Utah school board races close in some districts

Voters selected new members for Utah school boards across the state Tuesday, including races along the Wasatch Front involving some of the state's largest school districts.

The Salt Lake City School District featured a school board election rematch from eight years ago, with incumbent Alama Uluave running against Michael Clara for a seat. In 2004, Uluave beat Clara by a single vote, earning him a spot representing the city's west-side neighborhoods. But this year, the tables turned, and Clara won the election in District 2, according to unofficial results.

Elsewhere in the Salt Lake City race, incumbent Amanda Thorderson of Rose Park and Fairpark activist Tiffany Sandberg were neck and neck for a seat in District 1 in a race too close to call early Wednesday morning. In newly realigned District 5, board Vice President Heather Bennett won another term against Glendale's Billy Palmer. President Kristi Swett retained her seat from District 7, running unchallenged.

In the Canyons School District, where a race between Chad Iverson and incumbent Paul McCarty was heated, Iverson appeared to have won early Wednesday. Incumbent Mont Millerberg was trailing Robert Green for the Precinct 1 spot. Community activist Nancy Tingey had a significant lead over Clay Pearce, a teacher and administrator, for the open seat in Precinct 3.

In the Granite School District, developer Dan Lofgren won by a considerable margin against Richard Wagner Jones, who is a registered sex offender. Connie Anderson in District 2 and Sarah R. Meier in District 4 also won new terms while running unopposed.

In the Jordan School District, the board's president, incumbent Rick Bojak, was unseated by Kayleen Whitelock in the Precinct 4 race. Richard Osborn from Precinct 5 and Janice Voorhies from Precinct 6 ran unchallenged. In Precinct 1, the previous mayor of Herriman, J. Lynn Crane, appeared to have won against Michael Livsey. —