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Show Viewpoints The Park Record. A-9 Wed/Thurs/Fri, October 21-23, 2020 editorial RAP tax, up for reauthorization, continues to enrich community P guest editorial Can Republicans, Democrats learn to trust each other again? JOHN WHITE Midway Forget the slogans” Make America Great Again “or “Make America Better Again” because without trust they are meaningless words. When we are born and up through approximately four years of age, we have a blind trust that our parents are looking out for our welfare. When our brains start to develop cognitive thinking powers, if our parents continue to tell us truths, that blind trust becomes an earned trust. On the other hand, if our parents tell us lies distorting the truth, confusion becomes paramount and we become cynical adults unable to trust anyone. That is the present state of our politics today. According to the Washington Post newspaper fact-checking department, President Trump has lied to the American people over 20,000 times. Unfortunately, those lies have become truths to his supporters and anyone who disagrees with them cannot be trusted! This has been his modus operandi from the beginning of his presidency. We should have been suspicious after his inauguration, when he held a “thank you” rally for his supporters, which later became routine re-election campaign rallies across America. What other presidents have scheduled rallies after they became president? Instead of trying to bring a politically polarized nation together, President Trump’s mission was to continue the polarization. By demonizing the free press as well as Democratic governors, senators, representatives and supporters as enemies of the state, his us-and-them mentality provided him with an excuse for any of his administration’s failings. Continued from A-8 Letters pandemic. To have good mental health is especially important during these trying times, but from my personal experience I know that social isolation can have a terrible impact. I have found that I don’t have to worry anymore because at the Clubhouse we are all in this together. If you are an adult with a history of mental illness, we welcome you to join us at SCC. Membership is free! If you are planning to donate during Live PC Give PC, please consider Summit County Clubhouse. Your gift will go directly to supporting the mental wellness of many people in our community. Thank you for your help! Matthew Rutan Park City The Park Record Staff PUBLISHER ....................... Andy Bernhard Editor ................................... Bubba Brown Staff Writers ......................Jay Hamburger Scott Iwasaki Alexander Cramer Contributing ............................. Tom Clyde Writers Teri Orr Amy Roberts Tom Kelly Joe Lair Engagement Editor............. Jeff Dempsey Photographer .........................Tanzi Propst Circulation Manager ............. Lacy Brundy Distribution........................... Henry Knight ADVERTISING Advertising Director ........... Valerie Spung Advertising Sales ................... Jodi Hecker Lindsay Lane Director of Digital Marketing .. Tina Wismer Digital Sales Executive ............... Erik Jones Production Director ..................Ben Olson Production ......................... Louise Mohorn It also became cannon fodder for his supporters, thus widening the gap of mistrust for anyone who dared to oppose his ideas and policies. At a recent Trump rally, a reporter asked a supporter why he was not wearing a mask? He replied that the coronavirus was all a hoax perpetuated by the Democrats. When asked about the Bob Woodward interview tapes with President Trump regarding his having knowledge of the severity of the virus back in late February, the man replied, “It’s only Woodward’s opinion.” This supporter’s opinion is proof of the widening gap of trust between Republicans and Democrats. For the past four years, Trump’s lies have been manifested into truths by his supporters. Trump’s attack on the integrity of the government’s institutions, along with his systematic destruction of an independent Department of Justice separate from the jurisdiction of the Executive Branch, has promoted his obsessed desire to become a despot governing in an American democracy! Trump’s rhetoric and behavior over the past years have become the gospel to his supporters and at the same time a battle cry for his opponents to save democracy and unseat him in the November election. To paraphrase a Smith-Barney investment ad, “To gain trust the old fashion way is to earn it.” The question remains, after the Trump presidency is over, can Republicans and Democrats ever trust each other? It will take a long time to heal the mistrust fostered by Trump, which has deeply permeated our society. The number one task for the next president is to gain back the trust of all Americans by simply always telling the truth! We need Miller A few years ago, post a decade of vacationing extended to seasonal living, our family relocated to Park City. We arrived after living across highgrowth states like California and Texas as well as dense metros like Seattle and Atlanta. As as happened to so many other folks over the years, Park City’s welcoming energy, engaged community and endless skies delighted us. We felt — and feel — so very grateful to call Park City home. Now as a “Parkite” living in Old Town — legislative House District 54 — the local impacts of this election feel most pressing. We’re a community, economy and lifestyle linked differentially to climate-based tourism. And, we’re raising the next generation of Parkites in a wonderful school district where leadership and educators are fighting an uphill battle in a state with the single lowest per-pupil spending in the nation — dead last. We need a representative who takes the health and economic impacts of COVID-19 and climate change seriously and will support residents and businesses in the efforts to stay safe and stay open. We need a representative who prioritizes our students and the teams who support