West Jordan Mayor

l David Newton

l Age: 56

l Career: Owned and managed - along with his wife - Newco Industries, a custom commercial-cabinet business. Retired six years ago.

l Political experience: Member of the West Jordan City Council for two years.

l Education: Bachelor's degree in motion picture and television production.

l Fun fact: Volunteers to help West Jordan High School drama students.

l Brian Pitts

l Age: 49

l Career: Owns NovaQuest International, a satellite television company that operates in the Caribbean.

l Political experience: Member of the West Jordan City Council for eight years.

Education: attended the University of Utah, didn't complete a degree.

l Fun Fact: Was an air-traffic controller at the Salt Lake City International Airport as part of an 18-year career with the Federal Aviation Administration.

Personality may be the deciding factor for who will become West Jordan's next mayor.

That's because the similarities between the two men - David Newton and Brian Pitts - vying to lead Utah's fifth-largest community are aplenty while differences are few.

Example? Listen to the way they describe solutions to the east-west transportation trouble drivers in West Jordan are facing.

Pitts: "It's got to be a cooperative effort. It's not just West Jordan that's growing."

Newton: "It's not just a West Jordan problem. It's got to be a combined effort."

Newton did suggest a "wild" and expensive idea: Build bridges over Bangerter Highway.

The similarities don't stop with public policy.

Both men sat on the West Jordan City Council. Newton was appointed and served for two years before losing a re-election bid. Pitts was a member of the council for eight years, opting against another campaign in 2001.

Both went to college in the arts: Pitts attended the University of Utah as a speech and theater major; Newton graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in motion picture and television production.

And neither used his education in his career.

Newton founded a West Jordan-based cabinet manufacturer, which he closed down and retired from six years ago. Pitts worked for the Federal Aviation Administration - his job titles include air-traffic controller and mid-level manager - for more than 18 years before he founded his own satellite-television company.

Newton fared more favorably with voters during the Oct. 4 primary. He collected 1,217 of the ballots cast for 34 percent of the vote. Pitts garnered 960 votes for 27 percent of the ballots.

Pitts beat current Mayor Bryan Holladay by 65 votes in the five-man runoff.

Both candidates believe either can win, and each suspects the final results are going to be tight.

Development in West Jordan is another big issue.

The city grew to nearly 90,000 residents by July 2004, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau estimate. While the entire southwest corner of Salt Lake County is growing, West Jordan's growth is the biggest.

Keeping that growth in check is an issue for both mayoral candidates.

"We need to make sure we have a handle on it," Newton said.

Pitts says the city must ensure development "does not outpace our infrastructure, our water, our public safety. We've got to pace it."

Open government is a topic for the candidates as well.

Pitts talks about helping out local businesses.

"The small-business people in West Jordan feel overrun and underrepresented," Pitts said. "I want to change that."

Newton wants to create an administration that is accessible to residents.

He plans to create a weekly "afternoon with the mayor" session where locals can come in and voice their concerns. He also wants to restart "citizen-input committees" that helped out with evaluating the city's budget when he was a City Council member.