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Show C-1 B-1 MUSIC HAS STARRING ROLE AT SUNDANCE A BUMPY BEGINNING SHAPED MOGULS STAR COUNTY SEAT, A-5 REAL ESTATE INSIDE! COLUMNS, A-18 SCHOOLS STUDY THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION House hunting in Park City or the surrounding area? Check out our Real Estate Guide. LET IT SNOW, SAYS TOM CLYDE Park Record. The PA R K C I T Y, U TA H Serving Summit County since 1880 | W W W. PA R K R E C O R D . C O M Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, January 18-21, 2020 Vol. 139 | No. 100 $1.00 Carson won’t campaign for another term In diverse districts, Summit County’s lawmakers must cover a lot ground Serving has been an ‘incredible privilege,’ but stepping away is right call, county councilor says JAMES HOYT The Park Record ALEXANDER CRAMER The Park Record P a r k City’s state legislators — three House representatives and two senators — have a lot on their respective plates when it comes to representing their districts. Altogether, Summit County’s state legislative districts, which are largely rural, cover a vast area that borders Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado. The constituents in those districts come from places as wide-ranging as Salt Lake City, North Ogden and Vernal. While the boundaries might change in the next round of redistricting after the 2020 census, legislators will represent the same areas that they have since 2011 when the Legislature’s 2020 session begins later this month. Here’s an overview of the districts Summit County’s legislators represent and some of the issues important to the diverse constituents occupying them. House districts State Rep. Brian S. King is the only Democratic state politician representing any portion of liberal-leaning Summit County. House District 28 covers east Salt Lake City, Emigration Canyon and Summit Park, stretching into parts of Pinebrook. There is often overlap in the input the House minority leader receives from constituents in the mostly residential Summit County portion of his district and in the feedback he gathers from Utah’s largest city. He said his Summit County constituents, though, are especially concerned with transportation. “I don’t think there are a lot of huge differences in terms of ideology (throughout the district),” King said. “Issues involving getting to and from Park City are issues that Summit Park and Pinebrook are a lot more sensitive to than a lot of other parts of the district.” State Rep. Tim Quinn, a Heber City Republican, presides over House District 54, which includes Park City itself and all of Wasatch County. Though differences among the constituencies and economies of the district are there — Park City’s affluence contrasts with Heber’s rural character, among other things — there are signs that the interests of the Park City area and of Wasatch County are increasingly in alignment as the latter becomes one of the fastest-growing counties in the state. Quinn views the two parts of his district as very distinct groups in culture that are “absolutely” growing closer as economies. “There are some hot issues that I think each county ... kind of gravitate towards, GRAPHIC BY BEN OLSON Wasatch is very much concerned with education, very much concerned with low taxes, Summit County is concerned about education but probably much more concerned about environmental issues,” Quinn said. Representing much of the Snyderville Basin and a large portion of the east side of Summit County is state Rep. Logan Wilde, a Republican from Croydon. House District 53 is a vast one, running from Bear Lake in the Please see Sprawling, A-2 Official wary of ‘workforce rebellion’ There is rising frustration and anger, City Councilor Becca Gerber says JAY HAMBURGER The Park Record A member of the Park City Council on Thursday spoke of what she described as rising concerns among rank-and-file workers in the community that could eventually lead to an uprising of some sort, a brief comment but one that seemed to encapsulate the worries of a broad swath of people who are employed in the service industry or other low-paying sectors. City Councilor Becca Gerber made the comment during a lengthy discussion by the elected officials about transit and transportation. The transit system and the wider issue of transportation is a City Hall priority and one that is especially important to the workforce since it impacts the commute of bus riders and people driving personal vehicles alike. 