St. George • When it comes to elections in Utah’s fifth-most populous county, running for mayor can be a solo affair.
Mayoral candidates in three of Washington County’s 15 cities are running unopposed thus far: incumbent Washington City Mayor Kress Staheli, Ivins mayoral hopeful Kevin Smith and La Verkin Mayor Kelly Smith, who like Staheli is seeking a second term.
While the filing deadline for regular candidates expired June 6, write-in candidates have until August 29 at 5 p.m. to file before the general election, which falls on Nov. 4 this year, according to Melanie Abplanalp, Washington County elections administrator.
Still, none of the three solo mayoral candidates are fretting overly much about write-in candidates, whose names do not appear on the general election ballot and who typically face long odds of being elected.
Albplanalp said it is not unusual for some county races to be uncontested, even mayoral races on occasion, though she can’t say precisely how often it has happened.
Kress Staheli
For his part, Staheli rejects the notion that his popularity has scared off would-be challengers. After all, he noted, Washington City is nearing 40,000 residents and has a history of hotly-contested mayoral races and primary elections and general elections.
Jordan Hess, the city’s legislative director, concurs with the mayor’s assessment.
“We only have digital records dating back to 2001,” he said. ”As far as those records go, this is our first uncontested race in at least 24 years."
City officials say the same goes for the city council, which currently has only three candidates vying for two open seats and, like the mayoral race, will forego a primary in 2025. By state statute, primary elections are not held when the number of candidates does “not exceed twice the number of offices to be filled” during the regular general election.
Staheli attributes the lack of candidates to his and council members’ leadership.
“We have done a lot to put Washington City on the map and to step out from under the shadow of our dear friends in St. George.”
(Washington City) Washington City Mayor Kress Staheli.
Among the successes Staheli cites is the opening of the Sienna Hills Auto Mall last December at exit 13, just off of Interstate 15, and the March opening of the Findlay Hyundai dealership on the 43-acre site, which city officials project will enrich coffers by $9 million in sales tax and more than $500,000 in property tax over the next decade.
Washington City has also welcomed new hotels and restaurants at Green Springs and Washington Parkway near I-15, and more shops and eateries are expected to follow suit. Other coming attractions, Staheli lists, include a WinCo Foods grocery store which is expected to debut on the corner of Main Street and Buena Vista Boulevard in 2026.
In addition, the mayor touts the ARA Southwest Logistics Center, which is under construction near St. George Regional Airport. Once it is built out in 15 years, the center will feature 5 million square feet of Class A industrial warehouse and distribution space that is expected to attract businesses and create good-paying jobs.
Such projects, the mayor continued, combined with the hiring of 39 police officers over the past four years and major upgrades to parks, streets and other infrastructure, have likely dissuaded some political rivals.
“It’s really difficult for someone to push back on the results that we are having and will continue to have,” Staheli said.
Kevin Smith
In 2001, concerned Ivins mayoral candidate Daren Barney was running opposed, Kevin Smith filed to challenge him but was unsuccessful. Nearly a quarter-century later, the Ivins City Council member and CEO of the Tuacahn Center for the Arts is the lone candidate to replace Mayor Chris Hart, who has opted not to seek re-election to a fifth term.
Smith is at a loss to explain why no one is challenging him. “I was expecting to have some other people throw their hat in the ring,” he said.
Hart, who has run unopposed twice during his nearly 16 years as mayor, said he urged the council member to run. Among the traits Hart says qualify Smith for the job is that he is a great listener, a good public speaker, and a prominent and well-connected member of the community.
(Kevin Smith) Ivins council member Kevin Smith.
“If people didn’t feel he would be effective [as mayor], I don’t believe for a minute that they wouldn’t have stepped up and put themselves in the ring,” he said.
As mayor, Smith vows to be transparent and accessible to Ivins residents, even if they don’t agree.
“I tell people, ‘Hey, I’m going to love you even if I disagree with you,’” Smith said. “That’s just my style, and I hope I can bring that to the council as mayor.”
If a matter comes up before the mayor and council that involves Tuacahn, he pledges to recuse himself to avoid conflicts of interest, just as he said he has done while serving on the council.
As Tuacahn’s CEO, Smith presides over a $25 million operation that employs 100 full-time and 250 part-time employees, which is substantially more than the roughly $10 million budget and 65 employees he will oversee as mayor of the town that numbers a little more than 10,000 residents.
Smith said part of the mission of Tuacahn, which is tucked away in scenic Padre Canyon, is to “match the majesty of the canyon.” In Ivins, he added, the goal will be to “match the majesty of the red rocks and beauty of our surroundings.”
To that end, as mayor, Smith said he will focus on responsible growth, following the city’s general plan and working to facilitate more attainable housing. He tentatively supports a property tax hike proposal to fill an estimated budgetary shortfall of between $470,000 and $860,000, provided the increase is as small as possible.
Currently, Smith said, the council is considering a proposal that would raise property taxes on a $500,000 home by about $6 or $7 a month. The city is planning to hold a truth-in-taxation hearing in August to further consider the proposal.
Kelly Wilson
(La Verkin) La Verkin Mayor Kelly Wilson
Kelly Wilson is running unopposed for a second term as mayor of La Verkin. He was also the sole mayoral candidate when he ran four years ago.
“I really didn’t want the job, but I thought I could do some good,” Wilson said.
Prior to serving as mayor, Wilson served on the city council, including a term immediately prior to becoming mayor and a stint 20 years ago.
Wilson is the third generation in his family to call La Verkin home. “I grew up here, and I just felt like I needed to give back to my community,” he said. Wilson’s grandfather settled and farmed in La Verkin in the early 1900s. His family no longer has a farm, a common story in the area as housing developments have paved over agricultural land, Wilson told The Tribune.
He embraces the changes in La Verkin, though, and has promoted growth during his time as mayor. “A lot of people want to just keep it the way it is,” Wilson said, “but you’ve gotta have growth or else the community just ends up dying.”
Wilson particularly looks forward to the upcoming grand opening of Zion Canyon Hot Springs on July 14. He hopes the hot springs will give some of the nearly five million people who visit Zion National Park a reason to stop in La Verkin, which is just 20 miles away from the park entrance.
“It’s a good thing for the community because it will generate some revenue for the city, and we can use that for the goods and services for the people,” he said.
For his second term as mayor, Wilson hopes to attract more tourism businesses and hotels to La Verkin.
Water is also top of his mind. He plans to work with the Washington County Water Conservancy District to try to secure more water for his community as it grows. “[Water] is always a big issue for everybody,” he said.
When not fulfilling his duties as mayor, Wilson works part time for Scholzen Products selling water works materials such as fire hydrants and sewer pipes, but he said he has largely retired from that job.