SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The police chief of Pleasant Grove is facing off against a former U.S. marshal to become sheriff of Utah’s second largest county in an election that will be decided by the Republican Party primary.
Police Chief Mike Smith and retired U.S. Marshal Jim Phelps are both Republicans. They’re also the only candidates running to succeed retiring Utah County Sheriff Jim Tracy.
The winner of the June 26 primary will be unopposed at the November general election.
Both men told the Daily Herald that retaining staff in the sheriff’s office would be among their top issues.
Phelps filed an elections complaint last week saying a uniformed Pleasant Grove police officer helped hang a sign for Smith’s campaign. Smith said he was previously unaware of the incident but wouldn’t condone the officer’s behavior.