3 sections • 38 pages Classifieds .............................. C-7 Events Calendar ..................... C-6 Restaurant Guide.................. A-17 Scoreboard ............................. B-5 “I’m afraid we’re going to face, like, a workforce rebellion in the next couple of years because people are frustrated and they’re getting angry,” Gerber said. She did not provide details about the methods the workforce could ultimately use if they were to rise. Gerber, though, said the frustration among workers that she described reflects in the service they provide. “When our employees come, and they’re working lifts or they’re working (at) fancy restaurants, and they’re frustrated and angry already just from their trip in. It provides a lesser service,” Gerber said. Park City continues to press forward with transit and transportation planning. The meeting on Thursday was designed to address priorities. There is long-running concern about the traffic in the Park City area. The talks about transit and transportation are expected to be ongoing as strategies are decided and then implemented. There are regular backups on both of the state-highway entryways as commuters, skiers and others attempt to enter or leave Park City at roughly the same time. Solutions have been difficult to negotiate among City Hall, the County Courthouse and the Utah Department of Transportation. There was fierce opposition, as an example, as state transportation officials offered a concept to widen the S.R. 248 entryway. Other ideas, such as an aerial-transit system, have yet to advance. Gerber recently started her second term as a city councilor after having easily captured a seat in the City Hall election in November. She grew up in Park City and, as an elected official, has positioned herself as a champion of the workforce. Gerber’s comments at the meeting displayed similarities to a statement she made in late 2017 likening some of the issues in Park City to those in the developing world. In her 2017 comments, also made at a City Council meeting, Gerber said there are issues in Park City that could be seen as Third World problems. They included safe and affordable housing, food affordability and affordable medical care. She said at the meeting in 2017 that some Parkites see themselves as “somewhat disenfranchised” and without voices. Gerber said at the time there were “fighting words, that’s revolutionary talk, which also feels like a Third World problem to me.” VISITOR GUIDE Sundance will lift the curtains on 2020 film festival Summit County Councilor Kim Carson has announced she will not seek another term and will instead step down after eight years on the council at the end of her term, capping two decades of public service that started in the Park City School District and grew to include positions with statewide impact. “It’s been an incredible privilege, it really has, and it wasn’t an easy decision,” Carson said. “But I feel like it’s the right decision for me at this time.” She described the job as demanding but rewarding, working long hours to prepare for and attend meetings and always being “on the clock.” “I don’t want that to detract from how honored I’ve been to be able to serve the citizens of Summit County,” she said. “It’s exciting, it’s interesting (and there’s) always something new to learn, even after two terms.” Carson’s term will expire at the end of the year. Hers and two other council seats will be on the ballot in November: those currently held by Doug Clyde and Roger Armstrong. Clyde said he will run again and Armstrong said that, while he has not decided, he is leaning toward running. Carson, 59, said she’s looking forward to having the flexibility to travel more and to spend more time with her family, including her husband and two grown children. She lamented leaving behind relationships in both the county and the rest of the state that she’s built during her career of service. Others have said she’s well-respected in the Utah Association of Counties and is a consistent presence on Capitol Hill when the state Legislature is in session. At County Council meetings, Carson asks and answers specific questions about the issues and appears well-prepared and attentive. She said the decision wasn’t an easy one and that she’d gone back and forth in her mind. Once making the choice, though, she felt relief. One potential reason to seek another term, she said, was the fact that hers is the only female voice on the council, and that she is often one of the few women in the room making decisions. While she said it’s important to have a female perspective on the council and that she’d like her successor to be a woman, she said it’s imperative that person be qualified for the position. One of the reasons she announced her intention to step away months ahead of the March filing deadline was to give others who are considering running the time to attend training sessions for public officeholders. Carson is a Snyderville Basin resident whose career started in corporate sales and then evolved into consulting and training in the field. She became involved in public service volunteering with the Parley’s Park Elementary School parent-teacher organization and was serving as the executive director of the Park City Education Foundation when then-superintendent Nancy DeFord asked her to consider running for school board. “It had never crossed my mind,” Carson said. She served on the Park City Board of Education Please see Carson, A-8 PARK RECORD FILE PHOTO Summit County Councilor Kim Carson has decided she will not seek another term and will retire from elected office at the end of her term in December. Her career in public service started with the Park City School District and spanned two decades. The 2020 Sundance Film Festival will run from Thursday, Jan. 23, through Sunday, Feb. 2, at various venues in Park City, Salt Lake City and the Sundance Resort. For information, visit sundance.org. For coverage of the event, visit parkrecord.com. |