In the Saturday, July 26, edition of The Park Record, a letter from Callaway Zuccarello referenced a brief exchange we had at a neighborhood event. While I appreciate civic engagement and healthy debate, her account of that conversation is markedly different from my own.
Here are the facts as I recall them:
Ms. Zuccarello noticed my well-worn University of Virginia hat and asked if I was an alum. I said yes. She then asked if I had seen news that UVa President Jim Ryan was pressured by the Department of Justice to step down. I told her I hadn’t, that I’d been in meetings all day, and was entirely unaware of the story.
She expressed her admiration for President Ryan’s leadership. I replied that I hadn’t followed his tenure closely. In the course of that discussion, I asked if she’d ever heard of the Jefferson Council, an organization of UVa alumni whose newsletters I occasionally read. She hadn’t. I offered that while I don’t agree with everything they publish, I sometimes find their commentary on student life and university governance interesting.
That was the full extent of our exchange. From that, Ms. Zuccarello drew sweeping conclusions and attributed to me a political ideology, motives and affiliations that I simply do not hold.
A well-documented record shows I’ve spent much of my career supporting and leading organizations that work to expand opportunity and improve access for those who need it most. I also believe in dialogue even when we disagree and in the importance of understanding multiple points of view. That is why I voraciously consume perspectives left, right and center.
I would prefer to believe Ms, Zuccarello’s conclusions are a misunderstanding rather than a deliberate attempt to paint me in a false light for political reasons. Either way, I feel it’s important to correct the record and reaffirm that I remain committed to respectful, inclusive leadership that puts Park City’s people first.
Jack Rubin
Park City