St. George • Going into Thursday’s St. George City Council, many speculated it would require multiple votes to choose from among the 14 candidates vying to fill the seat Jimmie Hughes vacated when he became mayor.
In the end, after listening to each candidate give a three-minute speech about their qualifications for the job, council members wasted little time dispatching 13 of them, voting 3-1 to appoint business owner and St. George Planning Commissioner Austin Anderson to the position.
Council member Dannielle Larkin cast the lone vote for Jamie Leavitt, who was the third-leading vote-getter to fill the two seats won in the general election by council incumbents Natalie Larsen and Michelle Tanner.
Hughes, whose seat opened up when he ousted incumbent Mayor Michele Randall in November, noted before the vote that picking his replacement was tough, comparing it to livestock shows where the judge invariably remarks how any one of the animals could take top honors on any given night.
“I’m not comparing you to livestock, though you may be called worse names if you get this job,” the mayor quipped. “So just know that I truly feel that with you animals, any one of you on any given night could have been selected.”
All such bovine considerations aside, it was experience that appeared to be the deciding factor in the council’s decision. Anderson, who has run his own construction business for three decades, has been on the St. George Planning Commission for nearly six years.
As Larsen noted, Anderson’s abbreviated two-year term will expire at the end 2027, meaning he won’t have much time before having to run for re-election.
“That’s a short learning curve for somebody who is new to the process,” Larsen said. “So the fact that about 80% of what the council does is about land use, and he is already familiar with that because of his work as planning commissioner, he already brings that needed experience.”
In his remarks to the mayor and council, Anderson said he wasn’t applying for the job to make major changes or settle scores, but would focus instead on civility and treating all citizens with respect.
(Mark Eddington | The Salt Lake Tribune) St. George City Councilmember Austin Anderson addresses the council during his swearing in at St. George City Hall, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026.
“I’m committed to fair governance, economic progress, environmental stewardship and keeping the Dixie spirit here alive and well,” he said.
Anderson, who was sworn in by St. George City Recorder Christina Fernandez immediately following his selection, is the third person on the council with prior planning commission experience. Only Tanner, who was re-elected to a second four-year term in November, lacks that experience.