Two-term incumbent mayor manages to garner only 14 percent of primary vote

Grantsville voters said no to a third term for Mayor Byron Anderson in the most emphatic way possible Tuesday, giving him only 14 percent of the vote in the primary election.

In the four-candidate race, Anderson finished a distant third to top vote-getter Brent Marshall and second-place finisher Jill Thomas, who will square off against each other in the general election Nov. 3. The sitting mayor had only 11 votes more than last-place finisher Chris Fields.

“I don’t think the voters rejected Anderson as much as they were just looking for a change,” Thomas said. “Anderson has done some good things for our community. The campaign will focus on the city budget and how to best maintain the rural atmosphere in Grantsville while we grow.”

Widespread dissatisfaction with the job Anderson was doing may have driven an above-average voter turnout in Grantsville, where 21 percent of registered voters went to the polls compared with 13 percent countywide. But the race still generated less voter interest than the last mayoral primary in 2005, in which Anderson faced two opponents, Craig Anderson and Todd Castagno. The turnout for that election was 27 percent. Anderson won the primary and went on to win the general election with 65 percent of the vote.

Tooele County Clerk Marilyn Gillette said historically Grantsville has always had a higher voter turnout than Tooele, though she can’t explain why.

Since becoming mayor eight years ago, Anderson has led the city through a period of rapid growth followed by rapid decline during the recent recession. He recently pitched a nearly 50 percent tax hike to residents in order to balance the city’s budget. That proposal was abandoned after widespread public opposition, leaving the city to make even deeper spending cuts.

Marshall, the town’s former fire chief, emerged from the primary as the front-runner with 46 percent of the vote, while business leader Thomas was a clear second with 27 percent.

“I think people saw that I share the same concerns as they do,” said Marshall. “I want the city to grow to become a viable city with controlled growth to maintain its rural character. We also need to develop a business park to bring in more businesses that can help take the tax burden off home owners.”

In the Grantsville city council race, the number of candidates was reduced from five to four with Shawn Bennett, with only 6 percent of the votes, being eliminated by the voters.

James Vera, Mike Colson, Erik Stromberg, and Colleen Brunson will advance to general election for Grantsville City Council.

Tim Gillie: tgillie@tooeletranscript.com