Candidates set for mayor, city council elections

Filings for municipal elections in San Juan County closed Monday evening with seven of the available 10 seats are contested, and a primary election needed for three Blanding city council seats.

In Blanding, Mayor Joe B. Lyman has decided not to seek re-election. Two current city council members have tossed their hat in the ring to be Blanding’s next Mayor – Logan Monson and Robert Turk.

There are three other city council seats up for election in Blanding. Two seats are for standard four-year terms and one is for a two-year term. The seats are currently held by Monson, Cheryl Bowers, and Kellen Nielson.

There are six candidates running for the two seats with four-year terms. They include incumbent Cheryl Bowers, Shawn Begay, Erik Merlin Grover, Trenton Herring, Paul Murdock, and Robert Ogle.

One Blanding city council seat is up for a two-year term after the seat was vacated in January when Logan Shumway stepped down from the council. The city council selected Kellen Nielson as his replacement through the end of the year. There are three candidates for the special election including Nielson, Robert Lyman, and Colby Monson.

A primary election will be held on August 10 for the three Blanding city council seats, with the top four candidates for the four-year seat and the top two for the two-year seat advancing to the general election on November 2, 2021.

In Monticello Mayor Tim Young has also decided not to seek re-election. Current city council member Bayley Hedglin was the only person to file for Mayor.

Hedglin would be the first female mayor of Monticello.

For the Monticello City Council there are two seats up for election. They are currently held by Hedglin and George Rice.

There are four candidates for two seats on the city council; they include incumbent George Rice, Ammon Boswell, Kevin Dunn, and Mandy Wigginton.

In the town of Bluff, Mayor Ann Leppanen’s bid to seek re-election will be challenged by Steve Helgerson. The council seats held by Linda Sosa and Luanne Hook are up for re-election. Sosa and Hook both filed for election without challenge.

No primary election will be necessary for Bluff or Monticello, both will hold a general election on Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Blanding and Monticello mayors will be saying goodbye to public office.

Joe B. Lyman was elected Mayor of Blanding in 2017.  Before his term as Mayor, Lyman served for four years on the planning commission and for ten years on the city council.

Tim Young was elected Mayor of Monticello in 2013 and is wrapping up his second term as Mayor.  He also served on the Monticello City Council for two years before running for Mayor.

The period to file for municipal elections opened on June 1 and closed June 7. Filing took place at the municipal office during the filing period. Candidates must be a United States citizen, a resident and registered voter of the community and not be a convicted felon.