Don't believe it? Just ask Bryan Holladay, the man who has held the seat for the past four years.

"Until I see the numbers, I don't know if I'll come out of the primary," the 58-year-old mayor said.

It's rare when an incumbent mayor isn't certain he'll make it through a primary election. But politics in West Jordan are fickle, and Holladay has four challengers looking to replace him.

"What we've tried to do in the last four years in this city is phenomenal," Holladay said. "I'm confident in what we've done."

His challengers in the Oct. 4 election say otherwise.

Jeff Haaga, 49, says the city isn't making sound financial decisions. He points to city debt, property-tax rates and impact fees as places of concern.

"We need to get all our spending under control," said the chief executive of a retail mattress firm.

Haaga vows he will serve just one term. It is a commitment, he believes, that means he will make decisions for the city - not to fuel a political career.

Richard Jackman, a 35-year-old Utah Transit Authority bus driver, also worries about city finances. He argues that city leaders have boosted the budget by crafting ordinances that ding residents in the pocket book.

"I had to get rid of [an unregistered] truck because it was parked in my backyard," said Jackman, who had to pay a $100 fine for the vehicle as well.

Holladay believes the city's budget is better today. He said that before he took office, the city was burdened by a series of bad deals with developers. The current administration, he said, has reworked those arrangements and they now are off the books.

"We're one of the most solvent cities in the state," Holladay said.

Another story line in West Jordan is growth.

The most recent U.S. Census Bureau figures say West Jordan's population passed 89,000 in mid-2004, a 6 percent increase over a single year. With growth like that - by now West Jordan has surpassed Sandy as Utah's fourth-largest city - transportation and development are major issues.

"The issues of transportation are making more people frustrated, especially for people moving east and west," said Brian Pitts, 49, another mayoral candidate.

Pitts, who owns a satellite television business, says West Jordan needs better, wider roads and improved mass transit. Pitts said, as a two-term city councilman from 1994-2002, he helped to pressure the Utah Department of Transportation to widen Redwood Road.

Transportation is an issue for Holladay too.

"We've worked hard to improve east-west traffic," Holladay said.

Holladay said he is particularly concerned with improving 7000 South and 7800 South, as well as seeing work start on the west-side Mountain View Transportation Corridor.

Bus driver Jackman argues the city needs improved bus service in addition to the proposed mid-Jordan TRAX light-rail line.

"More frequent mass transit," he said. "Especially in the outskirts where it's growing fast."

Pitts also makes an issue with development.

"The key is economic development. We really need to establish a business-friendly community," Pitts said.

David Newton, another candidate for mayor, could not be reached for comment.

jsantini@sltrib.com

West Jordan races

Mayoral race: Jeff Haaga, Bryan Holladay (incumbent), Richard Jackman, David Newton, Brian Pitts.

City Council races: (two at-large seats: Kathy Hilton (incumbent), Melissa Johnson, Noel Klawe, Stuart Richardson (incumbent), Karen Schaffer, Jay Sheen.