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Show SCENE, C-1 * * • LQ©K FQK LOCAL RESULTS AS THEY g | € @ M I AVAILABLE ELECTION NIGHT; WWWPARKRECORDCQM *' 'i.BUS STOPS HERE. NEW SHELTER fa SOME ROUGH TREATMENT FRQMSTUDENT5 : V O T E R G U I D E , A - l 1 COUNTY COUNCIL CANDIDATES' FINAL STATEMENTS BUSINESS, B-9 QUARTERLY REPORT CONFIRMS REAL ESTATE DECLINE PARK CITY, UTAH The RESULTS A A Park Record. W W W . P A R K R E C O R D . C O M Serving Summit County since 1880 VOL, 1 2 8 * NO. T.7 Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, November 1-4, 2001 Transylvania Tea Party Park City will see stiff competition Marketing for tourists will be cutthroat, expert predicts 5Q(J Split board sides with Walmart Commission votes 2-1 to expand the Basin store By PATRICK PARKINSON Of the Record staff By ANDREW KIRK Of the Record staff The cruise industry is the biggest threat to winter tourism business everywhere, according to Arnie Weissmann, editor-in-chief at Travel Weekly. Weissmann spoke at a Park City Chamber/Bureau luncheon Wednesday and outlined what his magazine is seeing as far as marketing trends for tourism this winter. He said the economic slump and higher plane fares are affecting all tourism, and the cruise industry is expected to be the most aggressive in attracting what's left of the market. The companies have launched seven new ships this year. That's 21,000 berths they're going to try to fill every four to seven days. "They must sail full, their economic structure depends on it," he said. "They have a history of discounting to fill ships." Fewer flights and higher air fares are hampering the cruise industry, and may somewhat level the playing field, but Weissmann warned that competition will also come from other areas. Las Vegas, for example, has 80,000 new rooms built or planned for the 2008-2009 tourism season and while most hotels can stay in business at 65 percent occupancy, the casinos need 90 percent. He expects to see heavy marketing and discounts from them as well. Everyone in the lodging industry should brace for slowing, he said. "There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but I'm here to describe the tunnel," he said. Occupancy rates nationally are down 6 percent and many experts believe they will return to postSept. 11,2001 rates, he said. Luxury hotel managers have told him this year may be worse than Sept. 11, because the large bank debacles have tarnished the prestige of holding a corporate meeting or retreat at a Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton. More bad news: surveys are suggesting that East Coast skiers, a profitable portion of Park City's winter business, are considering staying in New England to ski this season to save money, he said. Lodging figures in Canada and the American West are already suggesting a 20 percent decline. Vail Resorts reported being down 17 percent. Silver linings, Weissmann said, include two trends that will Likely benefit Park City. One is the tendency for vacationers during tough times to seek reliability and take fewer risks. Park City's reputation as a quality destination bodes well for it in this respect. The second trend is for people to seek more quality experiences over "stuff1 when they vacation, and Park City has done well proPlease see Tourism, A-2 3 SECTIONS • 54 PAGES Agendas Business Classifieds Columns Editorial Events Calendar Letters to the Editor A-10 B-9 C-12 A-15 A-19 C-6 A-17 Legals C-16 Movies C-4 Restaurant Guide Sports TV Listings DAVID RYDER/PARK RECORD Sandi Hooker, dressed as a witch, monitors Kim Mayhew, who is dressed for a 1956 high school musical, while Mayhew donates blood at the annual Transylvania Tea Party blood drive at Deer Valley on Friday. Please see Walmart, A-2 GOP: uh-oh, it's Obama Loflt s money beats Browns A seasoned politician, Ure once could count on heavy Republican turnout in the rural areas of his old legislative district. But on Tuesday, Ure wonders whether Weinstein could beat him riding the coattails of Obama. "You walk around town. I think there's enough repercussions from the president By JAY HAMBURGER and some of the things taking place on the Of the Record staff Republican side, the emotion's going to carry over," Ure admits. Opponent Steve Weinstein is not the He is particularly worried about voters only Democratic candidate David Ure is casting straight-party ballots for worried about on Tuesday as he bids for a Democrats as they vote for Obama. If that spot on the Summit County Council. is the case, the Democrats in the County Ure, still one of Summit County's top Republican names from his time as a state Council campaign will each receive a vote legislator, looks at the politician leading when someone casts a straight-party ballot the ticket on the other side - Barack for the Democrats. Ure. who is the chairman of the Summit Obama - and wonders what the effect County Republican Party, expects 2,500 might be on the County Council election. With there appearing to be a people could pick straight-party ballots for groundswell of Obama support in Summit the Democrats. The Republicans, he says, County, especially in the Park City area, might receive fewer than 1,000 straightpoliticians in the local campaigns envision party ballots. In 2006, straight-party ballots in Summit there being the potential for heavy County favored the Democrats 1,574Democratic turnout for the party's presi1.063, and in 2004, the last time the White dential candidate. That, they say, could hurt the Republicans who are seeking the House was decided, the Democrats lower-level offices on Tuesday, such as the received 2,205 straight-party ballots to the County Council and the Statehouse. Please see Local