Once the County Council signs off, she will become the first female sheriff in the county’s history.
Rivera, who has overseen policing for the Unified Police Department in its Riverton precinct, is poised to replace former Sheriff Jim Winder, who left a year before his term expired to lead the Moab Police Department.
Rivera told a gathering of Democratic insiders she would win the 2018 election, when the position is on the ballot again for a full, four-year term.
In her speech before the runoff vote, Ken Hansen, Levi Hughes and Fred Ross, who lost in the first round of voting, stood by her side.