Tony SemeradA former adviser to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and ex-editor of The Salt Lake Tribune, Jennifer Napier-Pearce, is the newest member of the Salt Lake City Council.
In the end, it came down to a coin toss.
After hearing pitches from 20 applicants Tuesday, the six sitting council members were split between Napier-Pearce and Scott Lyttle, nonprofit leader-turned-entrepreneur and owner of Tea Zaanti.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Jennifer Napier-Pearce is congratulated by Council Member Alejandro Puy after being chosen among 20 applicants on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, to fill a vacancy for downtown-centered District 4 on the Salt Lake City Council. Napier-Pearce was one of two finalists, and won the seat by a coin toss after a tie vote.
Under a state-mandated process created this year, City Recorder Keith Reynolds flipped a coin before the council dais to settle the tie — and fill the recently vacated seat for the council’s District 4.
Napier-Pearce, in a brief interview after the win, held up the 1936 half dollar and said she was “incredulous at this whack-a-doodle process” and “incredibly excited to work with this council.”
”District 4 residents deserve stability," she said. “They haven’t had a voice at the table for a little bit. And so I’m ready to get to work.”
The seat Napier-Pearce is filling on the seven-member council was vacated last month, when Eva Lopez Chavez, elected in 2023, was removed from the council, after the city recorder found she had failed to maintain her primary residence in the district at least since December.
Napier-Pearce, who is now chief of staff for the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, will represent the council district spanning neighborhoods in downtown, Central City, Central Ninth and the east-central area. Her current term is scheduled to run through early January 2028.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Scott Lyttle ties with Jennifer Napier-Pearce amongst 20 applicants to fill a vacancy for downtown-centered District 4 on the Salt Lake City Council Tuesday, June 9, 2026, before losing the tie to a coin toss.
The seat will go up on up on the municipal ballot in the 2027 election. Napier-Pearce said she intended to run for the seat next year.
In her application and speech to the council, Napier-Pearce emphasized issues of affordability and the need for housing accessible to working families.
The nexus of the two, she said in an interview, “is the toughest problem we face. We people want to live here. Salt Lake City is dynamic, it’s growing. ... People want to be here, and we can’t just have a city that’s for the affluent. We need a place where everybody can find a seat at the table.”
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Jennifer Napier-Pearce is sworn in by city recorder Keith Reynolds after being chosen among 20 applicants on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, to fill a vacancy for downtown-centered District 4 on the Salt Lake City Council. Napier-Pearce was one of two finalists who won the seat by coin toss after a tie vote with Scott Lyttle.
The former journalist of 20 years, political adviser and nonprofit executive took the oath shortly after the decision — and then participated in the council’s formal meeting later Tuesday evening.
Council members made the choice after listening to nearly an hour of short speeches from the 20 original applicants, and repeatedly said later how difficult the selection was and that they were overwhelmed by the talent and passion on display among those seeking the seat.
Council Chair Alejandro Puy called it one of “the most challenging decisions made in the council in a long time.”
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Jennifer Napier-Pearce, back right, poses for a photo with her new Salt Lake City Council colleagues after being chosen among 20 applicants on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, to fill a vacancy for downtown-centered District 4 seat. On the council, from left, are Dan Dugan, Victoria Petro, Alejandro Puy, Sarah Young, Erika Carlsen and Chris Wharton.
Under a state-mandated timeline for replacing her, 27 residents of the district initially applied to fill the seat, ranging from attorneys, engineers, housing and transportation advocates, nonprofit executives and members of community councils. By the time Tuesday’s hearing to vet them had arrived, according to Puy, the list had slimmed down to 20.
Former District 4 council member Ana Valdemoros withdrew her application earlier Tuesday, along with six others.
The city faced a Thursday deadline to fill the opening, all while sorting through a yearly budget laden with cost cutting and proposed boosts in the city’s property tax and hikes in utility rates. Napier-Pearce’s future votes could indeed decide key financial issues that have divided the other six members.
