Diania Turner, lacking the name recognition of her two most formidable opponents for the Park City’s mayor’s office, was especially animated during a Thursday candidate forum, at one point saying it is “disgusting” that there is not more housing for senior citizens in the city.
Turner, who more than a year ago became the first person to publicly announce their mayoral aspirations, is running an upstart campaign from the position of a political outsider. She is one of four candidates competing in the Sept. 15 primary. Two will advance to Election Day in November.
Appearing with two of her competitors in front of the Park City Board of Realtors during a meeting on the shores of the Jordanelle Reservoir, Turner said progress must be made for senior citizens in Park City.
“How disgusting is that,” she said as she spoke about the minimal number of housing options for senior citizens.
Turner, though, did not provide details about how she would press for senior-citizen housing if she is elected. Mayor Dana Williams, one of her opponents, has long supported the idea of providing housing options for senior citizens, but there has been limited progress during his two terms.
Meanwhile, Turner said she wants City Hall spending reviewed, claiming she has discovered money-saving options in the private sector. She runs a shuttle company.
“I will find out where Park City is wasting their money,” Turner said.
She also described that she wants Main Street closed to traffic during busy times to create a pedestrian-only zone, she wants the road and the sidewalks on Main Street heated if there if City Hall has enough money to do so and she wants a satellite parking lot to be widely used.
Turner is trying to generate buzz for her campaign in the final two weeks before Park City voters go to the polls in the primary. Williams and former Mayor Brad Olch, another of her opponents, are widely known.
Olch trumpeted what he considers the successes of his three terms in the mayor’s office, starting in 1990 and ending just before the 2002 Winter Olympics. He spoke about his leadership role in organizing the Olympics and touted the instrumental position he played in City Hall’s open-space program, pointing toward the McPolin Farm and large tracts of land in Round Valley and at Quinn’s Junction as examples.
“I see the voids and I have the experience and vision to fill them,” Olch said.
He said Park City’s real-estate market will rebound, as it has done after previous economic downturns, and he praised the area’s homesellers. He said real estate agents are the “cheerleaders of this community.”
Williams, meanwhile, talked of Parkites becoming involved with Main Street and environmental groups during his administration. He said there has been “activism and participation” in Park City while he has been in office. Williams also mentioned the success of long-running talks between City Hall and Washington to transfer prized federally owned open space to Park City. A deal was finalized this week with the transfer of the land to the municipal government.
The event was the first time they appeared together, and another similar event is not planned prior to the primary. R. Dan Portwood, the fourth mayoral candidate, did not attend.
The four Park City Council candidates addressed the real estate agents as well, providing brief statements about themselves and their campaigns. None of the City Council hopefuls made groundbreaking statements, though. A primary is not scheduled in the City Council campaign.