Not long ago, I sat in a candid and extended meeting with JK and Tana to discuss the state of Park City leadership. The tone throughout was collegial, respectful and professional — nothing resembling the patronizing or demeaning behavior alleged in the recent hit piece signed by the now lame-duck coalition.
I’ve known JK for years. He’s helped countless people — arguably more women than men. And in a twist of irony, he’s even extended generosity to those caught red-handed with their fingers in the till at Flanagan’s On Main. That included both women and men. Misogynist? Mansplainer? That’s not the JK I know.
The recent group-speak smear was just that: a bad rap, wrapped in tired tropes and political theater.
Now, with Kimball the latest to leave town, there’s more food for thought. When I read the hit piece, I couldn’t help but ask: Why — and who else, beyond the signatories — are complicit in this narrative?
Politics is a blood sport. So keep punching, JK. If they’re making noise, it means you’re on target and doing something right.
As for Pat and Fritz of LSDM — they came in like the Lone Ranger and Tonto, not to rescue JK from peril, but to stand beside him and offer clarity. Their piece didn’t just defend JK — it helped reframe the conversation at the state level, where nuance and fairness still matter.
To those who signed on Facebook with the same old gender tropes and “mansplaining” accusations: We see you and we see through it. JK’s toughness and candor is exactly what Park City needs right now.
As Frank Perdue once said, “It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken.”
Vote JK. It’s now or never!
Orie Santillo
Deer Valley