Former party chair Chris Booth addresses delegates at the County Nominating Convention on Saturday at Green Canyon High School in North Logan. Booth’s contest against Mark R. Hurd for Gina Worthen’s seat on the Cache County Council will be decided by voters on June 28.
NORTH LOGAN – Republicans decided on their party vice chair over the weekend, but deterred judgment on all other contested elections until the primary on June 28.
At their convention at Green Canyon High School, Natalie Levi was selected as party vice chair, defeating Chris Lauritzen by 122 votes to 65.
In the race for the Southeast seat on the Cache County Council, former Nibley City mayor Shaun Dustin was eliminated in first round balloting.
His competitor, Ladd Kennington, styled himself as a “principled conservative to my soul.”
“A principled conservative,” he said, “shows leadership, optimism, calmness. They are brave. They have empathy. They have kindness. A principled conservative is honest; their words and their actions match … My dad taught me years ago that the worst thing that an honest man can do is make an honest mistake.”
“You’ve shared with me your concerns for the county,” Kathryn Beus told county delegates in her bid for the same seat.
“Waste management, water, growth, affordable housing, adequately paid law enforcement, open space and transportation. That’s what matters to you …” Beus said, pledging to address those issues.
In second round balloting, businessman Kennington earned 54 votes and Nibley City Council member Beus earned 49 votes, sending both to the June 28 primary.
The Southeast seat on the council was held for 18 years by Gordon A. Zilles, according to Party Chair Shellie Giddings. Zilles chose not to defend his seat.
In the race for the Northeast seat on the Cache County Council, Craig Humphreys was eliminated in the first round of balloting.
“I know that we will require strategic and collaborative efforts to meet our water challenges in the future,” said hopeful for that seat Mark R. Hurd. “We will need leadership in the future to manage our limited water resources.”
“We need less government,” former GOP Party chair Chris Booth countered. “We need low taxes. We need a voice that is not afraid to speak on your behalf.”
In the second round of balloting, Hurd earned 53 votes and Booth earned 49 votes, sending both to the June 28 primary.
Incumbent Gina H. Worthen had filed to run for her seat on the county council, but withdrew.
In the race for the Logan 3 seat on the Cache County Council, Sandi Goodlander is running unopposed. She will inherit the seat from Paul Borup, who chose not to file for reelection.
Incumbent county officials running unopposed include County Executive David N. Zook, County Attorney John D. Luthy, County Clerk/Auditor Jess W. Bradfield and County Sheriff Chad Jensen. All were accepted by the convention as their candidates by voice vote.
In the race for State House Seat 2, incumbent Rep. Mike Petersen earned 118 ballots to challenger Val Potter’s 69. That margin was enough to send both to the June 28 primary.
“I voted as a conservative,” Petersen said, defending his record. “I voted to reduced taxes by more than $300 million. I voted to defend 2nd Amendment rights so that gun owners could carry without a permit. I voted to reinstate freedom of speech on college campuses so that students are no longer sanctioned for their speech.”
“Cache County needs a representative who works for them and listens to them, not extreme ideology,” argued Potter. “We work with people, that’s the most important thing as a legislator.”