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Show Saturday, January 27, 2001 The Park Record A-3 City Beat Olch explains his decision CITY EDITOR: jay Hamburger 649-9014 ext. 1 1 1 . . Three-term mayor talks about Olympics and his accomplishments in Park City STEPHEN ZUSYPARK RECORD Mayor Brad Olch announced this week that he will not seek re-election in November. He says Park City's open-space program and planning for the Olympics are accomplishments of his time in the mayor's office. Olch said he did not want to serve an additional four-year term. does not know who will run. Olch said his early announcement leaves time for potential candidates candi-dates to weigh whether to run. "I want to give the people in the community an opportunity to find qualified people to run for the office of mayor," Olch said. Olch served on the Park City Council and the Park City Planning Commission before winning win-ning the mayor's office. He has lived in the city since 1976. During the interview, Olch said he plans on living in Park City for the foreseeable fore-seeable future but said he has no set plans after leaving office. He also said he is not currently considering consid-ering running for another office. "Today I would not run for anything," any-thing," Olch said. Olch sees his efforts to preserve open space as one of his top legacies. lega-cies. "We set the standard for open-space open-space purchases., for the state of Utah if not the' resorts of the mountain West," Olch said. He points to the Osguthorpe Farm on S.R. 224, a 600-acre Round Valley parcel and the Huntsman parcel, Inua ramnainninn anrl I'm roallw which al1 were secured '",,HU'H""'H ' during his term as mayor. by Jay Hamburger OF THE RECORD STAFF For Brad Olch, the decision not to seek re-election for a fourth term as Park City's mayor came down to the 2002 Winter Olympics. The Games will end two months into the next four-year mayoral term and Olch said this week that serving out a full term, which would not end until January 2006, was not appealing. "I've won four elections - one as a Council member and three as mayor. I ask myself the question time and time again: if the Olympics weren't here, would I run for another term? And the answer always came up 'No,'" Qlchrsaid in an interview with The Park Record on Thursday. Earlier in the week, Olch issued a statement saying that he would not run in this fall's municipal election. elec-tion. The announcement was somewhat unexpected since Olch had previously Dublicized his intention to run again in 2001 and security plan, he said. "If the Olympics aren't everyone's every-one's first priority, there's something some-thing wrong with somebody," Olch said. During the interview, Olch, who is 49 years old, talked about the accomplishments of his terms as mayor, his views on the upcoming municipal election and his future after leaving office. Olch's surprise Tuesday announcement came three years into a term that he won by routing Nikki Lowry and J.B. Nelmark in a heated 1997 campaign. Olch says the 1997 campaign still resonates and he did not want to be involved in a repeat this year. "I love campaigning and I'm really good at it, but the last election elec-tion was very personal and dirty," Olch said. "I didnt want to go through another campaign. I've been through four and they get progressively more difficult." ly more difficult. " During his term, there have been changes in the mayor's office, Olch says, such as the position turning Park City Mayor into Bfuii-time job. He said ' ' past mayors did not put in tne same time as ne nas. - Brad Olch since he is Park Citv's toD nnnH at it hilt flP last plpr.tinn was VRIV Olch said the open-space Olympic booster. His . , .. . . ... program, although helped term ends in January personal and dirty. I 0077 t Want tO 00 by numerous others, was "SSSS " amthe' ""W- -OpVe has been wnicn means ne wm not fflrOUgh TOUT and 170 gel progressive- cn"ca uicn saia. ing the Olympics. ror me, its tne ngnt decision at the right time," Qkh said, adding that he would have liked to serve during the mmm Games. "I would love to be the mayor during the Olympics. I want to be mayor during the Olympics . . . I couldn't make another four-year four-year commitment." But in the meantime, Olch says he will ensure that the remainder of his term is largely committed to planning the Olympics. Olch says he wants Park City to be ready for the Olympics before he leaves office. He is confident that he can accomplish that goal. "I will leave office and basically everything will be set and ready ' and in place," Qkh said. Olympic-related topics that he will spend time with in the next year include the city's Games budget, a transportation plan and a He also said a campaign is taxing tax-ing on a candidate, which was not desirable. "To throw yourself at an election elec-tion process, you have to get yourself your-self pumped up and motivated," Olch said. "At this point, I didnt want to do that." He said his successful campaigns cam-paigns are not the norm in resort towns in the West. "Historically, they're volatile politically and there is turnover. I've probably been the exception to the rule, to get elected and stay elected," Olch said. Olch, though, said he will be involved in the 2001 election. He expects to endorse a candidate for the mayor's office although he "The role of the mayor in this community has changed dramatically," dramati-cally," Olch said. "I've made it a full-time job." Olch is also proud that during his tenure the city has not raised its property tax rate nor held a 'truth in taxation hearing,' which precedes pre-cedes a tax hike, and that Park City has become a bigger player on the state scene. He expresses gratitude that voters vot-ers backed him for mayor. "Being mayor of Park City is an honor and a privilege and has been one of the highlights of my life," Olch said. "I've appreciated all of the support I've gotten from the people of Park City during my tenure as mayor." rift rat !i 2 Medium 1 Topping lij Pizzas phis an order of mU Twisty Bread if rn HA MB i Domino's Pizza Our last month's average delivery time was 28 minutes! Business is Crest. Drivers are needed! 2000 Domlno't Pizza inc. Domino's is a mattered 5ii. i li 2 Large Pizzas ilji 2 of Your Favorite Toppings Ej Si 2-UterofCoke Order of Buffalo Wl ill f . 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