GOP, A-2 Lofft's report to the state shows she largely tapped individuals as donors while Brown's financial statement shows a reliance on the corporate interests. "I think the difference is apparent... I think it's very stark," Lofft said. Recent Lofft donors include Snyderville By JAY HAMBURGER Basin resident Kristi Cumming, who was a superdelegate supporting Barack Obama Of the Record staff during the Democratic National Convention, Democratic state legislator Statehouse challenger Democrat Kathy Christine Johnson, Park City Planning Lofft raised and spent about twice as much Commissioner and developer Rory money as Mel Brown, the Republican legis- Murphy and Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph lator she is trying to unseat, garnering dona- Becker. tions from numerous individuals and a few Last summer, meanwhile, Lofft accepted interest groups. $1,000, one of her largest donations, from Lofft throughout the campaign has tried the Planned Parenthood Action Council in to separate herself from Brown by portraying him as a legislator who kowtows to cor- Salt Lake City. Recent Brown donors include a Qwest porate interests. The upstart Democrat, political-action committee, Salt Lake City meanwhile, touts herself as somebody who law firms. Big Oil, the food industry and has the support of regular people in District manufacturers. 53. Brown did not immediately return a According to campaign-finance reports phone message seeking comment. He has submitted to state election officials, Lofft previously said he has not curried favors to raised $27,391.08 and spent $26,421.56. Brown took in $13,841 and spent his corporate donors, but he does not deny them opportunities to talk to him. $13,671.72. Lofft this week refused to comment The candidates have had divergent fundwhether Brown s donors influence him. raising strategies throughout the campaign. Vote irregularities persist Snow-ticipation Local Republicans worry Democrats will ride his coattails into office She says there is a 'stark' difference between donors to the campaigns election official,'" Dopp said about Summit County's Diebold-manufactured machines. But Jones, who was elected in 2006 to oversee elections, insists the local voter databases and election machines work fine. "In our experience in Utah we have not come up with any issues," Jones said, adding that all 29 counties use Diebold By PATRICK PARKINSON machines. "I'm OK with the system we Of the Record staff have in the place ... We do a tot of testing of this kind of stuff, we do a lot of trainings and scenarios." Elections officials in Summit County But Dopp said she is suspicious because stand behind their controversial electronic machine vote counts arc not compared to voting equipment despite other states paper trails to help ensure accurate election which have scrapped the touch-screen sys- results. tems saying they are prone to error. "We have the most secretive election "When a person goes to cast a ballot we officials of any state in the country and we have high, high, high confidence that it is aren't even allowed to know if they have correct." Summit County Clerk Kent Jones security procedures," Dopp complained. said. "Why on Earth should election procedures But voting machines similar to those be secret from the public?" used in Utah are no longer in many parts of Several election irregularities have California, Ohio, Florida, Maryland, occurred since early voting began in Tennessee and Kentucky, claims Parkite Summit County Oct. 21. Kathy Dopp, a frequent critic of electronic DAVID RYDER/PARK RECORD "I've had persistent voting issues this voting who founded the Utah Count Votes From left, Chance Wilson, Erik Hughes and Khal Krepala defy the laws of year at my precinct in Kamas and for early organization. nature and go skiing on the grass at City Park on Tuesday. The group even "They could be tampered with right voting at the Kimball Junction library," set up a rail to practice sliding even though Park City is still snow-free. under the nose of the most conscientious Other states sack election machines similar to those used in Utah Please see Glitches, A-2 B-16 . B-1 C-10 Weather . . . . ; T . / ™ ™ " Summit County Commissioner Sally Elliott said she voted against expanding Walmart at Kimball Junction because the company isn't required to follow the same rules as other businesses, which have installed smaller storefront signs. Wednesday the Summit County Commission voted 2-1 to allow Walmart at 6545 Landmark Drive to expand by nearly 60 percent. The permit also allows a 74-square-foot sign on the front of the building. "I can't accept the sign," Elliott said before she cast the dissenting vote against Walmart. "We don't need to have a big box with a big sign." Signs at many businesses in the Snyderville Basin can only be 30 square feet, Summit County planner Kimber Gabryszak explained. "One item on which I will not give is the sign code and compliance," Elliott told Walmart representatives at the meeting at the Sheldon Richins Building. "That's my bottom line." Elliott is currently campaigning for seat A on the Summit County Council against Woodland Republican Bill Miles. ^Paik Record .Wi,-i( £.,!•*« TJV-J^ ,/-„-, If-SO wvAv.parkrecord.com a 94937 00001 VISITOR _ T GUIDE » he KPCW Election debate in partnership evening before the election. KPCW's Leslie with The Park Record is Monday, Nov. 3, Thatcher and Rick Brough and The Park from 5-8 p.m. at The New Park Hotel, Kimball Record's Nan Chalat-Noaker and Patrick Junction. Find out where the 11 Summit-County. Parkinson moderate. Members of the audience Council candidates stand on local issues the and radio listeners ar^ invited to ask questions. |