Two seats on the Grand County Council will be challenged in the 2020 election, but the remainder of local candidates are running unopposed.
Voters will choose between current Grand County Councilmember Greg Halliday and his opponent in the District 4, Trisha Hedin. Hedin is the director of the Arches Education Center, an organization focused on adult education under the umbrella of the Grand County School District.
The At-Large seat on the Grand County Council, currently occupied by Curtis Wells, will also be up for grabs on November 3 as Kevin Walker vies with Stephen J. Stocks for the open seat. Wells is not seeking re-election.
Walker is chairman for the Grand County Democratic Party and currently serves on the Grand County Planning Commission. Stocks is a local attorney and previously chaired the Grand County Change of Government Study Committee. Stocks ran for Grand County attorney in 2018, losing to Christina Sloan.
The remainder of the 2020 local elections are uncontested, with councilmembers Gabriel Woytek and Evan Clapper reclaiming their seats and newcomer Jacques Chedego Hadler running unopposed for District 5 after incumbent Rory Paxman vacated the seat due to term limits.
Other local officials running unopposed include Grand County Assessor Debbie Swasey, Grand County Clerk/Auditor Quinn Hall, Grand County Recorder John Alan Cortes, Grand County Surveyor Lucas Blake and Grand County Treasurer Chris Kauffman.
Grand County’s change of government plan will also be on the 2020 ballot, after a long study period resulted in a recommendation to change the current seven-person district-based council to a five-person at-large council with a county administrator to ensure the separation between legislative and executive duties.
House Bill 224, passed during the 2018 session of the Utah Legislature, made Grand County’s current form of government out of compliance.
Other notable votes in the 2020 regular general election will be the statewide election for governor and attorney general as well as a race for Utah House District 3, which encompasses Moab and the surrounding area and is currently held by Rep. John Curtis (R).
