OGDEN, Utah — The Ogden primary election for the mayoral seat is underway. It’s an open seat, with seven candidates vying for the spot. Current Mayor Mike Caldwell announced earlier this year that he would not run for re-election after this third term.
Every active voter in Ogden receives a ballot in the mail, and all are eligible to vote in the mayoral race. The top two candidates from the primary election on Sep. 5 will face off in the general election on Nov. 21.
To help Ogden residents make an informed decision, FOX 13 News spoke to each of the candidates.
Chris Barragan is the candidate featured in this installment of "Meet the Candidates."
From coaching youth sports teams to owning “Brookey Bakes” on 25th Street in Ogden, Chris Barragan is throwing his hat into the political sphere and is running for the seat of Ogden City Mayor.
“I want to make sure that the city has a leader that’s present,” said Barragan. “A leader that’s willing to take the time to research everything and admit when they don’t have the answers, make a decision and whether that’s popular or not, stand by why I came to the conclusion on it.”
Barragan said his priority is focusing on and helping the youth in Ogden: “Making sure that we address the fact that we need to provide resources and need to be there for our youth because they’re suffering with depression, anxiety, social media is killing them, bullying is killing them — it’s just out of control.”
As a small business owner, Barragan said he hopes to bring more resources to small businesses to help owners feel supported to give them skills they need to help the local economy flourish.
“Not only on 25th Street, but throughout Ogden, with resources they need, mentorships I think is a huge thing, just some understanding so that they can go in with a little bit of a leg up that we didn’t have," he explained.
He said being mayor would be a daunting task, but he hopes he is up to the challenge to help his community.
“Support our police force, continue to have advocates for the homeless through those programs, that we’re empathetic to everyone,” said Barragan.
Ballots have already been sent out, so Utahns can cast their votes by or on primary election day, which is Sep. 5. Voters can also verify their voter registration, view a sample ballot and learn more about all the candidates at vote.utah.gov.
The deadline to register to get a ballot in the mail is Friday (Aug. 25) by 5 p.m.
However, Ogden residents can vote in person at the Weber Center from Aug. 29 to Sep. 1 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., and on election day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voters can also drop off their ballots at secure drop boxes 24/7 located at every city office, the county library, in the Weber Center parking lot and at Weber State University.
More information about Barragan can be found on his campaign website here.
