‘Kearns is the place to be’: Jesse Valdez claims victory in Kearns mayoral race

KEARNS, Utah (ABC4) — Jesse Valdez, a former ABC4 photojournalist and current employee with the Department of Corrections, is on track to win the Kearns mayoral seat, based on current vote counts. If those counts hold, he will be the first mayor of Kearns and will also be the first Hispanic mayor in the history of Utah.

While no elections will be officially certified until November 18th, Valdez has taken a significant lead in votes since election night, with nine out of ten Kearns precincts reporting. This is the first mayoral election since Kearns was incorporated as a city in May 2024.

Raised in Kearns, Valdez currently has 58% of the votes, and his opponent, Tina Snow, has 42% of the votes. On election night, Valdez only led by 86 votes. However, based on the most recent counts, he is now leading the race by over 500 votes.

Additionally, Valdez appeared to accept the victory in a social media post.

“Our campaign was never just about winning an election, it was about building awareness, inspiring residents to get involved and reminding our community that every single one of us has a vital role to play,” Valdez said in that post, “Real change has never been the work of one person. It happens when a community stands up, speaks out and moves forward together.”

He also emphasized the work of his campaign team and the people of Kearns, stating, “None of this would be possible without our team, our volunteers, and the people of Kearns who believed in a better future.”

In addition to being Kearns’ first mayor, Valdez will also be the first Hispanic mayor in Utah history.

“I think it’s a cool little fun fact that I get to be the first of Hispanic descent to be Mayor here in Utah,” He said in an interview with ABC4, “But, really, I’m here to serve all of Kearns, and we’re here to really make history. And I think that’s a little piece that can play a part of really making a piece of history and a way to lead forward here in Kearns for the rest of the state.”

Valdez previously worked as a photojournalist here at ABC4 and has worked with the Utah Department of Corrections, but he says he has always had a passion for public service and for Kearns.

“I’ve always vouched that one day I’d buy my first home in Kearns and raise my family, and that’s exactly what I’ve done.” He said, “I got super involved with the community…our community council. They put on these great events and activities. It’s a voluntary position, and they just do so well.”

He also added that he created a Facebook community page for Kearns as a means for people to connect. That page now reportedly has 40,000 members on it, and that level of community engagement is something that Valdez hopes to continue as mayor.

“Kearns has kind of been a community that has been neglected for a long time from the outside. I thought it’s time that we start taking control of our own narrative and telling and writing our own story,” he said. “I really want to play a role in showing the good we have in Kearns and hopefully that can trickle outside of our community and people can really see why- Kearns is the place to be.”

Valdez’s campaign was focused on city development and infrastructure, community engagement, public services and safety, and government transparency.

According to his campaign website, Valdez has announced several goals for Kearns:

• Make Kearns Town Center a true community hub—shops, food, events, green space.
• Strengthen the small-business ecosystem with simple, friendly city processes.
• Improve everyday infrastructure: roads, sidewalks, lighting, and utilities coordination.
• Balance housing affordability & availability with neighborhood character and design.
• Upgrade parks & recreation so families have clean, safe places to gather.

He also says he plans to focus on improving communication with the community, “A really big initiative on my end is I really want to have these listening tours or town halls in addition to city council meetings to be able to get the input of what Kearns wants.”

In a social media post, Valdez also spoke about his opponent, Tina Snow. He said, “I extend my deepest gratitude to my opponent, Tina Snow, whose challenge pushed me beyond my perceived limits. Tina, your many years of service have been invaluable to the Kearns community. It is this shared passion that makes our city unique.”

“I want to assure every resident, including those who supported my opponent, that I am here to serve you all,” He said, “Let us put aside our differences, unite, and work together to build a city we can all be proud of.”

ABC4 reached out to Tina Snow, but she declined to comment at this time.