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Show Viewpoints The Park Record. There’s plenty to do in summer, and voting is at the top of the list T t d s e s e e d d - ? f r d , u r r e a guest editorial Parkites can elect someone who understands them to Statehouse FRODE JENSEN Park City t - Jack Rubin’s run for the Utah State aSenate is now nearly down to election sday, having garnered a great deal of tattention and support from Parkites, albeit with a touch of pushback from sone sector. g The pushback is whether a Demo-crat or moderate-to-liberal indepen-dent living here in Park City should rvote for Jack in the GOP primary endsing June 26. . The incontrovertible answer is: if .you are eligible to vote, absolutely yes. - Party registrations in the 26th run yapproximately 80-20 GOP and the flikelihood of any Democrat winning in lNovember is remote. So, the question is simple: who among the three candihdates running in the GOP primary is the best candidate to represent all of us? n I believe the answer is — clearly — eJack. He has years of extraordinary nexperience resolving issues at a very ghigh level of American business and finance. I know Jack well and I have ob- The Park Record Staff e e s g t r e r e w w r n h w e e . r e e d h t . e s y e g d s r e s y h Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, June 23-26, 2018 editorial h e n s M d - s h s n f e t d A-21 PUBLISHER ....................... Andy Bernhard Editor ................................... Bubba Brown Staff Writers ......................Jay Hamburger Scott Iwasaki Angelique McNaughton Ben Ramsey Carolyn Webber Contributing ............................. Tom Clyde Writers Jay Meehan Teri Orr Amy Roberts Tom Kelly Joe Lair Copy Editor ............................ James Hoyt Engagement Editor.........Kira Hoffelmeyer Photographer .........................Tanzi Propst Office Manager ..................... Tiffany Piper Circulation Manager ............. Lacy Brundy Accounting Manager ......... Jennifer Snow ADVERTISING Classifieds/Legals ............. Jennifer Lynch Advertising Director ........... Valerie Spung Advertising Sales ................... Jodi Hecker Erin Donnelly Chris Roberts Lindsay Lane Sharon Bush Production Director ..................Ben Olson Production .......................... Patrick Schulz served that he has superior skillsets in analysis, judgment and decision-making. These are rare and important talents which Jack is offering to put to use for us and which we should accept. The backgrounds and skillsets of his opponents simply don’t compare. Yes, Jack is unquestionably a conservative. But voters who typically vote for candidates further to the left should not be reluctant to support Jack. Jack is no knee-jerk right-winger, nor would he be some kind of good old boy camp follower in the Utah Republican machine. Parkites will be able to count on Jack to listen carefully, do his homework, make decisions on the merits and use his best judgment to vote only for bills which make good sense for the community as a whole. So why isn’t voting for Jack a slam dunk for everyone? Well, some comments on social media reflect concerns that it may not be enough to be a highly qualified candidate who is both smart and able. Some independents and Democrats also need to be convinced that voting for Jack in the primary is a better result than voting for someone who can’t win or, worse, not voting at all. Some commenters have questioned Jack’s conviction that smaller government is better government. The concern is that some problems require government solutions. I think Jack would agree. He simply weighs costs versus benefits, always with the view that private sector solutions tend to be more efficient. Jack also believes that solutions conceived by neighbors for the betterment of neighbors are often the best solutions. One-size-fits-all solutions negotiated in Salt Lake City and imposed on local communities often don’t fit anyone well. Park City is a unique place and typically better solutions can be crafted in Park City for Parkites than in Salt Lake City. Parkites will also find that Jack will fight for the right of individuals to manage their own lives socially, economically, and spiritually — without undue government interference. The state has more important work to do to support the common good than attempting to limit our personal freedoms. And lastly, we must be practical. Jack understands life in Park City, Summit County and the Wasatch Back. We live in an area unlike much of the rest of the state and we need a Senator who knows us — who gets it. For the record emperatures have warmed, the snow has disappeared from the trails, and the much-loved dining decks have re-emerged on Main Street. Summer is here, and residents are taking advantage, soaking up the plentiful pleasures of a mountain community in June or hitting the road for vacation. It’s a wonderful time of year. Which, in turn, can make it a bad time of year to hold primary elections. Perhaps an inability to muster the motivation to follow them with everything else there is to do is one reason Summit County’s turnout in primaries has traditionally been meager. In 2016, for instance, only about 24 percent of registered voters submitted ballots. The prospect of besting that mark this year seems tenuous. On top of the summer timing of the primary, it’s a midterm election year without even a single contested County Courthouse race, much less a contested primary. Still, there’s little excuse for such a poor turnout. Participating in primary elections is as much a part of our civic duty as voting in November. And since the number of voters in each race is smaller than in a general election — the lower turnout, combined with the voting pool being limited by party affiliation (though unaffiliated voters can vote in Democratic primaries) — a