Utah County GOP, Democrats elect leadership ahead of state conventions
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- Delegates from Orem meet during the Utah County Democratic Party convention held at the Utah County Health and Justice Building in Provo on Saturday, April 15, 2023.
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- Ann Schreck addresses delegates during the Utah County Democratic Party convention held at the Utah County Health and Justice Building in Provo on Saturday, April 15, 2023. Schreck was elected vice chair of the UCDP.
In Utah County’s central cities, members of the Democratic and Republican parties gathered for their respective 2023 conventions. Each party elected, or reelected, its leaders in the valley until 2025. The Democratic convention was held in the Utah County Health and Justice Building in Provo while the GOP congregated in Orem’s Mountain View High School.
Republicans
The UCRP on Saturday elected almost an entirely new crop of party officers. Highland resident Cristy Henshaw will replace outgoing Chair Skyler Beltran after receiving 72.4% of votes cast, beating Provo’s Ben Summerhalder and Orem’s Jason Christensen.
Henshaw told the Daily Herald she is grateful not only for the delegates, both those who voted for her and for the other candidates, but for the caucus system as a whole.
“The delegates vet their candidates. They do do a good job of it and and if you give them the opportunity, they will ask some good questions,” Henshaw said. “It was overwhelming, but at the same time, I’m super energized by it. I think we’ve got a huge opportunity for the county. I think we have an opportunity to be a beacon for the rest of the state.”
Moving forward, she expects the party to engage in more “grassroots local delegate” involvement through events and digital communication while expanding youth outreach efforts.
Charles Wood, of Lehi, was elected as vice chair. Wood, the only person seeking the role, ran for the Alpine School District Board of Education in 2022 before falling in the primary election. Provo resident and Canopy Mortgage accountant Mark Hailstone was elected as treasurer, and former treasurer Kirby Glad will now be the party’s secretary.
Of the 22 county representatives on the Utah GOP State Central Committee from 2021-2023, 12 will return to the committee. The returning members include Beltran, Mac Sims and Karen Ellingson (all outgoing UCRP officers), as well as Summerhalder and Brandon Beckham. Beckham unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for Utah Senate in 2022 against Keith Grover. Days before Beckham announced his candidacy, he was charged with one count of forcible sexual abuse. Last month, he pleaded not guilty in the case.
Among the new members of the central committee are Deputy County Clerk Russ Rampton, incoming UCRP Treasurer Glad and Kim DelGrosso. DelGrosso ran unsuccessfully in 2022 for a seat on the state school board of education, targeting “identity gender stuff” and critical race theory.
Also on the docket for UCRP delegates Saturday was the responsibility of filling the vacant Utah County Assessor’s Office. The office is vacant after the March resignation of longtime Assessor Kris Poulson. Burt Garfield, chief deputy assessor, won the three-person special election Saturday and will step into the role.
On his website, Garfield boasted endorsements from county officials Amelia Powers Gardner, Brandon Gordon, Kim Jackson, Aaron Davidson and Anthony Canto along with state Sen. Mike McKell. Garfield is also a former president of the International Association of Assessing Officers’ Utah chapter and has been a certified appraiser for 17 years.
Democrats
The UCDP reelected Katie Adams-Anderton as chair by acclimation. Adams-Anderton took over the party chair via special election in early 2022. Mike Jay was selected as the county party’s secretary and Ann Schreck was elected the party’s vice chair after unsuccessfully challenging Rep. Kay Christofferson for the Utah House of Representatives in 2022.
“We need to have more people participate, not just on the running campaigns, not just on the county and the state party, but also in conversations,” Schreck said. “What I hope to bring as vice chair is to bring the experience that I had running and to hopefully encourage more conversations in our county.”
With 38 people in attendance, house district chairs were selected for all districts based solely in Utah County. Districts that stretch beyond county borders will have leadership decided at the state convention May 20 in Cedar City.
State Rep. Doug Owens, D-Salt Lake City, addressed the delegates in person and watching online, discussing the 2023 legislative general session and policy priorities for the Democratic Party. Owens focused heavily on education, criticizing the Legislature’s passage of school vouchers and the upcoming ballot question to remove Utah’s constitutional earmark for education funding.
Adams-Anderton also encouraged those in attendance to run for office, join party caucuses and participate with volunteer efforts in their communities.
“Right now, Provo is having to fill sandbags until May 1 and they’re doing four-hour shifts because of the flooding that is becoming a problem and they need help. I want to find those opportunities so we send Democrats there,” she said.
