Bluffdale mayoral candidate remains under investigation as voting winds down
BLUFFDALE, Utah (KUTV) — Many cities across Utah will elect new mayors, including Bluffdale where the first open seat in 12 years has led to a surprisingly fiery race.
2News first broke the story last month about questions surrounding one of the candidates, John Roberts, and his tenure as the city's fire chief.
Even as the final hours on Election Day wind down, Roberts is under investigation by the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office for allegations dating back to his time with the city. The allegations, which have not been made public, are being investigated at the city's request.
"At this time we are in the information gathering stage of the investigation," said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill in a statement to 2News Tuesday afternoon. "We would also like to remind the public that everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and to not speculate about the investigation."
Roberts told 2News he was unavailable for an interview Tuesday. He was already under scrutiny for his resignation from the fire department last year after being investigated for a number of complaints. Roberts has denied any wrongdoing.
"I think I’ve been a little surprised about the interest in the race," said Natalie Hall, who is also running for mayor. She works for the city and has been on unpaid leave from her part-time job in communications and emergency management while she runs for mayor.
Hall didn't have much to say about the current investigation into her opponent.
"I don’t know anything about his allegations," Hall said. "I think that’s something that the city’s looking at, and I’m not involved with that at all."
She said she’s been focused on running and making sure Bluffdale is ready for the years ahead.
"I think there’s a lot of potential for good growth in economic development," Hall said, "and also to be able to maintain what we have."
Polls close at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday.
