Beerman puts locals first

Park City is entering some of its most challenging years with pressures from both within our city boundaries and our neighboring communities and state. We need a proven leader to help us preserve the unique, special mountain town we all love. Andy is that proven leader.

I am supporting Andy Beerman for mayor. I served on City Council with Andy for six years. During that time Andy supported and led the way on issues that “Keep Park City Park City.”

Andy has the respect of our regional partners and has successfully developed friendships and working relationships with county and state officials. Park City could not have a better or more connected mayor. He was a leader in open space purchases and pushed the City Council to “reach for the moon” and make several of the most critical purchases in the past decade — Bonanza Flat, Treasure Hill and the Armstrong Snowcreek Pastures. He is out front in protecting the environment. He inspired the council and all of us to embrace community-wide renewable energy and Net Zero goals by 2030, the first in the state to do so.

Andy realizes we cannot be a community without our residents. He understands the challenges of living in a resort town — congestion, traffic, noise, affordability. He believes in sustainable tourism but has supported reducing events and creating policies that protect our neighborhoods. He puts locals first in all decision making.

Andy supports our diverse community, our seniors, families and resort workers. Under Andy’s leadership they are all able to call Park City home.

Having worked with Andy on council, I admire him as a leader, a gentleman and a true Park City advocate. Please join me in voting for Andy. I’m all in for Andy.

Cindy Matsumoto

Park Meadows resident and former City Council member

*****

Send fresh faces to City Hall

Ever since I put my hat into the ring for mayor, I’ve had an incredible amount of frank and sincere conversations with many of my fellow Parkites.

And time and time again people would ask me why I was doing it, which was a really easy response for me. I would generally flip the question around and ask them a very simple question first. Why did you move to Park City?

And the answer I received, no matter what political party or where the person or family came from, was virtually the same. They love the mountains, they love the activities and they loved that Park City was not wherever they were from.

Park City holds something near and dear to all of our hearts, and every single one of us has a desire to keep Park City the way we remember it.

But change is inevitable.

However, in order to protect the past, we must invest in the future. Both in terms of infrastructure and our leadership. That means fresh thinking, new candidates, new experiences and new perspectives, or at least a willingness to hear from these voices.

Longevity alone does not prove one’s worth or qualifications.

Park City would be well served by bringing in these new perspectives, which can only enrich our town and our lives, making the town that we all moved to even better.

I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with the remaining candidates on a one-on-one basis, and what is eminently clear is that all of the candidates care deeply about Park City. What was most refreshing was that it was the first-time candidates who were the ones who are most willing to listen and see different perspectives and opinions, as well as explore new ideas and approaches to solving our problems.

Park City will be well served by Nann as our next mayor, and I would welcome a slate of all first-time candidates on council.

I believe that gives us the best chance for our future, and if you agree with me, I hope you vote this way too.

David Dobkin

Former Park City mayoral candidate

*****

Worel is a consensus builder

Back in 2008, I and my People’s Health Clinic board co-chair Charlie Wintzer had the good fortune to come to know Nann Worel, first as a volunteer and then as our recommended choice as executive director of PHC.

It was a crucial time as the clinic transitioned from a traveling van and storefront operation into our headquarters in the Summit County Health Department building at Quinn’s Junction.

That choice turned out to be all that we had hoped for — a leader who would build a first-class facility and professional staff to meet the health needs of the many uninsured residents of the county. For the next eight years that is exactly what Nann accomplished. There were many others who joined her in that work but make no mistake, it was Nann Worel’s experience, people skills and leadership that made it happen.

Nann was a listener, a consensus builder, an empathetic caring person who built relationships with her board, donors, the staff and the patients. She inspired trust because she was about them, not her ego. In all of the years I have known her, I can’t ever recall an instance in private or in public where she took personal credit for either the staff or the clinic’s achievements.

Her record of achievement in the positions she has held in our city speaks to the kind of mayor she will be. Her greatest endorsement is her achievements and not kudos from public figures from around the state who have little or no personal experience or understanding of the challenges of Park City and Summit County.

