Midvale elects new mayor, council seats retained by incumbents
Nov 23, 2021 04:50PM ● By Travis Barton
Midvale City Hall will have a new mayor in 2022. (File photo Erin Dixon/City Journals)
By Travis Barton | [email protected]
Midvale City has a new leader at the helm.
Marcus Stevenson was elected mayor in the November elections, squeaking by incumbent Robert Hale with a late surge of votes on election night. Stevenson finished with 52% of the votes, just 201 more than Hale.
“I'm incredibly grateful to the residents of Midvale for entrusting me to take on the role of mayor,” Stevenson wrote in a statement to the Journal. “With the many challenges ahead, but also the many opportunities, I'm excited to bring a new perspective to the mayor's office. Whether it be our continued growth, demand on our water, or the unforeseen future of the COVID pandemic, I'm here to be a mayor for all Midvale City residents.”
After a 20-year period that saw former mayor JoAnn Seghini hold the position for five terms, Hale won the seat in 2017. However, Hale will serve just the one term as he passes the baton to Stevenson in 2022.
A couple days after the election, Hale and his wife visited Stevenson to congratulate him and offer encouragement for his new role.
“I'm thankful for the graciousness of Mayor Hale as he is doing everything he can to ensure a smooth and successful transition,” Stevenson included in his statement. “A sincere thank you to the residents of Midvale; I can't wait to get started!”
Stevenson is the political director for an environmental nonprofit called O2 Utah who ran on the platform of making Midvale a people-centered city, a regional hub within the valley, and give it more voice in a regional and statewide capacity.
Status quo remained for the rest of the council as both seats up for election were retained by the incumbents. Both of whom endorsed Stevenson for the mayoral position.
Bryant Brown, a lawyer, was reelected in District 4 for a second term running unopposed, just as he did four years ago in the general election of his first campaign. District 4 covers the south-central portion of the city.
Dustin Gettel also earned a second term being reelected in District 5. Gettel held off challenger Wayne Sharp, who once held the District 4 seat for three terms until 2018. District 5 covers the western portion of the city, everything west of I-15 and a small portion to the east of the freeway between 7200 and 7500 South.
