As the mayor of Francis City, and as a city councilman and planning commissioner before that, for many years I have had the privilege of collaborating with, learning from and being lifted up by many incredible elected leaders and community partners at the federal, state, county and municipal levels. Mayor Andy Beerman is one of those leaders for whom I am deeply grateful to have had working at my side throughout these years.

It would be simple to incorrectly assume based upon the outward appearances of rural Francis and the bustling travel destination Park City that these two neighboring communities could not be more different from each other. Underneath their individual characteristics, diverse histories and unique cultural influences, at a fundamental level the people that live in these two cities are essentially looking for the same things in life. People choose to live in the Wasatch Back for many personal reasons, and they don’t want those reasons for being here to disappear. We’re here for the sense of community, bonds with family and friends both past and present, creating or maintaining a relationship with the land, opportunity for personal, vocational and professional growth, more oxygen to breathe, and the list can go on, but it’s the same list in Francis and Park City. These shared values and aspirations mean the residents of both cities have the same expectations for their elected leaders. Our job as mayors of Francis and Park City is to work tirelessly to protect all those things that are of critical personal value to our residents. Throughout the years of leading my city, I have found a consistent, rational and intentional regional leadership partner in Mayor Andy. Andy is a passionate, selfless, brave and visionary regional leader.

Over the years of attending city, county and regional meetings and events, I have never met Andy’s competitor in this election. Most politicians will express genuine passion at times throughout their public service, so it is safe to assume she has passion for Park City. That’s the easy part. True selflessness, bravery and big vision are rare qualities in an elected leader. Andy exudes them. Mayor Andy has many times offered, unsolicited, to provide assistance to Francis in times of need due a dearth of resources and limited city employees in Francis. Andy has made meaningful introductions for me to other elected leaders with whom he has longstanding relationships in neighboring cities, the county and our state’s federal delegation. These leaders have in turn been willing to offer me advice and guidance for Francis City solely because Andy saw specific needs and knew who could provide the appropriate resources to meet those needs.

As the esteemed Judge Learned Hand once wrote, “The condition of our survival in any but the meagerest existence is our willingness to accommodate ourselves to the conflicting interests of others, to learn to live in a social world.” Mayor Andy has repeatedly demonstrated that he is acutely aware that personal agendas and political views can polarize and divide our communities. Instead, he leads by maintaining clarity on the big picture vision with knowledge that his actions and decisions impact not only Park City, but also the regional communities. Mayor Andy’s “intentional leadership” is sustainable leadership for Park City. Reelecting Andy Beerman for Park City mayor is critical to ensure we protect and preserve the reasons we all choose to live here. We live in an interconnected social world. Mayor Andy’s brave and visionary leadership embraces that reality and strengthens Park City and the Wasatch Back region as a result.