UTAH, Jan. 17, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — The Utah Democratic State Party held a special election Saturday for Utah House District 10, which was vacated by the passing of Rep. LaWanna “Lou” Shurtliff.
Shurtliff died on Dec. 30 after a three-week battle with pneumonia. She was 85.
After ballots were counted, Dr. Rosemary Lesser was selected by the state delegates to serve the remainder of Shurtliff’s term, said a news release from the party.
Lesser is a retired obstetrician-gynecologist having practiced at Ogden Women’s Clinic, and Ogden Regional and McKay-Dee hospitals, the news release said. She also has 15 years of service as an OB-GYN physician in the U.S. Air Force, and completed several surgical missions to Mali, West Africa. Lesser has been active in the Weber County Democratic and Utah State Democratic parties. She and her husband, Dave, live in Ogden and have six children.
“As a veteran and a doctor, Dr. Lesser will be an excellent addition to the legislature,” said Jeff Merchant, chair of the Utah Democratic Party. “Her knowledge and expertise have benefited Weber County for many, many years and she will be of immense value to the people of District 10.”
In total, eight candidates qualified for the special election and were on Saturday’s ballot. The state delegates from House District 10 met via Zoom and went over the procedures for voting. Ballots were emailed to all the delegates. All 37 eligible delegates participated and voted using ranked choice balloting, the news release said.
