HURRICANE, Utah — A new mayor will soon occupy the nearly completed St. George City Hall, one of several new southern Utah mayors set to take office as voters favored new blood over challengers on election day.
"I don't know if it's just people like to see some differences. They like to see something new. I mean, you know how it is even in sports. Sometimes you just change the coach to try to get a different outcome. It's not because someone's doing a bad job necessarily. It's because sometimes it's just time for a change," said presumptive St. George Mayor-elect Jimmie Hughes.
Hughes attended groundbreaking ceremonies on Wednesday for Innovative Concrete’s new 22,000-square-foot headquarters near the St. George Airport. It was the morning after the uncertified election results had the mortuary director defeating incumbent Michele Randall by 9%.
Politics
2025 Utah general election results
Hughes ran on maintaining what he said was St. George’s culture, but claimed that doesn’t mean the city is only for some.
"We're not saying to certain people, the doors are closed. But to [a] certain ideology, that's what we're trying to say," he explained. "We're trying to say, 'Hey, when you're coming here, look at what's happening here and why , and then embrace it. Don't try to change it, embrace it.'"
Too close to call: Provo mayor race still up in the air:
The political signs were coming down around other parts of southern Utah on Wednesday. In a Hurricane race that started with a controversy over who took down political signs before the election, it ended with sitting mayor Nanette Billings losing by about 33%.
"I didn't think it'd be quite that much," said presumptive Hurricane Mayor-elect Clark Fawcett. "I knew when I went to run that there were a number of people who were not ... as happy with our current mayor. I gotta say, [Billings has] done a great job. I‘ve got no problems with her. She and I have got along well."
A council member and former city manager, Fawcett says Hurricane has been growing too quickly.
"There are some areas where we've allowed some development to go in areas that don't have infrastructure. And so because of that, that becomes a problem," he said.
The county's other new mayor started with running an arcade and laser tag business; now, Jarett Waite is set to take office in Santa Clara. However, Waite didn’t have to defeat an incumbent to become mayor as Rick Rosenberg chose not to run for reelection after two decades on the job.
"I have huge shoes to fill for sure," Waite admitted. "Rick has done an amazing job serving Santa Clara for so long.
"I just want to make sure that residents know I'm available, that I want to listen, and they can come chat me up and do whatever they'd like."
