Roger Armstrong thought 2024 was going to be his last year on the Summit County Council, but his plans could change.
The Democrat intended to retire from politics after his third term concludes at the end of next year. However, Armstrong, the current chair of the County Council, announced on Wednesday he would be running for reelection in the fall after all.
“I wasn’t planning to do it, but life changes,” he said in an interview.
Armstrong said there’s still work to do to tackle issues like growth, and he wants to help shape the future of Summit County. Transportation is also an important topic to him. Armstrong is a founding member of the High Valley Transit District.
There are still a few projects he wants to see through, too, such as the management and preservation of the 910 Cattle Ranch. County staffers anticipate the project will require several years of work.
Not to mention the Ure family farm in the Kamas Meadow. The area has been a priority for Armstrong since he was first elected in 2012. The location was targeted to preserve open space on the East Side as development pressure continues to increase.
Together the 910 Cattle Ranch and the Ure property span almost 10,000 acres and carry a price tag of $80 million.
Armstrong said his wife, Beth Armstrong, isn’t ready to stop working, either. Instead, the couple will postpone their retirement plans for a bit and remain in Aspen Springs.
“Sitting down and looking at the council that we have right now, and the work that’s before us, it feels like the right decision,” he said.
Armstrong moved to the Park City area from Los Angeles around 2005. He is an attorney with an extensive background in entertainment law, and Armstrong served as the vice president at Universal Pictures and TriStar Pictures before starting his legal career. He graduated from the University of California, San Diego, and Loyola Law School.
The county councilor also served on the Motion Picture Advisory Committee for the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development, the Legislative Affairs Committee of the Utah Advisory Board of the Sundance Institute and on the Board of the Utah Film Center.
There will be three Summit County Council seats on the ballot in the 2024 election, including the one Armstrong holds. All of the current members belong to the Democratic Party.
County Councilor Tonja Hanson told The Park Record she planned to run for her first full term next year. The Coalville resident was appointed to replace Doug Clyde after he resigned.
Vice Chair Malena Stevens, whose seat is also up for reelection, said she would not run.
Longtime County Councilor Chris Robinson and Canice Harte, a former Snyderville Basin Planning Commission, were elected last November. Harte replaced Glenn Wright, who did not seek reelection. Their terms expire after 2026.
The ballot will also include the county assessor, recorder and treasurer positions as well as school board seats for Park City, North Summit and South Summit. The filing period is Jan. 2 through 8. Eligible County Council candidates must be a registered voter and a Summit County resident for at least a year before Nov. 5, the day of the election.