I am proud to call her friend and colleague. I have every confidence that if selected as Park City’s new mayor, she will bring the same dedication and can-do attitude of cooperation and consensus building to the many issues facing our community — Park City and Summit County. I urge your support for Nann Worel for mayor. She will listen and we will be well served.

Michael Andrews

Pinebrook

******

Protect our most valuable assets

Our beautiful community of Park City is something special. Park City boasts spectacular, world-class open space within which is fostered highly acclaimed education for the faces of our future, the students of the Park City School District.

As a collaborative partnership, we work hand-in-hand with supporters of our natural resources — both our children and our natural surroundings — toward building a community where the beauty and majesty of our home is matched by the strength and achievement of the students in our schools.

As we have persevered through a worldwide pandemic and local wildfires, we’ve been reminded of the value of our connections with one another and our love of the wonderful landscape we call home. Supporting the modernization of and updates to our school buildings shows our hope and priorities for our future and our children’s futures. Likewise, the conservation of open land shows a true love and respect for our magnificent surroundings.

As we look towards the future, we invite you to stand side by side with us in protecting and preserving our most valuable assets, our children’s educational opportunities and our open space.

Anna Stampfli, Silver Springs

Nick Van Dine, Park Meadows

*****

Elect leaders to tackle challenges ahead

I am finishing up my four-year term on City Council. During this time, we have made progress in areas that the citizens have told us were most important to them. Transit, walkability, open space and social equity have all seen noticeable improvement, even during the incredible adventures of COVID. However, the challenges ahead are even more complex and will require new approaches and ideas and stronger partnerships. We have an opportunity to elect people with different backgrounds and experiences who will look at our problems in new ways. The good news is that Park City has excellent candidates and I want to share my choices.

In addition to Nann Worel’s nonprofit, Planning Commission and City Council experience, she is wonderfully empathetic and a great listener. She and I have worked together for years and even when we disagree, it is always with thoughtfulness and respect. She works to build strong relationships and would be a great coach for new city councilors. She is a strong leader, and as our mayor, would represent us well.

Jeremy Rubell’s business experience, even keel and kind, positive attitude make him a perfect choice for City Council. From our deep discussions about the city’s policies and finances, I feel confident that he will bring a well-grounded, fiscally conservative approach to governance. It is critical to have someone willing to challenge the assumptions and ask the hard questions. Jeremy is the obvious choice.

Tana Toly’s deep Park City roots and Main Street business experience can help council bridge the gap between the city and local businesses, some of which feel that they aren’t being heard. She has been very active in the community for years, participating on numerous city and county boards.

I think that Park City’s critical priorities are still representative of what the local residents, businesses and work force are asking for, but there is a growing list of difficult challenges ahead. You have an opportunity to elect a fresh, very talented team to tackle these issues. Please join me in voting for Nann Worel for mayor and Jeremy Rubell and Tana Toly for City Council.

Steve Joyce

Park City Council

*****

Help us change lives

Having been involved with Summit County Clubhouse since before its official opening in 2019, I am deeply proud of what this organization has achieved and the track it is on to continue growing and helping its members.

For anyone not familiar with Clubhouse, we offer services and programs free of charge to adults with a history of mental illness living in Summit and Wasatch counties. The areas we support members in are employment, education, social connection, and health and wellness.

With a history dating back to 1948, Clubhouse International has nearly 300 clubhouses in 30 countries. The fact that the Wasatch Back has a clubhouse in our community speaks to the importance of mental health to our residents and local leaders.

To find out more about Clubhouse and how you can help, please go to summitcountyclubhouse.org. For those interested in donating, we are in the midst of a capital campaign to renovate our new home on Highland Drive and we are participating in Live PC Give PC on Nov. 5.

And a big shout out to everyone who is already involved with and supporting our Clubhouse. You are heroes to the members, staff and board.

