Three new board members will join the North Tooele Fire District, according to preliminary election results from Tuesday night.
Ken Aldridge and Rick Pollock received the most votes during the election with 880 and 703 votes, respectively. The final spot on the fire district board remains a toss-up between Bryan Larsen and Lance Davis.
Only 12 votes separate Larsen and Davis, based on preliminary results. The results of the election won’t be official until mail-in, absentee and provisional ballots are counted.
Incumbent Kevin Astill finished fifth in the voting, with about 13 percent of the vote. Challengers Isaac Astill and Michael Frieden rounded out the seven candidates, who competed for the three openings on the board.
Aldridge said he feels good about the votes he received. He cited the support of rank-and-file firefighters and voters in Erda as the impetus behind his Election Day victory.
“I’m pleased we got such a good turnout in an off year,” he said.
Upon joining the board, Aldridge said his priorities would be working with the current administration to establish one-, two- and four-year goals for the fire district.
If the preliminary numbers hold, Pollock will hold public office after an unsuccessful bid for the state House of Representatives in 2014. He said his first priority upon taking office would be meeting with NTFD Chief Randy Willden and helping the community be more of a partner with the fire district.
For Davis and Larsen, the tight race made for an intense election night — with no conclusion expected until next week. Both candidates cited the campaign efforts of Pollock and Aldridge as reasons they surged ahead, and both men also said they’d campaign harder the next time they run for office.
Davis said he’s known Larsen for a while and believes that either one of them would do a good job on the fire district board. Larsen said he was working in West Valley City and didn’t see the election results until after 1 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Now Larsen and Davis will have to wait a bit longer for a conclusion. Canvassing for the election must be completed within seven to 14 days after Election Day, when the results will become official.