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GOPers Froerer, Francis face off in Weber County Commission race

By Tim Vandenack - | Mar 24, 2022

Froerer photo supplied; Francis photo by Tim Vandenack, Standard-Examiner

Incumbent Gage Froerer, left, and Shanna Francis are running as Republicans for seat A on the Weber County Commission. The two face off at the Weber County Republican Party convention on Saturday, March 26, 2022.

OGDEN — Gage Froerer, the incumbent Weber County commissioner, is facing a challenger from within the Republican Party in his bid for a second term.

Shanna Francis, an Ogden Valley resident like Froerer, said she got in the race in part to make sure he had an opponent. “I didn’t think it was a healthy election if he didn’t have anyone to run against,” said Francis, who runs the Ogden Valley News, a weekly newspaper, among other things.

John Thompson is running for the post on the Democratic side.

Froerer, for his part, touted his focus on fiscal things in explaining his bid for another term. A big focus of the three county commissioners is budgeting and keeping tabs on county spending, said Froerer, touting his background and know-how with such duties.

“This is about budgeting how those taxpayer dollars are spent,” he said, noting recent county moves to pay off or refinance county bonds, which ought to save the county around $2.5 million a year. “It’s no different than running a business or your household.”

Francis countered, saying the property taxes that property owners have to pay seem to keep edging up. County commissioners approved a 4.5% property tax hike last December that will show up in bills later this year.

Froerer, a former Utah House member, and Francis are duking it out for seat A on the county commission, an at-large post. Both being GOPers, they face off at the Weber County Republican Party convention on Saturday. The primary, if necessary, is set for June 28 with general election voting culminating Nov. 8.

Growth, both Republican hopefuls say, is a big issue.

“Growth is inevitable, but we want to make sure it’s sustainable growth,” said Francis. She’s long been involved in county political matters as a citizen and in other capacities. She’s also a member of the Ogden Valley Planning Commission, an appointed advisory body to county commissioners.

The lack of action on addressing the apparent proliferation of short-term rentals in the Ogden Valley, a notable tourist draw, has been a point of frustration for the challenger. Weber County officials have been digging into the issue since 2020, but commissioners haven’t yet pinpointed a potential course of action.

“I’ve been a little frustrated with county politics and the lack of responsiveness,” Francis said. The short-term rental issue, in particular, “just keeps sitting on the back burner and it’s not a priority.”

Some permanent residents in the Ogden Valley maintain that short-term rental properties can be a nuisance because of the ever-changing roster of tenants they house. Francis maintains that more than half of all property in the Ogden Valley is not owner-occupied.

Froerer, like Francis, said growth can’t be stopped and that it’s a big issue to grapple with. “It’s about how we manage growth,” he said.

Four Republicans are running for seat B on the Weber County Commission and they also face off at Saturday’s Republican convention. Scott Jenkins now holds the post, but he’s not seeking reelection.

The four GOP seat B hopefuls are Phil Swanson, Sharon Bolos, Bill Olson and Bren Edwards. Brian Rowley is running as a Libertarian for the post.

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