Having spent just more than a week on the job, Utah native Shayne Scott is eager to lead the County Courthouse and make Summit County his home.
Scott began his new role as county manager last week following his appointment by the Summit County Council in January after a nearly six month, nationwide search. He’s spent the last several days working on building relationships with county staffers and community stakeholders, which Scott hopes will help him build upon the county’s progressive legacy.
“I’ve been thrown in the deep end, but I’m happy about it. I know how to swim,” he said.
Originally from St. George, Scott attended Utah State University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in Geographic Information Science. He went on to work as a GIS coordinator and realized he had a passion for the administrative side of the job. Scott later earned a Master of Public Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and became the city manager of Parowan City in southwest Utah.
He eventually left the position to move to Kaysville, a Davis County city with a population of 33,000. Scott characterized the community as conservative and homogenous with many challenges typical for a municipal government. He is most proud of bringing in quality, qualified personnel to head city departments, the downtown revitalization movement and the town’s response to the tragedy last summer when an 8-year-old girl was killed in an accident during the Fourth of July parade.
Scott was happy in his position, but said he was approached by a recruiter about the job in Summit County. The community’s reputation as a place different from elsewhere in the state as well as the county government’s progressive structure and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, public lands, sustainability and more, intrigued him.
“I left a job I really liked because there are good things to offer in Summit County,” Scott said.
The role as the manager of a local government often includes work related to state code and personnel. However, Scott was also inspired by the differences in running a city versus a county, such as collaborating with officials at the County Courthouse rather than working with just one elected leader, and the possible opportunities that may arise.
Scott is also excited about the challenges associated with being in a resort community. He views growth as the biggest issue facing Summit County because it’s at the center of all other topics from development and the economy to open space and water.
The county’s top executive isn’t planning to make any changes during his first 90 days on the job. Instead, he wants to get to know the people he’s working with. Scott’s leadership philosophy is to encourage people to care about their job and community so they’re more invested in their work. He said he’s thankful his predecessor, Tom Fisher, established a great, approachable team.
Scott is looking forward to bringing an outside perspective and new ideas to Summit County.
He’s also helping forge connections at the state level through his connections to Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson, Senate President Stuart Adams and other legislators. While Deputy County Manager Janna Young is a “master lobbyist,” Scott said, he hopes to complement the work she’s doing by continuing to help improve relationships on Capitol Hill and change any misconceptions about the community.
While he’s excited to get to work at the County Courthouse, Scott said he’s also selfishly looking forward to making Summit County home. The father of four girls – and a Goldendoodle named Fletch – Scott eventually hopes to move to the East Side.
Scott’s three-year contract states he must reside in Summit County by Aug. 1. He will receive an annual salary of $205,000 in addition to a home provided by the county or a monthly housing allowance of $2,000.
“This is not just a job to me,” he said. “I can’t wait to live here. I want to be here.”