Salt Lake City Councilman Charlie Luke appears set to face off for a third term representing District 6, this time against Dan Dugan, a political newcomer, early vote tallies show, while former Councilman J.T. Martin was eliminated.
Luke received some 50.44% of support, followed by Dugan with 37.56%. Martin, whom Luke beat for the seat when they went head to head in 2011, was drawing only 12%.
The vote tallies were partial, with some mail-in and election day ballots remaining to be counted.
“I think the numbers are great," Luke, 46, told The Salt Lake Tribune. "We’ve worked hard during this campaign cycle and look forward to working just as hard during the general.”
With another term, Luke has said he would keep pushing for an east-side police precinct, improved east-to-west connectivity and would continue to prioritize the “nuts and bolts” of city government — issues he says resonate with the voters he’s speaking with.
“It’s the same thing we’ve been talking about not just in the primary but my focus over my time on the council and that’s infrastructure, ensuring we have enough resources to actually fix our roads and do what needs to be done there,” he said. "It’s public safety, ensuring that the police and fire departments have the resources they need to continue to provide the best quality of service to Salt Lake City and our visitors and quality of life ensuring that District 6 residents continue to see the benefits and successes of Salt Lake City.”
(Photo courtesy Dan Dugan) Dan Dugan, a former Navy pilot who now works in the manufacturing industry, is running to lead Salt Lake City Council District 6.
Dugan, 57, is a former Navy pilot who works in the manufacturing industry and is running in his first campaign.
If elected in November, he said he wants to fight the inland port, a massive development project planned for the city’s northwest side that he noted will cost the city tax dollars and that he believes will contribute to poor air quality. He also wants to push for more “leadership,” “team building” and “accountability” on the council.
“We still have a long fight ahead of us, but we’re pretty positive about the results and we’re pretty positive about the upcoming challenge,” he said.
The District 6 seat is one of three up for election in the capital city this year but is the only one that requires a primary after candidate Michael Iverson, a former community council chairman, was disqualified from the District 4 race for failing to submit his campaign finance information to the city.
