Two Republicans are vying for voters’ support in the primary for the Salt Lake County Council’s District 5 seat.
Traci Crockett is a realtor and a former Bluffdale City Council member. Her opponent, Chris Null, is the Salt Lake County Republican Party chair and an engineer for software and cybersecurity company Cohesity.
One will move on after votes are counted in the June 23 primary election. The seat covers all of Riverton and Bluffdale and parts of West Jordan, South Jordan, Herriman and Draper.
Republican Sheldon Stewart currently holds the position, but withdrew from the race in January.
The Republican primary winner will face Democrat Sara Cimmers in the November general election.
The Salt Lake Tribune posed the following questions to both candidates. Their answers — listed in alphabetical order — may have been edited slightly for length, style or grammar. Crockett did not respond to multiple requests to fill out the survey.
Inflation is ticking up and the cost of living here continues to spiral upwards. How can the County Council, and by extension you, help residents navigate these economic realities?
Traci Crockett: Did not answer.
Chris Null: Families in District 5 are feeling it at the pump, the grocery store and on their property tax bill. The county can’t control inflation, but it can stop charging residents twice for services their cities already provide. Riverton’s transition from the Unified Police Department to its own police force saved taxpayers over $20 million. I’ll bring that same approach countywide — shrink the county as cities grow and put that money back where it belongs: with you.
Some residents may be concerned about the rate and style of commercial and residential development in the south valley. How do you intend to approach land use issues and housing if elected?
Crockett: Did not answer.
Null: The people who know what District 5 needs are the people who live and serve here — not bureaucrats at the county or the Utah Capitol. Growth pressures are real, but the answer isn’t top-down mandates. I’ll work to keep the county out of cities’ way on land use and housing, and I’ll push the state to do the same. Local control means your voice actually counts.
What role should the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office play in immigration enforcement?
Crockett: Did not answer.
Null: Public safety works best when law enforcement is allowed to do its job. I’ll run a policy resolution to ensure full cooperation between the sheriff’s office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Cooperation means safer streets, better intelligence on real threats and a stronger voice for our county in how enforcement happens here. The only time we have problems is when politicians force deputies to look the other way.
Late last year, the County Council voted to shutter four childcare programs that county staff run. What role, if any, should the county play in childcare?
Crockett: Did not answer.
Null: Ask any parent what they really want, and most will tell you: more time with their kids. The county taxing families to run daycare took money straight out of the budgets that could have made staying home possible. Government isn’t the answer to childcare — parents, grandparents, neighbors and churches are. The county’s job is to lower the cost of living and get out of the way so families can make the choice that’s right for them.
Should Salt Lake County be split up, as was proposed in a bill proposed by Rep. Jordan Teuscher, R-South Jordan, last session? Why or why not?
Crockett: Did not answer.
Null: 100% yes. Salt Lake County is far too geographically and demographically diverse to meet every community’s needs from one seat. Our cities have matured — they no longer need the county filling the gaps it once did. Instead, the county keeps finding new projects to chase just to prove its relevance. That’s what oversized government does. It’s time for the county to shrink and get out of the way of the cities doing the real work.