Meet the candidates for Cache County Council

The Utah Statesman reached out to the candidates running for Cache County Council in the 2026 elections. Candidates appear according to the master ballot position list. Mark A. Nafziger met with the Statesman in person, Lizette Villegas met over Zoom and the other candidates responded to the same questions by email. Email responses are published as submitted. Election Day is Nov. 3. 

Sandi R. Goodlander — Logan District 3, Republican 

Where are you from? 

I grew up in Meridian, Idaho, and have lived in Logan for the past 18 years. My husband and I are small business owners in partnership with our son. We are the parents of three children, and grandparents of 9 amazing grandchildren. 

Why are you running? 

It has been my privilege to serve on the County Council for the past 4 years. This job has been full of learning and leadership opportunities, and I believe my knowledge and experience will help me continue to be an effective leader and council member. I am currently serving on several boards and committees, each of which plays a role in making Cache County a better place. It is an honor to represent m district, and I hope I have earned the support of my neighbors for another term. 

What do you hope to accomplish? 

If I am re-elected to this position, one of my main priorities will be to continue the land use projects we have been working on regarding subdivision ordinances. We are on a trajectory for significant growth in our county, and we need to set up ordinances now that will safeguard our water resources and preserve our agriculture community, all while protecting personal property rights. 

Working to provide the best possible services to our citizens, while watching over the budget and being a wise steward of public funds is always a priority for me as well. 

What is your day job? 

My family owns the Green Gorilla car washes in the valley. I work with my husband to help with the bookkeeping and management of the business. 

What do you hope to do that will affect USU students? 

My Council district includes the USU campus as well as other Logan neighborhoods. I will continue to work effectively with Logan’s Mayor and City Council members, as well as our state legislators to watch for legislative actions that will affect education generally, and USU particularly. 

.USU’s aviation program is a very important part of the Logan airport. The County is working in collaboration with the university to update the management of the airport and enhance the experience of the aviation students. 

Mark A. Nafziger — Logan District 3, Democrat 

Where are you from? 

I’m originally from Ohio. I moved out here in 1990 to work in what was then the Counseling Center at Utah State, and I’ve been here ever since. I live on The Island in Logan. 

Why are you running? 

I’m not running because I’ve always wanted to be on the county council, but I’ve been here a long time, and I always vote. A lot of times, for county offices, Republicans are running unopposed, and I don’t bother to vote for those offices because there’s no choice involved. In 2024, four of the seven county council seats were up for election, and in three of them, including the seat I’m running for now, Republicans ran unopposed. I don’t think that’s good for democracy or for government. 

There also hasn’t been a Democrat or any non-Republican in any of those seven seats for 20 years. I don’t think anyone but a Republican has held any of the countywide executive and administrative offices since we went to this form of government in the 1980s. That’s what people have wanted, and that’s fine, but I think there are problems with it. You get the same people with a lot of the same ideas, maybe the same biases and blind spots, and you don’t get questions asked, discussions had or solutions reached that you might with a wider range of perspectives. When people don’t feel represented, they get disengaged. I was very disengaged myself. Before I decided to run, I never paid much attention to county government. 

Part of the reason I decided to run was my experience with the county water board. Our property backs up to a park across the river, and for about five years we have been fighting the board’s desire to pipe the north branch of the Logan River, which they call a canal. It’s a river. My experience with the water board and with city government in general is that they decide what they want to do, then ask for public comment only if they have to, and if they don’t like the comment, they get defensive or ignore it. I’m not criticizing the county council in that way, but the part of county government I dealt with didn’t care to listen. I’ve been a psychologist at Utah State for 36 years, and I spend a lot of my time listening to people. I think I could do a better job of listening than a lot of the people I’ve dealt with in government. 

I would also like to maintain as much open space as we can in Cache County. There’s good research that access to open space is very important to people’s mental and physical health. I know there will be more development, but a lot of times it has been hodgepodge, with someone buying land and seeing how much money they can make regardless of the impact on the community. 

What do you hope to accomplish? 

