It’s that season again in Cache County (and everywhere in the nation) — time to vote.
Voters in Cache County have several contested races to decide this election cycle.
Four seats on the seven-member, all-Republican Cache County Council are up for grabs, while Republican incumbent county Clerk Bryson Behm is up against David Gillie, a candidate from the Constitution Party.
All candidates who responded to questions from The Salt Lake Tribune and Utah Public Radio did so by email.
Ballots were sent out to voters last week. If you’re returning your ballot by mail, it must be in the clerk’s possession by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3. If you’re returning your ballot in a drop box, you must get it in by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Cache County voters can also vote in person Oct. 26-29 at Utah State University’s Taggart Student Center or Oct. 27-30 at the Cache County Event Center. People who’d prefer to wait until Election Day can mark their ballot on Nov. 3 in the Cache County Event Center.
Here’s a roundup of the county’s contested races:
County Council, Logan District 2
Republican incumbent JoAnn Bennett has only been on the council since January, filling a vacancy after the previous council member representing Logan District 2 resigned.
Asked about her reasons for running to keep her seat, Bennett pointed to the Utah Constitution, which says the “frequent recurrence to fundamental principles is essential to the security of individual rights.”
“As the legislative body of Cache County, isn’t it our responsibility to reexamine these foundational principles and protect those rights?” she said. “... My role is to serve the local citizens here, in our very unique valley, by being a voice for individual freedom, constitutional rights and fiscal responsibility.”
Bennett’s challenger, Democrat Allison E. Goulais, said she’s running because she loves Logan and Cache County and is excited to see the community evolve.
“I’m raising a family here and want to have the best experience Cache has to offer,” she said. “I love this place and am excited to see how it ages.”
She’s concerned with the county’s rapid growth, including water and land use.
“I’m running to put our community back on the council,” she said. “To help our voices be heard and make sure we head in the direction most of us want to see Logan go. I’m running for the people of our community and that’s who I intend to represent.”
Neither candidate raised policy initiatives they would pursue in office.
County Council, Logan District 3
In Logan District 3, Republican incumbent Sandi Goodlander is facing Democrat Mark Nafziger.
Goodlander, who has served on the council since being elected in 2022, said she believes her experience can help her during a second term.
As the county faces significant growth, she said she wants to safeguard water resources, preserve the county’s agricultural community, and protect personal property rights.
“I am proud to associate with the amazing elected officials in our county,” she said. “I have worked hard over the past four years to learn all aspects of this job, and try to be an effective leader.”
Nafziger, meanwhile, doesn’t like the one-party hold Republicans have on the council.
“One-party control of government leads to problems with creative thinking, problem-solving, and accountability,” he said. “As a psychologist and a Democrat, I’d bring a unique background and different perspective.”
As the county faces development, he wants to preserve open space, promote affordable housing and keep Cache County data center-free. He also feels county residents are disconnected from their representatives, and he wants to change that.
“The time is ripe for a change in Cache County government,” he said. “When the same party controls government for decades, the system of checks and balances created by our forefathers erodes.”
County Council, Northeast District 5
Republican incumbent Mark Hurd, who’s running against Democrat Lizette Villegas for a second term, has concerns about how development could change Cache Valley.
“Growth is inevitable, but losing our valley’s identity is not,” he said. “Leveraging hands-on experience in water management and local planning, I will advocate for balanced development that protects vital agricultural resources, supports sustainable infrastructure and manages growth responsibly.”
He emphasized his belief that each council decision “should reflect the needs and common-sense values” of constituents.
Villegas said her experiences serving on different boards and commissions throughout Cache Valley have introduced her to many of the people who are impacted by community issues, and she wants to represent them.
She said the top three issues she’s heard from community members are taxes, access to resources, and growth. If elected, she wants to make sure the county is responsible with its finances and that the community has a voice when it comes to tax policy.
She also wants to improve communications between the county, organizations and residents to help people better connect with resources they need.
She seeks to protect Cache Valley’s unique qualities and wants more community involvement in discussions about growth.
“I may not have every answer, but I will always be willing to listen, learn, ask questions and work hard on your behalf,” Villegas said.
County Council, Southeast District 7
Republican incumbent Kathryn Beus is running for her second term on the council, facing Constitution Party candidate Peter Thatcher.
Beus said she wants to protect taxpayers, be responsible in planning for the future and work to find practical solutions for Cache County’s weightiest problems.
“Growth is happening, and we need to be thoughtful about how we manage it,” she said.
To her, this means preserving open space, planning for transportation and establishing appropriate emergency services, all while being good stewards of taxpayer money.
“I listen to residents, do my homework and make educated decisions to align with the goals of our community,” Beus said.
Thatcher, Beus’ opponent, did not respond to questions about his campaign.
County clerk
In the race for Cache County Clerk, incumbent Republican Bryson Behm faces David Gillie from the Constitution Party.
Behm is seeking to serve his first full term after he gained the position in a special election in 2024. His predecessor resigned after being investigated by the state for his handling of the 2023 election.
Behm wants a chance to continue his work strengthening Cache County’s elections and rebuilding the office’s stability.
“I’m running because I care about doing the job well,” he said. “This office should be professional, efficient, transparent, and focused on serving the public, not politics.”
As election administration becomes increasingly complex, Behm said he plans to continue modernizing Cache County’s systems without sacrificing security or trust.
“If you want a boring, stable clerk’s office, then I’m your guy,” he said.
For his part, Gillie takes issue with how elections are being run not just in Cache County, but also in Utah more broadly.
He said he’s running “to lead the effort to bring real elections back to this county and our state.”
To do this, he wants the state to repeal its election code and replace it with something simpler that necessitates in-person elections and makes them easier to challenge.
“We simply must repent of our election complacence,” he said in a video posted to his campaign website.
In a statement sent to Utah Public Radio last month, Gillie acknowledged that he once served on the national board of directors of the Oath Keepers — a group with members who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
He has not been involved in any capacity since 2015, he told UPR, but has maintained relationships with board members and rank-and-file participants.
Asked how, if at all, his involvement with the Oath Keepers has influenced his policy views as he seeks public office, Gillie responded: “In none that I can name.”
“It has increased my appreciation for and determination to fidelity to law,” he said.
Oath Keepers has described itself as a nonpartisan group of former and currently serving military, law enforcement, and first responders that advocates strict obedience to the Constitution.
George Washington University’s Program on Extremism identifies the group as a far-right and anti-government militia. The bipartisan, nonprofit Center for Strategic and International Studies notes the group has a list of 10 orders it considers unconstitutional and pledges not to obey. These, according to the center, include imposing martial law, forcing Americans into concentration camps, confiscating citizens’ guns, and invading or subjugating states that declare sovereignty.
Gillie, who was with the group for about a year after its inception in 2009, characterized it as a “civic association” that reminds members — and other public servants — of the oaths they’ve taken to the Constitution and educates them on the constitutionality of their roles.
Asked if he still shared any Oath Keepers beliefs, Gillie said he couldn’t name any distinctive shared beliefs within the organization, saying members’ religious, cultural, philosophical and political standings varied widely.
Gillie said he left the group in 2010 due to his wife’s health challenges; she died months later. He said the most recent time the group asked him to give lectures or answer constitutional or civic questions was in 2014.
