St. George • This year’s mayoral race in Utah’s fifth-most populous city might have many voters feeling an acute sense of déjà vu.
That’s because the likely headliners in St. George’s marquee election — incumbent Mayor Michele Randall and longtime Council member Jimmie Hughes — have vied for the top job twice before.
In January 2021, the city council appointed Randall over Hughes to serve out the unexpired term of Mayor Jon Pike, who left early to become commissioner of the Utah Insurance Department. Randall then bested Hughes in the November general election that year by more than 2,100 votes.
But for Randall to three-peat, she’ll not only have to beat Hughes, but two other candidates as well — Brannon Razo, who hails from the Shivwits Band of Paiutes, and Aros Mackey, who calls himself “the only true conservative” in the race.
The top two vote-getters in the Aug. 12 mayoral primary will move on to the general election in November. Here’s a look at the candidates running for the city’s top seat.
Michele Randall
With her at the helm, Randall told The Salt Lake Tribune, the city has successfully managed growth and maintained the city’s quality of life over the past four years. As for squaring off against Hughes, the mayor said she doesn’t plan to make their working relationship awkward or resort to negative campaigning against him or the other two candidates.
“I like the direction the [city] council is headed right now, and I would hate to throw a kink in things at this point,” she said. “I just want people to know … the great things we have accomplished in four years and hope to keep that momentum going for another four years.”
Randall notes the strides the city had made in public safety during her tenure as mayor. St. George has constructed two new fire stations and is expected to finish construction on a 27,000-square-foot fire department headquarters by late summer.
The city has added 35 full-time firefighters and 62 police officers, in addition to adding new vehicles and other equipment to beef up public safety, according to Randall.
Randall said she is proud of the new $45 million city hall and parking structure nearing completion at 61 S. Main, as well as the expansion to the Tonaquint Cemetery that was wrapped up in April. She further lauded the city securing state funding to build an air traffic control tower at St. George Regional Airport.
Randall also touts the city’s parks and trails she says are anything but run-of-the-mill. During her tenure, St. George has added six new parks, upgraded 21 existing parks and plans to include money in the upcoming budget to upgrade six more, according to the mayor.
The city has also added 35 miles of new trails, constructed nine pickleball courts at the Fields of Little Valley, is building a permanent stage at Vernon Worthen Park and is planning a major remodel to the St. George Sun Bowl, a rodeo arena, she added. The improvements were made possible when voters approved a $29 million general obligation bond in 2023.
If re-elected, Randall said she would focus on water conservation improvements such as making smart water meters available to every household, spearheading an effort to secure $90 million for airport expansion plans and shepherding major road projects through to completion, including the George Washington Boulevard Bridge project that will connect River Road with Dixie Drive.
Jimmie Hughes
Hughes says he is not content to let Randall take sole credit for the city’s accomplishments.
“Things are good,” Hughes said. “But I and other council [members] can take some credit for that. “We have worked hard, and many of these accomplishments have come in spite of leadership at the top rather than because of it.
Hughes, who is mayor pro tem, takes issue with Randall’s short-lived decision in May 2023 to crack down on incivility at council meetings by doing away with the public comment segment. She later reinstated public comment with some modifications after being criticized by some council members and city residents.
“She kind of went sideways on that,” said Hughes.
He said the mayor was also on the wrong side of Safe St. George, a property tax hike proposal Randall supported to raise $90 million to hire more police and firefighters, among other things. Rather than raise taxes, the majority on the council opted to cut programs to bolster public safety funding.
“It comes down to fiscal responsibility,” Hughes said about the failed tax hike. “I’m more prepared to do that as a business owner … who knows how to do budgeting.”
Hughes owns Hughes Mortuary in St. George.
Despite losing twice to Randall, Hughes contends he is not bitter over the outcome.
“That’s the way the cookie crumbled,” he said. “If [those elections] were to happen today, the vote would be different … Bottom line: I’m a much more well-rounded candidate.”
If elected as mayor, Hughes is excited about becoming a member of the Washington County Water Conservancy District and using his agriculture expertise as a ranch and farm owner to shore up the area’s water supply.
Hughes said he gets along with everyone, including developers. But that doesn’t mean he will be beholden to them, he added. Hughes, who is serving his fourth term in the council, said he would keep making improvements to public safety and bring a businessman’s perspective to the mayoral role.
“As a successful businessman, I don’t need the job,” Hughes said. “I’m running for mayor because I see that we can do better.”
Brannon Razo
A restaurant cook at Black Desert Resort with zero political experience, Brannon Razo would seem like a long shot in the mayoral race.
But Razo, who is proud of his Native American roots and has been rooted in St. George for three decades, sees things differently.
“I feel like I’m a shoo-in because my people are from here and we have always respected the Mormon community and Jacob Hamblin,” he said.
Jacob Hamblin was a prominent 19th-century Mormon pioneer and missionary who many regarded as a friend to Paiutes and other Native Americans in southern Utah.
Razo graduated with a degree in information technology from The University of Phoenix during the pandemic.
If elected, Razo said he will focus on making sure St. George has enough water on tap once he gets a better hand on what the issues are. He also said he would show up to every public event he can in St. George.
“I would … give positive words and be a leader you can trust,” he said.
Asked if trust and absenteeism at public events is a major issue in St. George, Razo said he doesn’t know.
As for issues he plans to focus on as mayor, Razo said he doesn’t have any other than to be a great listener who solicits others’ opinions before making decisions. Other than appearing in-person at a few events, he plans to forego personal appearances and campaign entirely online.
Aros Mackey
Mackey, who did not respond to multiple interview requests, bills himself on his campaign website as a stand-up candidate and staunch conservative who will defend “the spirit of Dixie–faith, family and freedom.”
Mackey is the CEO of Adaptive Operations, a St. George “counter human trafficking organization” that conducts private investigations, according to his LinkedIn profile.
On his website, Mackey claims he has “been on the front lines” combatting human trafficking, which he contends begins “with exposure to pornography, sexualized content, drag performances marketed as ‘family-friendly,’ and inappropriate material disguised as education.”
If elected, Mackey promises to take action to shield the community from exploitative content and to support parents in protecting their children from inappropriate content online and in public spaces, among other things. He further pledges to hold the city council members accountable concerning their adherence to the U.S. Constitution.
“Our current leadership has opened the door to policies that are making us look more and more like California,” Mackey said on his website.
Mackey said he will ensure the city adheres to the “proper role of government” and work to preserve private property rights. He also advocates thoughtful development and working with the water district to build more reservoirs and improve secondary water systems.
He draws the line, however, at smart meters, saying that the devices are an overreach of people’s privacy and that he opposes any system capable of monitoring household behavior beyond basic conservation goals.
