As I’ve done for every election since moving to Park City 30 years ago, I happily cast my ballot this week. I decided to vote for Jack Rubin for mayor, and here’s why:
More and more lately, it seems that the voices of Park City residents get drowned out — often by developers — when decisions are made about the future direction of our mountain home.
For me, that frustration has been accentuated by the city’s process regarding the redevelopment of the Bonanza 5-Acre Site at the corner of Kearns Boulevard and Bonanza Drive. One real disappointment has come from knowing that the city owns the 5-Acre Site and therefore has the rare opportunity to control what is done on that site.
Yet, under the current redevelopment proposal, the city would lease the land to the developer they selected for the next 99 years. That means that the financial viability for the developer is what ends up driving the developer’s proposal, not primarily the goals and desires of residents.
And, as City Council members have stated, the development on the 5-Acre Site will be tied to future developments throughout the larger 70-acre Bonanza development zone — defining the entry corridor to our town and potentially having a negative impact on our mountain views.
During last week’s mayor candidates’ debate, there were two message that came through loud and clear to me: Jack Rubin’s stated priority in the mayoral race is to refocus the city on what residents want. Ryan Dickey, when asked whether he prioritizes the wishes of residents, answered instead that it is the current City Council and mayor who make decisions they feel benefit the city. In other words, “We know best.”
The skills Jack has fine-tuned through his professional career include finding solutions to problems by working with team members to identify common ground and building on those. We need that. Leaders who will put the views of residents first and always instead of building voting cliques and relationships with developers that create walls between our elected representatives and us residents.
That’s what the theme of Jack’s race means: “Take Park City Back” means to put the residents back in the driver’s seat of our city’s decision-making.
And for those who support Ryan, a vote for Jack means you get both Jack and Ryan, working together — Ryan would stay on the council, and Jack would bring a fresh commitment as mayor to prioritizing the voices of residents on every issue.
Thank you for listening! Don’t forget to vote.
Kathy Hunter
Park City