For the past six years, a seat on the Summit County Council has been occupied by a longtime environmental advocate and dedicated Democrat. But he will not be present when the panel meets in the new year.
Instead, Glenn Wright, who is retiring from the County Council, hopes to “pass the torch” on to a new voice.
With a focus on issues such as climate change and affordable housing, Wright’s long history in Summit County politics has been marked by activism and leadership. At 74, he said his age was a factor in the decision as he looks to spend more time traveling and with family.
Wright, a former United States Air Force pilot, became interested in politics while working a corporate job in Florida. The Iraq War had recently started, and Wright felt strongly in 2003 that it wasn’t a smart decision for the U.S. to become involved.
Later, after relocating to Utah, Wright became the chair of the Summit County Democratic Party, a position he held for eight years. Environmental issues became a concern for Wright, and he began examining connected topics such as transportation and workforce housing.
In 2016, Wright challenged incumbent Republican Tal Adair for the remaining two years on former County Councilor Dave Ure’s term. Ure, who had been appointed to the School and Institutional Trust Lands Board of Trustees (SITLA), vacated the position early, allowing the county Republican Party to appoint a replacement. Voters ultimately chose Wright. He later won a full, four-year term – facing only a write-in candidate – in 2018.
Wright characterizes his time on the County Council as “enjoyable public service.”
As he’s gravitated toward environmental issues, Wright also has become involved in concerns about wildland fires and the wildland-urban interface. He’s a staunch advocate of improving forest health, which he expects can become an economic driver for the area, to protect homeowners and nearby water sources.
Wright has long promoted the idea of a biomass facility that would turn materials that contribute to dangerous wildfires, such as dead trees and underbrush, into fuel. Summit County in 2022 received a $60,000 grant for a green energy biomass facility analysis, which will study whether the county has a viable location and resources.
“In creating a plant that takes biomass and turns it into biofuel or biochemicals, we’re replacing fossil fuels with a continuously growing product, which will be a much more carbon neutral approach,” Wright said. “I’ve talked extensively about this issue. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s gotten as much traction as it needs to.”
He is also proud of his work as the county’s representative on the Community Renewable Energy Agency (CREA), which hopes to bring 100% renewable electrical energy to Summit County and other communities by 2030. Wright admits he hoped the process would have been further along by his exit from the County Council, but said he does “see the light at the end of the tunnel there.”
Wright indicated board members were hopeful that public service agreements with Rocky Mountain Power would be secured by mid-2023. It’s also possible contracts could be secured for construction in the 18 participating communities. Wright estimates the energy could start flowing in Summit County around 2026.
He also worked to promote other climate change issues related to water and made strides to advance affordable housing in Summit County.
“Housing has become unaffordable for most people right now. The only way we’re going to change is by changing our development. We need to encourage more dense, taller, energy-efficient, carbon-neutral buildings. And we can do that, and also create open space around those buildings to maintain that environment,” Wright said. “If we don’t do that, all we’re going to get is more urban sprawl in Summit County.”
He continued, “We have the potential to grow the county to about 100,000 people. But if we don’t do it smart, and we don’t do it with concentrated development in more dense pockets, we’re just going to get the sprawl of big expensive houses that people can only drive from. I don’t think we need to promote building more 5-, 10- and 20-million-dollar houses in Summit County. We need to be able to provide housing for the people that work here.”
One of the most challenging parts for Wright as a county councilor was “enduring the minutiae of crafting public policy.” He said county officials could spend hours talking over the details of different issues, which can make it seem like not a lot of progress is being made. However, he said county government is complicated and it’s important to do it right – and that takes time.
Having served in the Vietnam War, Wright is motivated by a desire to support people in need and make communities safer. And as an elected official, he learned the importance of listening to the public.
“I think what we all should be doing in government is making our country, our state, our county, a better place to live,” he said. “Everyone has their take. We frequently agree on problems, but not necessarily the solutions.”
Wright expects affordable housing will be the biggest issue facing Summit County in the short term. He said the number of daily commuters will continue to grow, impacting traffic, if people don’t have a place to live where they work.
In the long term, leaders must consider how Summit County will be impacted by climate change in the future. Wright said that while he may be able to ski in Park City for the rest of his life, his children and grandchildren are unlikely to have the same opportunity.
“Our economy needs to change. A future of a two-month ski season sandwiched between a pair of two-month mud seasons does not make for a prosperous resort economy. We’ve got to figure out what the future of the county is,” he said. Wright added that a satellite campus focused on sustainability and environmental issues is another economic possibility.
With Democrat Canice Harte taking over Wright’s seat in 2023, the outgoing county councilor encouraged his successor to spend time listening and learning from those already on the panel, but he said Harte shouldn’t be afraid to be the dissenting voice.
Wright plans to stay involved in local politics and expects to make appearances at County Council meetings to lobby for issues he cares about. He also didn’t rule out another federal campaign after losing to incumbent Republican Congressman John Curtis in the 3rd Congressional District, but said he’d prefer to see a younger Democrat from Utah County step up.
In the meantime, he plans to provide commentary and updates on his website.