After I decided to run, we had the Box Elder County data center, and I’ve done some research on data centers. I think big data centers are a horrible idea. Nobody likes to live around them. They drive up energy costs and emissions, and in a state with chronic drought, they use a lot of water and pollute what they use. Not many counties have taken a stand against them, and they are usually playing catch up. After the Box Elder County ordeal, the Cache County Council voted for a six-month moratorium on considering data center proposals. About four months of that are gone. They didn’t instruct the development department to look at zoning and codes to keep big data centers out. They turned it over to study the impact. Sandi Goodlander, who I’m running against, said there are different sizes of data centers, and we’ll see what the development department finds. That’s true, and nobody cares about a data center in a room this size, but at least half a dozen in Utah are big enough that we would care. I haven’t met a single person while canvassing who wants a big data center in Cache County. If we wait until there’s a proposal and the land isn’t zoned to keep it out, we’re out of luck. The council’s public response hasn’t given me confidence they are strongly opposed. 

Data centers weren’t a reason for running, but they have become something I’m running on strongly. My number one priority is maintaining open space and the quality of life that comes from the quality of our environment: access to open space and good trail systems. That’s what I love about Cache County. A big part of that would be keeping data centers out. 

What is your day job? 

I work in Counseling and Prevention Services at Utah State. I’m running on my private time. It has nothing to do with the university, and they’re not endorsing me. I’ve worked here for 36 years with USU students, and I’ve loved it, along with the colleagues I’ve had over the years, which is why I’m still working and not retired. 

What do you hope to do that will affect USU students? 

USU students could be affected by all the things I’ve talked about. I didn’t pay much attention to county government myself, and I assume most USU students don’t. It’s understandable — county government is kind of invisible, but whether we have a data center in the unincorporated areas of Cache County will be determined by the county government, which has a budget of something like $120 million. They take care of roads, which most students aren’t going to care about, but they might care about trails and open space. They might care about feeling more represented where these decisions are being made. There are probably other things that affect them more, but a lot of this does impact students. 

Lizette Villegas — Northeast District 5, Democrat 

Where are you from? 

Cache Valley is home. I’ve lived here for the last 30 years, and I live in Smithfield. 

Why are you running? 

For the last 15 years, I’ve had a philanthropy mission to serve, unite and educate our community. Unity and service have been some of the biggest things I’ve focused on — at the grassroots level: being out in the community, connecting people with resources and hearing their needs and how best we can serve them. I sat in a meeting at Utah State where the speaker talked about how we needed more women and minority voices in politics. I had always said I would never do politics because it seemed so divisive, but knowing we need that representation, and that I have the honor to serve our community, it began to feel like a responsibility to serve civically. That’s when I decided my voice needed to be heard, along with the community’s, on a leadership level. 

What do you hope to accomplish? 

The three biggest things people talk to me about when I’m out in the community are money, which involves taxes, growth and safety. They want to keep Cache Valley safe and beautiful as it has been. I’ve put a responsibility on myself to help make Cache Valley the best it can possibly be, for my children, who are my big why, and for the community as a whole. 

I’ve also noticed that the county sheriff has decided not to publicly share who has been booked into jail and why. In my district, the North Park police chief has done an amazing job posting the calls that come in and the citations issued. That keeps the community well informed, including those of us who work in prevention and need to know what to work on. I think it’s a disservice for the sheriff not to share that information with Cache County. I haven’t been able to find a report like that from Smithfield City Police, either. I would love to be a voice of advocacy for our community to be informed. It’s only fair for us as citizens to know what’s going on in Cache Valley, and I want to put more of my effort there, alongside growth and taxation. 

What is your day job? 

I have the honor of working at Cache Valley Refugee and Immigrant Connection. I took a small “mama break” from working at The Family Place, but my work has always been in community service and nonprofit services. On top of my day job, there’s my philanthropy mission for Cache Valley. I’m an immigrant, and I’m very blessed and lucky to call Cache Valley home. I don’t take that for granted. I give back as much as I can, and I want everybody to feel like Cache Valley is home and to unite us. 

What do you hope to do that will affect USU students? 

I want to be a voice for USU students because I know they struggle. College is not easy. My daughter is a freshman this year and an ambassador. Students are young, and then you throw in something new like education and money and growing up and friends. There is so much thrown at them that I would love to be a bigger support for them at the county level. We’re really thankful for the money the university and its students bring in. USU students are employees, and they bring in their parents, which brings income to the county. I want to be a resource to help them navigate this new and, to be honest, really hard time of their lives, whether through resources, as I’ve done in the community, or community engagement. I want them to feel Cache Valley is home, not, “I’m just here for four years,” and to make it the best four years, or six or 12, depending on what they’re studying, and to feel supported and heard. I think USU students sometimes don’t feel heard or that their voice matters. I want them to know it does, and that we need to be more engaged. 

