We have just finished four years while the administration was repeatedly gaslighting the voting public: “The president is sharp and mentally agile; the borders are secure; inflation is transitory, and the economy is better than people realize.”
The implication: The administration knows better. In November, voters showed that they were fed up with such insulting antics.
The past several years, locally we have seen the Dakota Pacific saga unfold. Despite consistent and overwhelming opposition from residents, the County Council repeatedly moved the discussions forward, saying to their voters “you don’t get it, this project is good for you.”
The council’s 4-1 vote to approve the project seemed to be the final slap in the face of voters. No doubt contributing to people’s frustrations is the cozy relationship the company has with the Utah Legislature.
This past week we had two former members of the County Council, and a current member of the City Council, write letters in this newspaper in support of the agreement.
Remarkably, they are still saying to the voters “you don’t get it, this project is good for you. Look at all the features to be included in the project!”
Like the November outcome, Summit County residents are fed up and want their views to be respected and heard. And as for the warning that signing the petition risks losing these so-called amenities which were negotiated as part of the project’s approval, we have lived for decades without such niceties, and we will survive if they go away.
Larry Alleva
Park City
Correction: An earlier draft of this letter claimed local politicians “implored voters not to sign the petition” in their commentaries. That’s not correct. They expressed why they favor the agreement the County Council accepted in a 4-1 vote, and asked voters to carefully consider whether to sign the petition.
Here is what they did say about signing a petition:
Park City Councilor Bill Ciraco: “I am not telling you to support or not support the project, or referendum. What I am here to say is that every resident of Summit County owes the council a debt of gratitude for the work they have done and the deal they have negotiated.”
County Councilor Megan McKenna: “I encourage voters to educate themselves on the community benefits/impacts, seek out reliable/known sources of information, question anonymous claims, reach out to your county councilors, and know before you sign.”
County Councilor Malena Stevens: “I have been in the room speaking with legislators and laboring over this project for half a decade, and if I am right, then your life will be worse off if you sign the referendum. You will still be stuck in traffic. The housing in this area will still be built, whether by Dakota Pacific or another developer, and it won’t have the public benefits that were negotiated for years.”