There will be two new faces on the Grantsville City Council next year, according to preliminary results from Tuesday night’s election.
Newcomers Jewel Allen and Krista Sparks and incumbent Neil Critchlow received the most votes in the final tally. Provisional ballots and late-arriving mail-in ballots will determine the official results.
Sparks leads all candidates with 774 votes, ahead of Critchlow’s 746 and Allen’s 724. Incumbent Scott Stice sits fourth in the six-candidate race, with 669 votes.
A lifelong Grantsville resident, Sparks said she is passionate about her hometown and excited for the opportunity.
“It’s very humbling to be voted for,” she said.
A total of 3,695 voters cast ballots in the city council election, with about 30 percent of registered voters participating.
Both Sparks and Allen were running for office for the first time. Allen said going door-to-door for the campaign gave her the opportunity to talk with voters and the primary concern was about residential and economic growth.
“I think everybody just wants Grantsville to stay the same family-friendly place to raise their kids,” she said.
Critchlow will likely serve his second term on the city council and said the addition of Sparks and Allen should be good for city government.
“Any time you bring someone new in, it brings a different perspective,” he said.
The three candidates take office in January and have a number of future projects and challenges on their plate. Critchlow and Sparks identified the Main Street reconstruction project in Grantsville, slated for 2019, as a major challenge that will take preparation.
“We really need to plan ahead … and take advantage of the road being torn up,” Sparks said.
Critchlow said watching the Main Street reconstruction project in Tooele City has shown that planning ahead for the undertaking will be important.
Allen said she’s prepared to learn the ropes and understand the responsibilities and jurisdiction of the council upon taking office.
An election review will be completed at a properly-noticed public meeting held between seven and 14 days after the election.