and lead them at school. We need a representative who will go after affordable health care, government transparency and be a new voice representing all District 54 residents and stakeholders at the state capitol. We need a representative who will balance our inevitable growth with longrange planning and land conservancy as Summit County and Park City continue to attract new business and residents. We need a representative who will advocate for the residents and extended community making our town such a successful and enjoyable place to call home — our essential workers, educators and health care teams. erhaps you look forward all year to perusing the annual Park City Kimball Arts Festival on Main Street. Or you frequent the many trails and parks maintained by Basin Recreation. Maybe you delight in the free outdoor concerts put on by Mountain Town Music during a typical summer. If you enjoy all three, you’re certainly not alone. But these are just a few of the things that are funded, in part, with money generated from the recreation, arts and parks (RAP) sales-and-use tax, a countywide tax of 1/10th of 1 cent on purchases on certain non-food goods that goes toward supporting local arts and culture nonprofits and recreation entities. This election, Summit County voters are faced with deciding whether to reauthorize the RAP tax for another 10 years. Even during a pandemic that has thrust the economy into a downturn and caused enormous financial strain, voting in favor of the tax (Proposition 21 on the ballot) is a no-brainer. Put simply, it has enriched the lives of residents — as well as second-home owners and visitors — in significant and countless ways since voters first approved it 20 years ago. Last year alone, for instance, the RAP tax generated more than $2 million for Summit County, money that is ultimately granted to dozens of organizations such as Park City Film, the Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter, the Park Silly Sunday Market and the North Summit Recreation District for a wide range of programs and initiatives. In the two decades since the inception of the tax, it has raised more than $25 million. In addition to increasing the quality of life in Summit County, the money provides an economic boost, aiding organizations that make the Park City area even more enticing to visitors, who quickly learn that our community has much more to offer beyond world-class skiing. Yet for all its benefits, on an individualized basis, the tax burden is small, adding up to just $1 on $1,000 spent. And, what’s more, a vote in favor of renewing the RAP tax is not a vote for a tax increase — the rate will be the same as what we have been paying over the last two decades, meaning the impact to residents’ pocketbooks is negligible. As everyone who lives or plays here knows, there are many things that make Summit County special. High on the list are the many entities supported by the RAP tax. With your vote, make sure that continues to be true for at least 10 more years. The Nov. 3 election will be conducted primarily through mail-in balloting. The deadline to register online to vote is Friday. For more information, visit the Summit County Clerk’s website at summitcounty.org/281/Voter-Registration-Elections. guest editorial School board needs new voice, new direction TANIA KNAUER Former Park City Board of Education member As the Park City School District Board of Education president to serve immediately before Andrew Caplan, I feel a civic duty to address public misconceptions, the current board’s misrepresentations of fact, and why I highly recommend everyone in District 2 (Highland Estates East and West, Park Meadows North, Ranch Place, Snyder’s Mill) write in Thomas Cooke to represent you for the next four years. For starters, the suggestion that the current board has significantly advanced the master planning process is false. Moving ninth grade to the high school, moving eighth grade to Ecker, taking Treasure Mountain down and growing early childhood education have been priorities of the district since before 2017. What the new board has accomplished is hiring/ firing/hiring costly consultants to arrive at much the same place. The current board lacks the master planning expertise required to effectively address various capital projects the district will undertake in the coming years. On the other hand as a planning commissioner, Cooke demonstrates tremendous depth of knowledge in development projects while cultivating key relationships throughout Summit County. Building new schools will require coordination with the city and county as we address traffic and other community issues that are part of the big picture. Current board leadership has made more enemies than friends, and Caplan’s “my way or the highway” attitude is going to further jeopardize the process. Also problematic is the fact that only one unified voice ever emanates from the board, and every vote is 5-0. A healthy board has varying opinions and doesn’t agree on everything. Any board member who dared dissent in recent years has been bullied off the board. This is evidenced by the highest turnover of school board members PCSD has seen in the two decades I’ve lived here. Adding insult to injury, We need Meaghan Miller in District 54. Please vote to protect our future. Vote to champion our kids’ education and our natural playgrounds, to stay safe and stay open and to address climate change and its impacts on our lifestyle and economy for years to come. Vote Meaghan Miller. Linsly Donnelly Park City Caplan is committed I support Andrew Caplan’s candidacy for a second term representing District 2 on the Park City Board of Education. I have known Andrew and his wife Courtney for over 15 years and have been impressed by their involvements and commitments to the Park City community. They have two young children attending school in the district. Andrew served for seven years on the board of the Park City Education Foundation and was asked to run for the Park City school board four years