Andersen to face Myers in Ogden City Council race after Gale’s departure
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Pictured, from left, are Ogden City Council candidates Levi Andersen, Laura Gale and Shaun Myers. Gale, who came in second place in primary election voting, dropped out of the race Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, resulting in Andersen, who took third and was eliminated, now advancing to face Myers in November.OGDEN — A day after the departure of an Ogden City Council candidate, election officials have confirmed a new matchup in the race.
Levi Andersen, who finished in third place in last week’s primary, will face frontrunner Shaun Myers in the November contest for the board’s at-large seat C position. The change comes after Lara Gale, who finished in second place, announced Thursday she was withdrawing from the race due to a professional opportunity.
On Thursday, Weber County Clerk Ricky Hatch said he was consulting with officials from the Utah Lieutenant Governor’s Office, Ogden City and the Weber County Attorney’s Office to make sure the third-place candidate in the primary would move into a spot of contention. Friday morning, he confirmed this is the case and that Andersen will be in the general election.
Hatch said, according to state code, there was only a small window during which a candidate could drop out and the third-place finisher would move up.
“The vacancy has to occur after the date of the primary election, but at least 65 days before the general election,” he said. “That deadline is Sept. 18. Really, there was a two-week window in which that would have to happen, and the vacancy occurred within that tight window.”
Andersen told the Standard-Examiner he’s excited for the opportunity to continue his campaign and contend for the open City Council seat.
“It’s been a really fun experience for me to meet lots of people and be able to sit with people and talk about the issues that are important to them,” he said. “All of the other candidates have been great people. I think they all are deeply committed to Ogden and I’m grateful I get a chance to keep going and keep talking and be able to have some events with Mr. Myers. I think he’s a great guy as well.”
Hatch said this situation, where a candidate who successfully moved on in the primary later left a race before the general election, hasn’t happened in Weber County in the 13 years that he has served, but noted that Lehi and Brigham City experienced similar withdrawals this year.