Mitch Maughan named new county attorney

by David Boyle
News Director
San Juan County Commission selected Mitchell Maughan to serve as the County Attorney following the resignation of Attorney Brittney Ivins.
Maughan will serve for two years and four months through the end of 2026 when an election will be held for a four-year term for the county attorney position.
Maughan, a Monticello resident, has worked in the county attorney office for the last two years.
Ivins’ resignation will take effect on August 16th, Ivins informed the county in late June she had accepted to be the new guardian ad litem for San Juan and Grand County.
Those in the role of Guardian ad Litem provide legal help to children and teens for cases related to neglect, alleged abuse, and dependency in juvenile courts.
As guided by the state code County Clerk/Auditor Lyman Duncan solicited the six currently licensed, active members in good standing with the Utah State Bar who were also registered voters in San Juan County.
The county received three applications from Maughan, Craig Halls, and Kendall Laws.
Ivins was appointed to fill a vacancy in the attorney’s office and later elected in 2022 to the county attorney role as a registered Republican.
As a result, the Republican Party was tasked to rank the top three candidates for the San Juan County Commission to consider.
County Republican Party leadership ranked their choices as Maughan, Halls, and Laws.
In a letter to the commission, party leaders recommended the final choice be “based in part on the candidate’s ability to serve full time.”
“We would expect that any serious candidate would will be willing to eschew a private law practice for the duration of their term; thereby avoiding potential conflicts of interest, as well as having the ability to put their full focus on the needs of the County Attorney’s office.”
Commissioners unanimously selected Maughan at their August 6 meeting after Duncan explained the process.
Commissioner Sylvia Stubbs said the decision was not easy.
“I have given it a lot of thought, this is one of the hardest decisions we make but eventually I decided to honor the decision of the Republican Party.”
In their resolution members of the County Commission thanked Ivins for her “dedicated service to the citizens of San Juan County. As she continues in her career, we wish her and her family the very best in all their future endeavors.”
Maughan will serve through December 31, 2026, San Juan County voters will be able to vote for the County Attorney position in November, 2026 for a four-year term.