Six candidates for three Utah legislative seats will answer public questions at a free forum in Park City on Tuesday, Oct. 6. Topics include water, the Great Salt Lake, air quality, energy, data centers and economic growth.
The event, called "A Livable Utah Is on the Ballot," runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Jim Santy Auditorium on the third floor of the Park City Library at 1255 Park Ave. The Wasatch Back Chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby is hosting, as first reported by the Park Record.
The forum covers three contested races: House District 4, House District 59 and Senate District 20. All three districts cross county lines and include portions of Summit County.
"These seats are the Wasatch Back's voice in the Utah Legislature, and the decisions made by our representatives affect our communities and our daily lives," Joan Entwistle, co-chair of the Wasatch Back Chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby, told the Park Record.
In House District 4, which covers much of Summit County and parts of neighboring counties, Rep. Tiara Auxier faces Democrat Zane Woolstenhulme. Auxier, a Republican, was appointed in January 2025 to fill a vacancy and is seeking her first full term.
She sponsored an enacted bill during her first session that changed Utah's property-tax formula for public education. Woolstenhulme, a former Oakley mayor and longtime Oakley Planning Commission member, has nearly four decades of public administration experience.
House District 59 is an open seat after Rep. Mike Kohler chose not to run again. The district includes Park City proper and portions of Silver Springs in Summit County along with communities across Wasatch County.
Republican Luke Searle, a Wasatch County Council member who teaches at Wasatch High School, faces Democrat Celeste Johnson. Johnson served as Midway mayor from 2018 through 2025 and championed voter-approved $5 million open-space bonds in 2018 and 2024.
Senate District 20 stretches across Daggett, Duchesne, Uintah and Wasatch counties and part of Summit County. Republican Sen. Ron Winterton, a Roosevelt resident who has held the seat since 2019, is seeking a third term.
His challenger, according to the forum organizer, is Forward Party candidate Annette McRae, a Duchesne City resident who grew up in Moab and Heber City. McRae pitched a "Home Preservation Compact" to the Midway City Council on Sept. 1, according to city meeting records, aimed at preserving year-round housing and tying housing policy to water and infrastructure planning.
The issues on the agenda carry weight across the region. The Great Salt Lake sat at 36.4 percent of its desired water level in mid-April, more than 6 feet below its minimum healthy level, according to Hoodline. Gov. Spencer Cox declared a drought state of emergency in May.
The proposed Stratos Project data center in Box Elder County initially requested 13,000 acre-feet of annual water rights, the Christian Science Monitor reported.
Residents can check which legislative district they live in at le.utah.gov/GIS/findDistrict.jsp. The 424-seat auditorium is open to all on a first-come basis.
