ST. GEORGE — St. George saw its wide array of City Council candidates plunge from 14 to six following the release of primary election results late Tuesday.
However, with nearly 12,800 outstanding ballots in the county yet to be counted the day after, some of the results, while preliminary, are subject to change.
Three council seats are up for grabs this year in St. George and are held by incumbents Dannielle Larkin, Jimmie Hughes and Gregg McArthur. All three survived the primary election along with challengers Steve Kemp, Paula Smith and Brad Bennett.
The Washington County Clerk’s Office reported Wednesday afternoon that its next election results update will be sometime Thursday. Currently, 12,717 mail-in ballots and 35 provisional ballots were dropped off or collected on election day and are in the middle of being processed.
“We are currently following our processes and will update the results as soon as we can,” a post reads on the County Clerk/Auditor’s election results page. “Results should not be expected daily, but we will update as frequently as we can.”
With that many outstanding votes races across Washington County, not just in St. George, have the potential to change once updated.
For now, here’s the breakdown of St. George’s City Council candidates according to Tuesday night’s preliminary returns:
| Dannielle Larkin | 4,063 votes | 12.33% |
| Jimmie Hughes | 3,601 votes | 10.93% |
| Steve Kemp | 3,370 votes | 10.23% |
| Paula Smith | 3,092 votes | 9.38% |
| Brad Bennett | 3,048 votes | 9.25% |
| Gregg McArthur | 3,043 votes | 9.23% |
Both McArthur and Larkin seek reelection to second terms on the council while Hughes seeks a fourth term.
As previously reported by St. George News, Larkin has said her campaign focuses on promoting and improving the city’s quality of life and making the city more business-friendly.
Hughes has stated he is a “steady and ordered” voice on the council and will help the city continue to practice common sense policies.
As for McArthur, his campaign is focused on building the city’s economy and supporting industries that create high-paying jobs.
Each of the incumbents has spoken for the need to create ways to promote affordable housing for residents who are finding themselves priced out of the current housing market.
Kemp wants the city to “get back the business of running the city” versus seeing elected officials getting distracted by so-called culture war issues while also fostering better communication between city officials and its residents.
Smith believes the city’s spending is outpacing its growth and wants to revamp the property tax system, and. She also promotes transparency in government and the cutting what she sees as wasteful spending from the city budget.
Bennett said he believes the City Council is making choices that do not align with the will of the community. If elected, he plans on creating various citizen committees as a way to promote civic engagement and improve communication between city government and residents.
For the overall results of the primary election, see St. George News’ coverage here.
The general election is set for Nov. 21.
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