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Two Park City Councilors decide to retire

by Jay Hamburger, THE PARK RECORD

Two incumbent Park City Councilors said this week they will not seek re-election in November.

Dick Peek will retire after serving one full term and a part of another one. Liza Simpson is entering the final months of her second term. Their terms end in early January.

Peek was appointed in April of 2011 to serve the remainder of the late Candy Erickson’s term. Peek won a full four-year term on Election Day in November of that year.

He is 58 years old and lives in Park Meadows. He has lived in Park City for more than 30 years. Peek, a general contractor, served on the Park City Planning Commission prior to his appointment. His City Hall background also includes time on the Historic District Commission, which was the municipal government’s Old Town panel prior to a reorganization that led to the formation of the current Historic Preservation Board.

"I see Council as an ongoing obligation through the decades. The citizens of Park City will come forward and serve," Peek said.

It was an "ongoing decision process" that led him to opt against a campaign, he said.

Peek said accomplishments during his time on the City Council included land acquisitions and annexations for conservation purposes, the decision to renovate the building that houses the Park City Library and Education Center and securing properties on a corridor between Miners Hospital and Park City Mountain Resort.

Peek wants City Hall to make progress on several high-profile projects prior to the end of his term.

He said he wants design and construction contracts awarded for upgrades to the barn at the McPolin Farm. Structural work could allow the barn itself to be used in some fashion, he said. Peek said he also wants work to commence on pedestrian improvements along Park Avenue from the police station southward toward Empire Avenue and Deer Valley Drive.

He would like City Hall to approve a design for a housing project on municipal land on the 1400 block of Park Avenue before he leaves office as well.

Peek, who recently married, said he wants to sail and travel with his wife once he retires from the City Council.

Simpson won her City Council seat in 2007. She is 53 years old and lives in Old Town. She has lived in Park City for most of the time since 1989.

"I think it’s important to give other people a chance to serve," Simpson said about her decision not to seek re-election.

In the remaining time of her term, Simpson wants City Hall to craft a plan for the lower Park Avenue corridor that involves housing for seniors and others. She also wants transportation studies to be completed and anticipates continued work with the Environmental Protection Agency regarding soil issues.

Park City


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