Cedar City voters sent a loud message in Tuesday’s municipal elections: It’s time for change.
Unseating Councilmen Don Marchant and John Black, voters elected political newcomers Terri Hartley and Craig Isom to take their place on the Cedar City Council. Paul Cozzens was the only one of the three incumbents to keep his seat on the five-member council.
Hartley and Isom also beat out former Councilman Kip Hansen who was seeking a return to the Council chambers after serving from 1998-2001.
“People wanted change. They wanted a fresh look at things,” Isom said. “I think there was that sentiment in the community, and Terri and I rode the crest of that wave. I heard that sentiment during the campaign, and I believe we saw it tonight.
With 1,788 votes or approximately 23.3 percent, Hartley carried a solid lead in the election, with Isom running behind at 1,298 votes or 16.9 percent.
Cozzens came in a close runner-up with 1,253 votes or 16.3 percent, just 65 votes ahead of Marchant, 158 votes ahead of Black and 196 votes ahead of Hansen. Voter turnout in Cedar City was 19.3 percent.
Iron County Clerk Jon Whittaker said these numbers are unofficial, as provisional and mail-in ballots have yet to be counted. However, he added that while the additional ballots could change the numbers, it’s not likely the outcome will be any different.
Provisional and mail-in ballots did change official results in 2013 when the final vote put then-candidate Fred Rowley in the lead for a Cedar City Council seat and eliminated Ralph McAfee. The two candidates had been separated by 19 votes.
Still, Whittaker said he did not believe that same thing would be repeated this time.
“I don’t think the provisional and mail-in ballots will significantly change anything,” Whittaker said. “Could it change? Anything is possible, so I don’t want to say for sure, but I just don’t think that’s going to happen this time.”
Hartley, a banking professional for nearly 40 years, said that while she felt she would win, she did not expect it to be by such a wide margin.
“I am surprised,” she said. “I didn’t expect the numbers to be so high. I’m a little bit overwhelmed. I knew I had a lot of support, but I didn’t think I would win by that big of a margin.”
Cozzens said he was glad to have the race behind him, but he’s going to miss his association with Marchant and Black.
“I’m looking forward to working with Terri and Craig but I am going to miss serving with Don and John,” he said.
