clear about his intentions as a County Council candidate.  “I genuinely want people to know what I stand for,” Rowland said. “I appreciate the opportunity to speak.”  In his speech, Rowland discussed the need for preserving the rural character of the Heber Valley and maintaining local control in County Council operations. He also highlighted his desire to work with the Utah Department of Transportation on the Heber Valley Corridor bypass route. Rowland said his goal is to preserve the North Fields in Wasatch County.  By another show of hands, Wasatch County Planning Commissioner Michael Murphy was selected as the party nominee for Wasatch County Council Seat F, which represents east of Mill Road and Center Street in Heber City and all of Hideout.  Murphy finds himself running unopposed in the Wasatch County Republican Party after Bruce Zollinger withdrew and current County Councilor Karl McMillan resigned from his seat in April citing serious health concerns. Murphy will not run opposed altogether, however, and faces Joe Tugaw, a Democrat, in the race.  And Wasatch County Deputy Attorney Jon Woodard was picked as the party’s nominee for county attorney. Woodard, who is running unopposed in the party, will run against Democrat Lauren Forsyth for the position.  Woodard discussed a need to preserve a conservative culture in Wasatch County. He supports how operations are currently run at the Wasatch County Attorney’s Office.  “It’s good to see a show of support for conservative values and positive support for the message and vision of our office,” Woodard said. This year’s primary election will be held on June 23. The post Wasatch County Republicans show in force at nominating convention appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less