This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The Republicans have retained control of the Salt Lake County Council.

It's a council that now will have two women on it.

In the race that had the most potential to impact the balance of power on the GOP-majority council, Republican Aimee Winder Newton took an early advantage over Democrat Dan Snarr for the midvalley District 3 seat and held it all night, according to Tuesday's unofficial returns.

Newton snagged 54 percent of the votes to retain the Republicans' 5-4 edge, since voters did not change the political affiliation of the other three council positions on the ballot.

Newton will be joined on the council by Democrat Jenny Wilson, who also locked up 54 percent of the vote to best Republican Micah Bruner for the at-large seat previously held by Democrat Randy Horiuchi.

In liberal District 1, Democratic incumbent Arlyn Bradshaw, amassing 73 percent of the vote, had no trouble with GOP hopeful Richard Barnes. In conservative District 5, Republican Councilman Steve DeBry was unopposed.

Keeping control of the council was important to the Republicans, given the Democrats' hold on the mayor's seat. Ben McAdams is midway through his first term as mayor after Peter Corroon served eight years in that position.

Newton was determined to keep that GOP majority, having been appointed to the District 3 seat in January after longtime officeholder David Wilde resigned for health reasons. She maintained that she has been an effective councilwoman, adding a much-needed female perspective to proceedings of the otherwise all-male council.

A Taylorsville official before joining the council, the 40-year-old sister of former West Valley City Mayor Mike Winder said she would promote economic development, fight wasteful spending and push for mental health and substance abuse treatment for released inmates.

Snarr, 65, argued his four previous terms as Murray mayor gave him an edge in experience and in-depth exposure to many of the issues confronting the County Council. He prides himself on his independent nature and his willingness to pursue a course of action, even if there is considerable opposition, if he truly believes it is in the long-term best interests of the citizenry.

The other race that had the potential to sway the balance of power involved Horiuchi's at-large council seat. Intent on holding onto that seat, the Democrats nominated Wilson, who previously served for six years on the council and ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Salt Lake City, a post once held by her father, Ted Wilson.

GOP hopes for taking that seat were entrusted to Bruner, an attorney from Sandy who made his political debut. In line with his job providing legal assistance to small businesses, Bruner argued government should interfere as little as possible with individuals and commerce.

Wilson, who is executive director of institutional advancement for Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah, is an advocate for open space, clean air and other measures that improve the county's quality of life.

She far outspent Bruner for the seat. According to mid-October financial disclosures, Wilson raised $143,000 in the campaign and spent almost $130,000. Bruner, by contrast, spent $23,300 of the $25,000 he raised.

In District 1, which is largely in left-leaning urban Salt Lake City, Democrat Bradshaw's bid for a second term pitted him against Barnes, who has run his own geological business for 30 years. But Barnes raised only $1,170 for the election. Bradshaw's campaign collected and spent $15,000.

Republican DeBry, a captain in the Unified Police Department, was unopposed in his bid for a second term in District 5. He was council chairman in 2013.

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