Republicans are back in control of the San Juan County Commission after residents of the southeast Utah county voted out the first Native American majority for any county commission ever elected in Utah.
Democrats Willie Grayeyes and Kenneth Maryboy on Tuesday lost their reelection bids to challengers Sylvia Stubbs and Jamie Harvey, respectively. During the election season, the two Navajo members were the target of corruption allegations raised by former county officials and others who pressed legislative leaders Attorney General Sean Reyes to investigate San Juan’s elected leaders ties to environmental advocacy groups.
Washington County
In Washington County, where voters have not elected a Democrat in more than five decades, Republicans seem intent on continuing their dominance.
While the results are unofficial, Republicans are well on their way to sweeping the three county commission races. In the County Commission Seat A race, incumbent Gil Almquist leads Democratic hopeful Robert Ford by a margin of 77 to 24.
In the County Commission Seat B race, Republican incumbent Victor Iverson is up by a 3-1 margin over Washington County Democratic chair Chuck Goode, 36,434 votes to 12,166. And Republican Adam Snow is leading Democrat Rebecca Winsor by a nearly identical margin in the County Commission Seat C race.
Republicans are also flexing their muscles in the county and clerk/auditor races. Republican Eric Clarke has garnered 37,210 votes (79.62%) to Libertarian challenger J.Robert Latham’s 9,526 votes (20.38%) in the race for county attorney. In the clerk/auditor’s race, Republican Susan Lewis is trouncing write-in candidate Patrica Kent by more than a 9-1 margin, 40,837 votes to the challenger’s 3,330 votes.
In the battle for the Washington County School Board District 6, retired school principal Burke Staheli is poised to upend incumbent Kelly Blake. Staheli has 4,301 votes to Blake’s 2,717. Meanwhile, in District 5, incumbent David B. Stirland is up by a nearly 2-1 margin over educator Edyth Lang, 4,139 votes to her 2,167 votes.
School board candidates Larene L. Cox and Nanette Simmons are running unopposed in district 4 and 7 races, respectively. Republican Nate Brooksby, who supported state Rep. Walt Brooks’ bill to allow gun owners 21 and older to carry concealed weapons without a Concealed Carry Weapons permit, is running unopposed in the county sheriff’s race.
Other Southern Utah results
In response, the Legislative Auditor General opened an inquiry, which will also examine Grand County, two weeks ahead of the election.
Stubbs prevailed over Grayeyes by a margin of 54 to 46, while Harvey’s margin was wider, 61 to 39, according to unofficial results posted on Utah’s election website.
In neighboring Grand County, first-term County Attorney Christina Sloan lost her reelection bid to Stephen Stocks, 57-43. Winners for the county’s seven-member commission were incumbent Mary McGann, Bill Winfield and Mike McCurdy.
Jamison Wiggins won the Grand County sheriff’s post being vacated by Steven White.
The Kane County Commission will get two new faces after Republicans Patty Kubeja and Celeste Meyeres outlasted strong challenges from write-in candidates Andy Gant, an incumbent commissioner who lost to Kubeja in the primary, and Camille Johnson.
And in another big change for a southern Utah county, Garfield County Sheriff James “Danny” Perkins 16-year tenure will come to end after losing to one of his former deputies. Eric Houston, also a former Panguitch mayor, won the sheriff’s job by a 9-point margin.
Meanwhile longtime Garfield County commissioners Leland Pollock and David Tebbs cruised to easy reelection.
Elsewhere in Kane County, County Attorney Rob Van Dyke and Sheriff Tracy Glover won uncontested bids for reelection.
Former San Juan County Commissioner Phil Lyman held onto his House seat, representing the entire southeastern corner of the state 60 to 40 over Democratic challenger Davina Smith.
