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With three open council seats, this could be a game-changing year for Salt Lake County

With the mayor’s office also on the ballot, Republicans could strengthen their hand or Democrats could seize total control.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Residents vote at the Salt Lake County Government Center on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. The county mayor's seat and four Council Council posts are up for grabs in 2024.

  | Jan. 10, 2024, 2:06 p.m.
| Updated: 7:56 p.m.

It’s already election season again in Utah.

This year, voters in the state’s most populous county will select a mayor and four members of the partisan Salt Lake County Council.

The GOP has a slim 5-4 edge on the council, but that dynamic could shift if Democrats win three of the four seats on the ballot. Republicans, of course, could retain or even strengthen their grip, especially since two of the three sitting council members not seeking reelection are Democrats. The GOP also has the opportunity to recapture the mayor’s office.

Here’s who’s running:

Mayor

County Mayor Jenny Wilson, a Democrat, will seek a second full term as mayor. Republicans Erin Rider and Yianni (John) Ioannou want to get the GOP nod to replace her.

Council at-large C

Longtime council member Jim Bradley is stepping down after this term, leaving his countywide seat up for grabs.

Musician Deondra Brown, South Salt Lake City Council member Natalie Pinkney and Midvale City Council member Dustin Gettel are vying for the Democratic nomination to run for Bradley’s seat.

Republicans Michael Carey and Rachelle Morris also are seeking the seat.

Council District 2

After first announcing in a since-deleted Facebook post that he would chase another term, incumbent Republican council member Dave Alvord decided against a run for his seat representing a swath of the county’s west side.

Alvord’s announcement that he would not seek another term came a day after GOP state Sen. Daniel Thatcher said he would seek the post. Alvord instead is throwing his support behind fellow Republican Carlos Moreno.

Democrat Katie Olson also filed for the seat.

Council District 4

Democrat Ann Granato won’t seek another term representing District 4, an east-side district that covers a large chunk of Salt Lake City and extends south through Holladay and Millcreek into Cottonwood Heights.

Architectural design professional Matthew Tracy, former state Sen. Ross Romero and Salt Lake City Community Outreach Director Weston Clark will seek the Democratic nod to run for the seat in the general election. Clark, the onetime chair of the Salt Lake County Democratic Party, previously served as a policy adviser and community outreach coordinator under Wilson.

Roger A. Livingston is the sole Republican seeking the seat. Nolan Kruse, meanwhile, has filed to run under the Utah Forward Party banner.

Council District 6

Incumbent GOP council member Dea Theodore is seeking another term in her post, which represents portions of the county that stretch from parts of West Jordan and Midvale, east to Cottonwood Heights and South to Draper.

Sandy City Council member Zach Robinson, a Democrat, is challenging Theodore for the position.

Of note

Former at-large GOP council member Richard Snelgrove will reappear on county ballots this year after losing his quest for reelection in 2022 to Democrat Suzanne Harrison. That outcome eliminated the Republican supermajority on the council.

This time around, Snelgrove is challenging incumbent Recorder Rashelle Hobbs, a Democrat, in her bid for another term.

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