Stephen Spaulding

Summit County Clubhouse board member

*****

Send Henney back to City Hall

Recent letters have spoken to Tim Henney’s competence, knowledge and experience as reasons to reelect him. This letter focuses on a trait that is at least as important as these.

It’s easy for leaders to tell us what we want to hear. No debate, hurt feelings, conflict need arise when leaders sway with wind. I have been repeatedly impressed with Tim Henney’s willingness to tell passionate residents what we don’t want to hear! Being upfront and treating residents like adults is the foundation of a stable, sensible city government. Additionally, Tim delivers his opinions and explains his actions calmly, with good humor, evidence and solid reasoning.

A month ago I was asked what job I wouldn’t do for any amount of money. I replied: be a local elected official. And, consistent with the theme of telling us all what we don’t want to hear, that goes double in our fair burg. The amount of time, energy, conflict and general heartburn involved with local governance is astounding. Thank goodness quality people like Tim are willing to lead us. Let’s collectively reward Tim’s integrity by sending him back to the woodshed (the City Council) for another term!

John D. Fry

Prospector

*****

I’ve seen Beerman’s leadership

As an almost 13-year member of the Summit County Council, I have known and worked closely with Andy Beerman for nearly a decade, first when he was a member of the Park City Council and most recently as mayor. We have worked together closely on many open space deals, transportation planning and legislation.

Andy has worked hard to make good things happen in Park City. In both of his roles as city councilor and mayor, he has always led out and has had broad support from his council. Andy listens. He is smart. He is inclusive and respectful. I have never seen him lose his temper and always seen him build up rather than tear down.

I don’t believe that open space purchases like Bonanza Flat, Treasure Hill, the Clark Ranch and others would have happened without his leadership.

He is passionate about sustainability and reducing Park City’s carbon footprint and he led by example when he and his wife Thea Leonard owned a significant portion of and operated the Treasure Mountain Inn.

He is also a relationship builder with regional leaders and organizations like our congressional delegation, the Utah Legislature, the Utah League of Cities and Towns, the Utah Quality Growth Commission, the Central Wasatch Commission, Summit County and adjacent counties and municipalities. He is a well-known and well-respected leader around the state.

I agree with Andy’s analogy of Summit County and Park City being like siblings who occasionally squabble, but who come together and work well when it counts. Some of the times when it’s counted have been in dealing with Hideout’s hostile annexation, biting off ambitious open spaces, dealing with COVID-19, and amicably separating the city’s and the county’s transit operations.

I look forward to continuing to work with Andy in his role as mayor and encourage your support as well.

Chris Robinson

Summit County Council member

*****

Reinvest in public education

When my family and I moved to Park City 35 years ago, one of the most important factors in our decision to leave Crested Butte, Colorado, a place we loved very much, was the far better quality of schools Park City offered. Our son, Bryce, was able to attend Parley’s Park and McPolin elementary schools, then TMMS, and then Park City High School.

My wife Joy and I were constantly impressed by the high quality and caring poured into his local education. As big believers in public education we couldn’t have been happier with the opportunities our local schools afforded him. After graduating, he went on to a very successful college career, which he was well-prepared for, and just recently attended his 20th high school reunion. Truly our community has been blessed by the thoughtful and thorough planning the school board, teachers and administrators have poured into making Park City schools not only the best in Utah but one of the top districts in the entire country.

I was fortunate to watch the “COVID Class of 2021” graduate on the North 40 Fields, and again was amazed at the high spirits and excellence I witnessed. Like any other valuable community asset, we must constantly plan, invest and reinvest if we wish to ensure its future viability and quality.

Reviewing the strategic and financial plan presented by the school board, after extensive public input and consultation, I am confident the course they have presented is both prudent and necessary. I therefore urge you to vote “YES” on the $79.2 million bond on Nov. 2.

Myles Rademan

Park Meadows

*****

Henney tells it like it is

As a long-time Park City resident, engaged community member and parent, I am writing in support of Tim Henney for City Council.

