Candidates lining up in Provo Council races

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Jul 3, 2007 | by Tad Walch Deseret Morning News

PROVO -- All four Provo City Council members whose seats are up for election this fall will run again.

Steve Turley, Cynthia Dayton and Midge Johnson will seek second terms, and Barbara Sandstrom will run for a third. They filed Monday, the first day of the filing period.

Competition is lining up to oppose them, including Coy Porter, who retired last week as Provo's fire chief. He worked in the fire department for 30 years.

The filing period closes July 16. The Provo City Council has seven seats and all members serve four-year terms. Two seats are citywide berths. The other five council members represent separate city districts.

Porter filed to run for the citywide seat held by Turley. Former City Councilman Dave Knecht also joined that race.

"There are a lot of good things happening in Provo, but there's no doubt there a lot of people who are going to throw their hat in the ring," Turley said. "Bring 'em on."

The race is expected to set campaign spending records.

Six years ago, the two finalists for the other citywide seat spent $6,900. Two years ago, for the same seat, the finalists went through a combined $39,000. The winner, George Stewart, spent $22,500.

"I have no doubt it's going to be double that this time," Turley said.

Spending is certain to escalate in the district races, too.

Dayton spent $2,100 to win the north Provo seat four years ago, but this time she faces a challenge from Mark Sumsion, who two years ago spent $16,500 when he lost that record-setting citywide race to Stewart.

Stewart and Sumsion each had a donor in that race who provided $5,000. Provo has no limits on campaign contributions. Dayton and Johnson both expressed concern about the pricey races two years ago, when even district candidates spent an average of $10,000, but the City Council took no action to limit contributions.

Johnson has spent a couple of months working toward a war chest after spending just $1,400 four years ago.

"I'm gearing for about $10,000 to $15,000, but I'm hoping it doesn't cost that much," she said. "That's what I'm prepared to do."

Johnson could see a challenge from Brian Smith, who mounted an unsuccessful run against Cindy Richards six years ago. Richards' seat is not up for election this year.

"I plan on seeing who signs up, what my competition would be like, talking to my family some more," Smith said. "I'd have to put some boards I'm on on hold for a while, so I have to give it some thought. If I do sign up, it will be a little bit later in the process."

Sandstrom initially waffled about running again. The septuagenarian had wanted to wait to see who might run and whether she would feel comfortable backing any of the other candidates.

She will again be challenged by Howard Stone. Sandstrom defeated him in a primary four years ago, 61 percent to 15, during an election cycle that cost her just $1,270. Other challengers might include Dave Griffith and Sherrie Everett.

Stone, Griffith and Everett have not filed.

"I have given it some thought, and I have some homework I have to do to determine whether or not I'm going to do this," Griffith said.

Everett is chairwoman of the Lakeview North Neighborhood west of I-15. Sandstrom lives east of I-15 on Grandview Hill.

"I really seriously have been considering it," Everett said. "The west-side issues are so important and with everything that's going on I think it's time we have some representation, but my tendency has been to see if Barbara's going to run or not, because she's been pretty responsive to our neighborhood."

The west side is facing I-15 expansion, Geneva Road expansion, a new neighborhood park and new neighborhood elementary school, plus a half-dozen new housing developments.

"We have the biggest tracts of developable land in Provo out here on the west side and we only have one opportunity to do it right," Everett said.

If more than two candidates file for a seat, a primary election will be held Sept. 11. The general election is Nov. 6.

E-mail: twalch@desnews.com