- Janet Wampler leads Shanna Francis in the mayoral race for the new city taking shape in the Ogden Valley.
- The winner will become the first leader of the Weber County locale, which formally comes into being in January.
- Voters are also to pick five city council members.
EDEN, Weber County — A new city is taking shape within the Ogden Valley in Weber County, and preliminary vote totals from mayoral balloting show Janet Wampler with a big edge over her opponent to become the locale's first leader.
According to incomplete vote totals released after polls closed Tuesday night, Wampler led in mayoral balloting over Shanna Francis, 1,558 votes to 1,040, a 59.7%-39.8% split. Weber County Clerk-Auditor Ricky Hatch expected around 70% of votes cast to be tallied by Tuesday night, with the bulk of the rest to be added when counting resumes on Wednesday.
Douglas Dickson waged a write-in mayoral campaign, garnering 14 votes.
Voters living in the boundaries of the new locale that encompasses the Eden, Liberty and Wolf Creek areas and an expanse east of Huntsville also weighed in on the hopefuls for the five seats on the City Council that will help lead the locale. The totals, though not final, showed clear leaders in each contest:
District 1: Tia Shaw led Chelsea Argyle by a 65.8%-34.2% margin. The winner will serve a two-year term.
District 2: Peggy Dooling-Baker led Abe Wangsgard by a 57.5%-42.5% margin. The winner will serve a four-year term.
District 3: Kay Hoogland led Fred Blickle III by a 68.4%-31.6% margin. The winner will serve a two-year term.
District 4: Chad Booth led Laura Warburton by an 83.9%-16.1% margin. The winner will serve a four-year term.
District 5: Don Hickman led Dan Davenport by a 67.2%-32.8% margin. The winner will serve a two-year term.
Voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot question last year to form the new Ogden Valley city, many of them spurred by a desire to assert local control over the area, which has been governed by Weber County commissioners.
The new city covers an expansive 63.3-mile swath east of Ogden in a picturesque mountainous area of Weber County, where growth pressure has been strong. It's to be named by the new slate of leaders after they take office early next year, when the new city formally comes into being.
Soon after last year's vote, campaigning began to pick the new officials to lead and manage the locale, home to some 7,600 people. The electoral back-and-forth has been tumultuous at times as Election Day has neared, particularly in the mayoral contest, with the two candidates offering contrasting views on priorities.
Francis, who helped spearhead the drive to incorporate the area, has stressed the importance of keeping a close eye on development. She's leery of providing public incentives to developers and thinks county commissioners have been too lenient in permitting projects and allowing use of tax-increment financing for infrastructure serving those projects.
Wampler, with a background in the corporate sector, has emphasized the importance of laying the groundwork so the city, starting from scratch, can provide services to residents that the county has handled. With winter coming, she's noted the particular importance of reaching an accord on plowing snow from the roads in the new city and noted what she believes to be her better ties with the county, a possible service provider.
At any rate, the five-member city council will likely make most of the key decisions, with the mayor voting only to break ties.
The new locale contains the Nordic Valley ski resort and sits near two other resorts, Snowbasin and Powder Mountain, as well as Pineview Reservoir. It abuts the town of Huntsville.