Tim listens to the community. He seeks input from all corners and then distills that information, identifying common questions and concerns, before tackling them. He tries to learn as much as he can before making decisions. And he is willing to change his mind, if presented with new or different evidence. I have not always agreed with Tim’s decisions, but I have never doubted that he was engaged and educated, and that he has acted in the best interest of our town.

Tim can be blunt, but do not confuse that with being rude or dismissive. Perhaps because I am originally from New Jersey, I never find straight talk to be offensive, so long as it is true. Tim’s talk is straight — and honest. He does not waste time, he does not sugarcoat, and he does not tell you what you want to hear. But, then, why would you want any of those qualities in your elected officials? With Tim, you will know where he stands and you can trust that he will vote accordingly.

Park City needs elected officials who listen, learn, and, above all, tell it to us straight. For these reasons, I will be voting for Tim for City Council and encourage your readers to do the same.

Maggie AbuHaidar

Park Meadows

*****

Reexamine a complex situation

Thank you to Amy Roberts for her write-up in the Sept. 29 edition of The Park Record, titled “The trickle-down effect.” This column brought some much-needed attention to the significant planned reduction of water flow to Poison Creek/Silver Creek, scheduled to begin in 2022.

While this plan was crafted between the city and federal agencies in 2013, many citizens seem unaware of the issue. Park City residents Jill and Ed Orschel generously hosted an informative meeting on Sept. 20. While Max Doilney, Park City councilman, and Clint McAfee, Park City public utilities director, did their best to explain a complex situation, many of us left with more questions than answers.

Park City Council met for a live work session on this topic, Thursday, Sept. 23. For some of the council, the imminent water reduction was new information and the council seemed at a loss regarding how to respond. At one point, a councilperson wondered aloud, “Why are we even talking about this?” I made a verbal request that (1) the topic not be tabled, but rather the council and community commit to a deeper dive into alternative solutions to maintaining some of the current flow into the creek and (2) ecologists be consulted regarding the viability and preservation of the tree and plant life presently lining the creek beds and filling the wetlands, once the flow of Judge Tunnel water is terminated and redirected to the Three Kings Water Treatment Plant.

The Rail Trail corridor is a beloved passageway through our little town, extending from Main Street to the Prospector Park wetlands and beyond. It is one of the few green stretches gracing our town and provides respite to animals and humans alike.

This summary is admittedly brief for brevity sake. The situation is incredibly complex and there are no easy solutions. 2013 was a long time ago and we owe this corridor the respect of a decent conversation and reexamination of possible alternatives. Strong and collective voices are critical. Please join me in sharing concerns, possible solutions and perspectives with Mayor Andy Beerman and Nann Worel, a mayoral candidate and Park City Council member.

Kim Fry

Prospector

*****

Grateful for Beerman’s passion

I have seen Andy Beerman reach out well beyond the White Barn to build relationships and bridges between community leaders and groups. I am grateful that Andy is at the table and engaged in discussions and policies around issues like transportation, climate and tourism that impact Park City on a local, regional, state and even national level.

Andy has the respect of those that work directly with him. I had a friend from the Summit County Health Department who worked closely with Andy as they navigated the pandemic. Recently he shared how much he valued Andy’s help, support and engagement around the many tough decisions and calls that had to be made to keep our community safe over these past 18 months.

I appreciate Andy’s efforts and passion around social equity and the opportunity I had to be included in a group conversation about my faith community. Andy asked questions that prompted discussion, and through our discussion we found commonalities among our values, and a shared passion for Park City. This is one of Andy’s strengths, finding what we as neighbors have in common, showing mutual respect for our differences, and then finding out how we can work together to meet shared goals.

Andy has established many great relationships over his almost four years as our mayor, and I hate to see a break in those relationships and initiatives which benefit Park City and the surrounding areas. As I vote for Andy this month, I will be lucky enough to keep them both: Andy as mayor, and Nann Worel as a City Council member. I value them both.

Karen Marriott

The Aerie