Copyright Salt Lake Tribune
Note to readers •The Salt Lake Tribune is making this story free to all. Three seats on the Salt Lake City Council hung in the balance late Tuesday as initial election results rolled in. At least one seat — representing the city’s south-central District 5 — was guaranteed a new voice come January, in what may be the last run in Utah’s capital and a few other cities for ranked choice voting. A fourth seat up for election this year, for Sugar House-centered District 7, saw incumbent Sarah Young running unopposed. Shortly after polls closed Tuesday evening, Salt Lake County Clerk Lannie Chapman released vote tallies from an initial batch of mail-in ballots, received during early voting before Election Day. District 5 Community activist and political newcomer Erika Carlsen, Ballpark Community Council chair Amy Hawkins and frequent council candidate Vance Hansen all sought to take over the District 5 seat from Darin Mano, who announced more than a year ago he would step down. Eearly, unofficial returns showed Carlsen led the field with 66% of the vote, followed by Hawkins with 31% and 8% for Hansen. Those early results were enough for Carlsen to declare victory. “Initial results are in,” she wrote in a news release, “and I am deeply grateful to be trusted with the opportunity to serve as the next Salt Lake City Council member for the people of District 5.” On the campaign trail, she said she heard frequently about the rising cost of living, slowing traffic, preserving and growing community spaces, and supporting small businesses. “But most of all,” she said, “they are looking for representation that is deeply grounded in community, that listens to residents’ needs and brings their priorities to City Hall.” The district spans the neighborhoods of Ballpark, Central Ninth, Liberty Wells and East Liberty Park. Marked by lopsided campaign spending by Carlsen, whose fundraising trounced her opponents and set new records, the race focused on public safety, affordability, green spaces and the redevelopment of the empty Smith’s Ballpark after the Salt Lake Bees’ 2024 departure. And as with all the other contested races this season, coping with rising homelessness has dominated themes on this year’s campaign trails. District 3 Current council Chair Chris Wharton had a five-way race on his hands as he sought a third term representing District 3, which spans the Avenues, Capitol Hill, Federal Heights and portions of the Guadalupe and Marmalade neighborhoods farther west. Wharton, an attorney and business owner, touted his experience on the council as he faced four challengers: software executive Blake McClary; self-described stay-at-home mom and diabetes advocate Liddy Huntsman-Hernandez; health care worker David Berg; and judicial assistant and business owner Jake Seastrand. Early returns showed Wharton had 51% of the vote, followed by McClary with 28%. Huntsman-Hernandez, meanwhile, had captured 22% of the vote. With the ranked choice rules, Seastrand and Berg were eliminated. Wharton also issued a statement declaring victory, saying he was “honored, humbled, and thrilled to have earned the trust of District 3 to continue serving you on the City Council.” “While we’ve made progress on the most pressing issues, from housing affordability to public safety, to air quality, and more, there’s still a lot of work to be done,” Wharton said, “I’m excited to continue leading the way with forward-looking solutions.” As a sixth-generation resident, he continued, “this city is in my DNA, and I want to ensure we’re harnessing our full potential so that future generations, including my daughter, can enjoy all of the amazing opportunities that Salt Lake City has to offer.” If any one issue had dominated their debates, it was housing and the wider notion of making life in the city less costly and more friendly to families. Key elements of Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s latest strategies for boosting public safety were a close second. District 1 The city’s lone west-side seat up for grabs is for District 1, with incumbent Victoria Petro seeking a second consecutive term against challenger Stephen Otterstrom. Early, unofficial returns showed Petro had captured 53% of the vote, compared to Otterstrom’s 47%. District 1 includes the Rose Park, Westpointe, Jordan Meadows and Northpointe areas, along with a slice of the Fairpark neighborhood. A third candidate, Muslim community leader and business owner Yussuf Abdi, dropped out and threw his support behind Petro, a business and nonprofit advocate and consultant. Otterstrom, a human resources consultant, ran a largely self-funded campaign to unseat Petro, with all three candidates highlighting affordable housing and the plight of the city’s working families as campaign cornerstones.
