St. George City Council election results in wins by incumbents and familiar faces

St. George City Council election results

The preliminary results in the St. George and Washington City Council elections were announced Tuesday evening, Aug. 11, via Washington County’s website. In the St. George City Council election, the two incumbents, Jimmy Hughes and Bette Arial, moved past the primary phase of the election and on to the general election, with Hughes receiving 17.64 percent (1572 votes) and Arial receiving 16.14 percent (1439 votes). Ed Baca, Gregg McArthur, N. Craig Hammer, and Bryan Thiriot have also moved on to the November general election vying for the three open seats on the Council.

Arial, whose resume includes being the southern Utah director for Senator Mike Lee’s office and former Vice President of Government Relations at Energy Solutions, was appointed in a controversial session that included a boisterous monologue by 2011 and 2013 candidate Tara Dunn. Dunn lost her bid for a seat in 2011 by a narrow 326 votes in the same election that the current St. George mayor, Jon Pike, unseated longtime mayor Dan McArthur. Arial’s appointment filled Mayor Pike’s seat on the City Council and positioned her as an incumbent without an actual election win; however, she still came to the position with an extensive list of civic, business and community experience. Rotary, arts commissions, and Dixie State University Board of Trustees are only a few positions in her extensive biography of public service.

Hughes, operator of a local mortuary, won his seat in 2011 after narrowly losing in the 2009 St. George City Council election by a mere 93 votes. Hughes has served on numerous boards and councils in his last three and a half years as a council member. Known for his smile and warm demeanor, Hughes has a built-in lead as an incumbent with little to tarnish his short record.

In the third spot with 1280 votes (14.36 percent), Ed Baca continued his streak dating back to every St. George City Council election cycle for over ten years of successfully passing through the primary round. However, he has always failed to win a seat on the Council. Ed’s strong showing in every primary race shows he has a base of fans and supporters, but he has yet to be able to close the deal in a general election. The closest he came to victory was in 2013, losing to Joe Bowcutt by only 334 votes. With Gil Almquist deciding not to run for his City Council seat this year, this could be Baca’s opportunity to take that coveted spot.

Passing through in the fourth spot of this St. George City Council election primary and into the final six candidates with 1023 votes (11.48 percent) is Gregg McArthur, son of former longtime mayor Dan McArthur. The younger McArthur also threw his hat in the ring in 2013 at the time of Arial’s appointment, declaring his interest in serving on the Council. McArthur is the current president of the St. George Area Chamber of Commerce and has also served on numerous boards, including the Convention and Tourism Marketing Board, the St George Arts Commission and the Water Conservancy Council.

The St. George City Council election primary also included a win for N. Craig Hammer, currently the executive director of the Secondary Schools for the Washington County School District, who took the fifth spot with 876 votes (9.83 percent). Hammer, a 25-year resident of St. George, is also a former member of the Washington City Water and Power board.

Bryan Thiriot rounded out the top six that move along to the St. George City Council general election with 699 votes (7.84 percent). Thiriot is the currently the executive director of the Five County Association of Governments. Thiriot has worked for Senators’ Orrin G. Hatch and Robert F. Bennett, working in Washington D.C. on Capitol Hill and in the northern and southern regions of Utah.

The general election will be held the second Tuesday in November. Residents are encouraged to vote.

Preliminary results for both St. George and Washington are listed below. Certified results will be available after the official canvas.

Stay tuned to The Independent for more St. George City Council election coverage.