ago. He quickly grasped the intricacies of working in the highly contentious environment of educational policy and politics. He came to understand that pleasing all parties and addressing every educational need is a thankless and impossible job. But his guiding light is his total commitment to public education as a bedrock of social equity. Andrew’s extensive background in finance has served this community well. He was instrumental in hiring our new school superintendent who quickly assembled an outstanding professional staff. Serving as the current president of the school board, Andrew helped shepherd the complex master planning process these past several years. And when the pandemic crisis hit he worked with the community to find creative solutions to reopening the schools which is overwhelmingly supported by a solid majority of parents and teachers. current school board members have been hand selected as replacements for members run off the board and are now campaigning for the president that chose them. This is inappropriate, as the public should decide their candidate for a public board. Period. The financial situation of the district is also concerning. In a strong economy with relatively flat student growth, the sitting board has increased operational expenditures by more than $20 million. They have also spent down much of the rainy-day fund. While some of these increases relate to teacher salaries, there have also been significant increases to district office administration. And yet, in the middle of a pandemic, they decided to terminate the chief communications position as a matter of “budget.” It sure would have been handy to have a healthy rainy-day fund to possibly fund teacher hazard pay during these stressful times. We’ve seen huge increases in residential property taxes in the last two years, but we haven’t passed a bond yet, and there are a record number of trailers at each school. And while the board continues to strain its relationship with the taxpaying public, it voted unanimously to establish a bond authority, thereby enabling itself to assess bonds against the community without a vote. Lastly, the board’s letter (signed by all members) to PCSD staff on Aug. 24 is deeply troubling. It was threatening in tone and in direct conflict with board governance that clearly provides individual staff the right to communicate directly in addressing grievances with the board. A publicly elected school board should maintain a supportive relationship with teachers, NOT an adversarial one. We need to reign in the current board, start watching the bottom line and establish a dialogue that reflects and respects the entire community, not merely the personal agenda of one member. Write in Thomas Cooke for Park City Board of Education District 2. Andrew clearly understands the value and necessity of retaining and attracting the best teaching staff in Utah and he was instrumental in working with the local teachers union to secure the largest pay raise in the district’s and Utah’s history. I know better than most the contentious nature of public decision-making. Nearly everyone supports providing an outstanding educational experience for our children but few are willing to engage in the gritty day-to-day work of achieving it. Andrew has clearly demonstrated he does with passion and a great work ethic. Please join me in supporting his candidacy and that of the other school board members who work well together while applauding their public service. Myles C. Rademan Park City Reauthorize the RAP tax I’m writing today to encourage our entire community to vote “Yes!” to reauthorize the Summit County RAP tax. As the executive director of Park City Community Foundation, I know the RAP tax is a critical source of funding for local recreation, arts and park programs. It is a lifeline that supports film, baseball fields, trails and concerts. Additionally, recreation and arts entities are major employers and essential components of our tourism economy. As a local, I’m personally grateful every day for what the RAP tax affords us. This summer, my family and I snuggled up in the back of our van to enjoy a drive-in film under the stars at the Olympic Park (thank you, Park City Film), and it was the sort of Friday night that makes a summer special. And every day I walk, run, hike, or bike our trails to clear my head and connect with nature. I know I’m not the only one who has found restoration on our trails during this tough time. What does the RAP tax cost us? It is a proven investment that deploys 1/10th of 1 cent on a sales-and-use tax (that does not include food) to support Summit County programs and projects. Every 10 years we’re asked to reauthorize it, which we did in 2010 and I hope we do again. Please join me in voting YES for Proposition 21! And ... save the date for Live PC Give PC on Nov. 6! Katie Wright Park City Community Foundation executive director Cooke is results driven I am writing to encourage the residents within Park City Board of Education District 2 to write in Thomas Cooke as their representative for the Park City school board on Nov. 3. Over the past five years, I have worked with Thomas on three different boards or committees — all for the benefit of the children in our community. With each opportunity I have found Thomas to be extremely well educated about the issues at hand. He clearly has a penchant for research which leads to enlightened discussions, but Thomas is also respectful and carefully listens to what others bring to the table. Thomas is results driven and encourages collaboration in finding viable solutions; one of his strong suits is consensus building. While my personal work with Thomas has been primarily in the youth sports arena, his passion for providing the best opportunities for all of the children in the Park City area has been abundantly clear since our first meeting years ago. Please write in Thomas Cooke as the Park City Board of Education representative for District 2 when you cast your ballot. Shelley L. Gillwald Pinebrook |