Malena Stevens, the vice chair of the Summit County Council, announced on Friday she will not be seeking reelection.
The Pinebrook resident said upcoming opportunities and obligations in her personal and professional life would prevent her from giving the elected position the time it needs.
“That’s the reason. It’s just a timing thing,” she told The Park Record.
Stevens will conclude her first term at the end of next year, and she’s proud of what Summit County has accomplished in that time.
She listed the $50 million open space bond approved by voters in November 2021 as well as the work of county staffers and area nonprofits to secure options for the 910 Cattle Ranch property.
“I think it’s been phenomenal that the community decided to move forward in the direction of us working collaboratively to kind of decide elements of our future in that capacity,” Stevens said.
Bolstering law enforcement and enhancing emergency medical services has been a priority, too. Behavioral health and efforts to support area youth are also key issues for Stevens, particularly coming out of the coronavirus pandemic. She worked for the Park City Police Department and served as a victim advocate coordinator who specialized in helping those affected by violent crimes.
Stevens highlighted how groups like the Summit County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, which formed last fall, have helped improve safety, but also justice, fairness and equity across the community. This will be crucial to ensuring the community is safe in the long term as it grows, and as officials prepare for more visitors — like during the 2034 Winter Olympics, she said.
Summit County has also made important progress on issues such as affordable housing and transportation, according to Stevens.
She touted the Slopeside Village project at Canyons Village, a private-public partnership between the county, the Canyons Village Master Association and large employers such as Park City Mountain.
Stevens noted the accomplishments of the High Valley Transit District, which she’s a board member of. The entity celebrated 2 million rides over two years in September. However, she also recognized ongoing infrastructure concerns such as the need to improve S.R. 224 and the Silver Summit interchange. Stevens said she hoped to see more progress over the next year.
Regional collaboration will be a main focus for Stevens as she finishes out her term. She said she believes it’s important to work with cities and towns throughout the county to understand what each area’s needs are.
One way to do that is by implementing the Our Summit visioning project. Staffers spent around 12 months developing a strategic plan to shape the future community based on public feedback. Housing, open space, recreation and community character were listed as the top concerns.
“I think we’re at this crossroads where we, as a community, can decide how we want to evolve and what we want our future to be — or it’s going to happen to us,” Stevens said. “I’m in the camp where I would really like to proactively approach all of these issues and how we want to evolve and progress versus letting it happen to us.”
Someone who is living and working in the community would be a great asset to the County Council, according to Stevens. She said a member with young kids would likely have a different experience and perspective than someone who is retired. The right candidate should also be pragmatic and collaborative as well as willing to negotiate and compromise to find solutions.
Stevens has a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and a master’s in public administration with a focus on local government policy from the University of Utah. She served two terms on the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission before joining the County Council.
Stevens was elected in 2020 as a replacement for Kim Carson. She defeated Canice Harte, who challenged her in the primary election that year before he won a seat in 2022, by around 1,000 votes in the primary election.
Her campaign was rooted in a desire to bring collaboration to municipal government and manage important issues such as transportation and planning. She also strived to represent local families as a working mother.
Stevens didn’t rule out a political bid in the future if she has more time in her schedule.
“Even when we’ve disagreed, I’ve appreciated the conversation and collaboration and insights because, frankly, I don’t have all of the answers,” she said. “It’s when we have civil discourse, and we come together and have conversations and work on solutions that we get to the best possible answers. I think we have a community in all sectors that has a lot of capacity and it’s been really great to be able to serve with all of them.”
There are three County Council positions on the ballot next fall. Roger Armstrong and Tonja Hanson announced their plans to run for reelection this week.
The filing period is Jan. 2 through 8. There could be a primary election depending on how many candidates from each party apply.