single primary ballot has outsized power to sway the results. People who abdicate their responsibility are simply giving more influence to those who don’t. Even without county positions on the ballot, there’s plenty at stake this summer. Republican voters will decide between Mitt Romney and Mike Kennedy for a U.S. Senate nomination, and will choose among Jack Rubin, Ronald Winterton and Brian Gorum for the nod in state Senate District 26. On the Democratic side, the 1st Congressional District nomination is up for grabs between Kurt Weiland and Lee Castillo, alongside the state Senate District 26 contest between Pat Vaughn and Eileen Gallagher. In an era of information, when media coverage of the candidates, as well as literature disseminated by their own campaigns, is available at the swipe of a fingertip on a touch screen, it’s easier than ever to become informed about the races. And given that ballots are mailed to voters, allowing them to make their selections in the comfort of their homes, there’s no reason not to cast a vote. True, primary elections aren’t what comes to mind when you think of summer in a mountain community, not with trails and parks and outdoor patios beckoning residents. But come November, what voters do in June will make a big difference. Voters in Summit County must return their mail-in ballots postmarked no later than June 25 to the county clerk’s office. A list of in-person drop-box locations and voting assistance centers is available on the county clerk’s website, http://www.co.summit.ut.us/281/Voter-Registration-Elections. guest editorial As outrage at border continues, U.S. must adopt a more humane immigration system LIANA TETEBERG Park City The disturbing escalation of events at our southern border, whereby young children are separated from their parent(s), has rightfully called for outrage from all corners of our society, even from those who support our current administration in many other aspects. Reflecting on the sharp distinction in how illegal immigration is viewed, I suggest the opposing views are not a function of different views on how children should be treated and cared for, but rather the premise that leads to profoundly different conclusions. If one views the role of Northern European descendants is to assume a dominant role in the United States, and if one considered people coming across the border from the countries south of the U.S. to be criminals, looking for benefits to which they are not entitled, taking jobs from Americans or using their children to gain undeserved entrance into the U.S., it would follow that depriving them of their children might be viewed as a deterrent to others contemplating crossing the borders. Subjecting those attempting to come here illegally to a harsh judicial process, interpreted in the most extreme rendition, would certainly seem consistent with such views. Alternatively, if one embraces the full spectrum of hu- manity and remembers that all of us, regardless of country of origin, were immigrants and took away the lives and livelihood of native Americans and, if one considers that the majority of migrants, attempting to cross illegally, are escaping from countries where their lives and that of their children was routinely threatened and/or their ability to provide the basic safety net for their families was unimaginable, then taking the risk of the arduous journey to the border and suffering the cruelty and inhumanity at the border, while utterly deplorable, is still better than the lives left behind. To adopt and implement a humane immigration and asylum seeker program is absolutely necessary and should include careful consideration to preserve the safety of all Americans and prevent costly impact on our systems. However, those who come to do harm or peddle illegal commodities will always find ways to conduct their nefarious activities and we should laser focus of the cause and prevention of this problem, existing on both sides of our borders. And, finally imagine if we took the enormous resources spent on keeping people out of the U.S. could be redirected to helping countries lift themselves out of poverty, crime and corruption so that there is less need for people to leave their homeland. ... One can dream, can’t one? letters to the editor Vail Resorts is not acting neighborly Editor: Apparently, Vail does not subscribe to State Farm Insurance TV commercials ... “Like a good neighbor...” First, they bounce our local Park City Roasters from providing coffee product at the PCMR which it had done for years. A local ski resort us- ing a local vendor — nice. Simultaneously, despite the fact that Vail had no relationship with the community, they push to take ownership over the name Park City. Fortunately, they relented, but not until a local uproar and a very public protest at City Hall. Now, Vail has bounced another local vendor — Spencer’s Smokin’ Grill. This local favorite has provided BBQ at the Farmer’s Market and the Park Silly for over a decade. We all know that Vail hates nickels because they aren’t dimes — ever seen the food prices at the ski hill? However, to bounce local vendors clearly demonstrates Vail’s loyalty to this community. I can’t wait to see who they hurt next and how long it takes them to charge for parking. Thanks Vail, “Like a good neighbor...” Carl Piccarreta Park City Photos by Kira Hoffelmeyer Asked at Whole Foods What was your favorite summer activity as a kid? f , r é g Christine Clevenger and Gerry Schauwecker Park City and Sitka, Alaska Christine: “For me it was riding bikes in Alaska, up and down dirt roads.” Gerry: “Playing baseball is mine.” Debbie Schlinger Jackson, Wyoming “I enjoy water skiing.” Lisa Johnson Park City “I’d have to say riding my bike.” See these photos and more by following The Park Record on Facebook.com/parkrecord and Instagram.com/parkrecord |