JoAnn Bennett – Logan District 2, Republican  

Where are you from? 

I grew up on southern Idaho and raised my family in Layton. I have always been active in the Republican Party. I like staying informed and have attended Cache County Council meetings and Logan Municipal Council meetings for a long time so I know the leaders and know what’s going on.   

Why are you running? 

I was elected to the county council in January after the resignation of the previous member. I am seeking re-election. I want to reduce the tax burden of our citizens. When taxes go up , so does rent.  

What do you hope to accomplish? 

One of my favorite things about serving on the council is protecting individual rights.  When students enter the workplace they need the freedom to choose the best path for their safety and happiness. 

What is your day job? 

People of Cache County are whom I serve and work for. I took an oath to the Constitution of the United States and to the Utah state Constitution and I concentrate on what it means to protect and defend and to frequently re-examine our fundamental rights. 

What do you hope to do that will affect USU students? 

We are making plans to meet the county transportation needs as our county grows so everyone can get to where they need to be in a timely manner. And I keep a close eye on the budget while keeping Cache County the place everyone loves. 

Kathryn A. Beus — Southeast District 7, Republican 

Where are you from? 

I’m from Nibley and have lived here nearly my whole life. 

Why are you running? 

I’m running for reelection to the County Council because I believe local government works best when it is responsible, transparent, and focused on the people it serves. I want to protect taxpayers, make thoughtful decisions about growth, preserve the quality of life that makes Cache County special, and plan responsibly for the future. 

I’ve spent 13 years serving our community as an elected official and work hard to listen to residents and make thoughtful decisions in the best interest of our community. Most of all, I love Cache Valley. It’s been my home my entire life, and I care deeply about its future. I want to continue serving as a practical, approachable, and collaborative voice for the people of Cache County. 

What do you hope to accomplish? 

I think one of the biggest priorities for the County is planning for what we want Cache Valley to look like in the future. Growth is happening, and we need to be thoughtful about how we manage it. That includes preserving open space, planning for transportation connectivity, and continuing the work to establish the Cache Fire Protection District to provide critical public safety and emergency services. We also need to be deliberate stewards of taxpayer dollars, finding ways to meet the needs of a growing community while keeping costs in check. Ultimately, I want to make sure we’re planning ahead and making decisions that preserve the quality of life we all value in Cache Valley.  

What is your day job? 

I have 20 years in banking in various roles and currently work as part of executive management at Cache Valley Bank. 

What do you hope to do that will affect USU students? 

I want to help facilitate the right conversations in the valley to address affordability for young families and those establishing themselves as recent graduates. Cache Valley is an attractive place to live and do business but we need to provide responsible and affordable growth to maintain the values that are uniquely Cache Valley. 

Mark R. Hurd — Northeast District 5, Republican 

Where are you from? 

I live in Hyde Park, but I have also lived in North Logan and in Smithfield. 

I was born in Wyoming and moved to Cache Valley in the mid 90s.  

Why are you running? 

Our county is amazing and I want to help continue the traditions, the values, and the commitment to one another that makes this valley a great place to live and feel like home. 

What do you hope to accomplish? 

In the past 4 yrs of my first term we have focused on maintaining government’s proper role, to be limited in its impact our daily lives, while also ensuring equitable policies for all. I will continue to move this effort forward. We will not tolerate crime but will ensure due process. 

What is your day job? 

I’m the Buyer/Planner at Ophir USA (Spiricon-MKS), also I serve as the Hyde Park Irrigation Company as the Water Master and I’m a small business owner with Cache Valley Natural Resources Management LLC, focused on land clearing and irrigation management. 

What do you hope to do that will affect USU students? 

As a Hurd I’m humbled to share the names and the values of The Hurd. As we work on local government policy that will prepare the future for our agriculture heritage while the frontier of what is possible continues to become focused I promise to make limited government great again. 

The Utah Statesman reached out to the following candidates multiple times but did not receive a response. 

Allison E. Goulais — Logan District 2, Democrat 

Peter Thatcher — Southeast District 7, Constitution Party