A sitting Coalville City Council member was among the lowest vote-getters in Tuesday’s primary election, but he earned enough support to move on to the November ballot.

Tyler Rowser is the only incumbent in the race after City Councilman Phil Geary withdrew his candidacy, but he ranked fifth in overall voter support with just three votes separating him from a tie at the bottom as of Wednesday.

Preliminary results released on Sept. 6 show Rowser with 97 votes, or 9.71%. Cindy Padgett has just three votes fewer, at 94, or 9.41% of the vote. Initial counts after the polls closed on Tuesday had Rowser and Padgett tied with 76 votes.

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Lynn Wood was the top vote-getter in Coalville with 208 votes, or 20.82%. Wood previously ran against Coalville Mayor Mark Marsh in the 2021 mayoral election, and is a founding member of the nonprofit North Summit Unite.

Business entrepreneur Shaun Powis, who moved to Coalville full-time in 2020, was 27 votes behind. He earned 181 votes, or 18.12%, as of Wednesday.

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Stefanie Bowen and Brandon Brady, who are both members of the Coalville City Planning Commission and also ran in the last Coalville City Council, will also advance to Election Day. Bowen received 126 votes, or 12.61%. Brady earned 118 votes, or 11.81%. 

David Anderson will likely be eliminated from the November ballot. He had 21 votes, or 2.1%. 

The remaining six Coalville City Council candidates are vying for three open seats. 

South Summit Fire Protection District

Meanwhile, the primary election in the South Summit Fire District race narrowed the candidate field in half. The Fire District is governed by a board of commissioners.

Julie Black earned the most votes with 602, or 20.15% of the vote. Black is a current member of the board of commissioners. Thayne Stembridge, a former commissioner, wasn’t far behind with 585 votes, or 19.58%. 

Larry Leifson, a business owner and South Summit volunteer firefighter with 20-plus years of experience, will also move on to Election Day. Leifson received 370 votes, or 12.38%. 

The final candidate to advance was David Ure, who is also a sitting fire commissioner. Ure received 322 votes, or 10.78%. 

Unofficial results indicate John Moon, Darin Ross, Chet Ellis and Scott Nagle will be eliminated from the November ballot.

Election Day is 10 weeks away

Countywide voter turnout was just under 36%. Summit County Clerk Eve Furse last week estimated the number might reach 44%, though turnout is typically lower during a primary.

​​Gov. Spencer Cox in June signed a bill changing Utah’s municipal primary and general elections to accommodate a special election following the resignation of U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah. This means Election Day will now fall on Nov. 21. instead of Nov. 7. The change is not permanent and will only affect elections this year.

There will be several other elections on the November ballot, such as Francis City Council and mayor, Kamas City Council, Henefer Town Council and the Snyderville Basin Water Reclamation District. These races did not require a primary.

The results are not official until certified by the Summit County Council, acting as the Board of Canvassers.