Peter Cooke, the Democrat challenging for the governor’s office, said Wednesday during a stop in Park City he does not support the idea to connect Canyons and Solitude Mountain Resort with a gondola.
He briefly addressed the proposal during a campaign event at Wasatch Bagel & Grill after someone in the audience broached the topic. He told the people at the restaurant there should be a public discussion about SkiLink, the name of the proposed connection, rather than the way critics see it unfolding.
In an interview afterward, Cooke said the SkiLink idea has not been reviewed in a manner that is acceptable to him. That has led him to oppose the connection. He mentioned that the impact on the environment has not been researched.
“It never has gone through any open hearings,” he said in an interview. “It never went through the process.”
Canyons owner Talisker Corporation wants to purchase approximately 30 acres of U.S. Forest Service land needed for the SkiLink route. The Republicans in Utah’s congressional delegation support the idea and introduced legislation that would allow the acreage to be sold.
The debate about the sale has been in Washington, D.C., but SkiLink has been politicized at the state level as well. It is largely a partisan dispute, pitting Republicans who support the idea against Democrats in opposition. The supporters say SkiLink would boost the state economy while detractors worry about the impact on the backcountry and the watershed.
It is not clear what role the governor would have as the SkiLink discussions unfold. Cooke’s opposition has grown through the course of the campaign. He had indicated in the spring he had not yet formed an opinion, saying at that time he needed to learn more about SkiLink.
Cooke drew approximately 20 people on Wednesday, most appearing to be from Park City and surrounding Summit County. The event was not widely publicized beforehand. He is attempting to unseat the Gary Herbert, the Republican governor.
Herbert is seeking his first full term in office after having succeeded Jon Huntsman midterm in 2009.
Cooke will likely enjoy one of his best showings in the Park City area, one of the places in the state with a solid bloc of Democrats. Cooke has deep ties to Park City as well. He lived in the city for more than a decade ending in the late 1990s. He was an important early figure in work force housing issues in Park City. The Prospector street Cooke Drive is named in his honor.
Other topics Cooke addressed on Wednesday included:
“We’re developing a state of haves and have-nots,” Cooke said.