St. George City Council chooses new city councilman

Bryan Smethurst was appointed Monday to fill the St. George City Council seat vacated by the late Joe Bowcutt. Smethurst won by a vote of 3-1. Vardell Curtis received the other vote.

“I will never fill his shoes — just follow in them,” Smethurst said of Bowcutt, who was Smethurst’s stepfather. “I don’t think I could ever try to fill them; I think I need to make my own way — and he would want that, too. Take his legacy and build on it.”

There were 28 individuals who appeared Monday at the Council Chambers to express their interest in the Council seat, prompting Mayor Jon Pike to comment on “the high caliber of the applicants.”

A 45-year resident of St. George, Smethurst is a highly decorated veteran of the U.S. military. He served with the Utah Army National Guard at the state level and deployed to Afghanistan, where he finished his 36-year career in the military as a Command Sergeant Major.

These days he works for Kustom Containers and has served as a volunteer with the St. George Lions Club and Dixie Ambulance.

Smethurst and his wife Becky have three children and four grandchildren.

Smethurst’s term will end in January 2022.