The Summit County Republican Party elected new leadership this week, and its top brass has already debuted a hopeful message of unity and support.
“We want to show people that when we have values that are aligned or we’re working toward a common goal, we do have a place for them,” explained Chair Ari Ioannides, the treasurer of the North Summit Fire District who lost a close election last fall against Democrat Megan McKenna for Summit County Council Seat C. “It’s kind of a little sea change here in Summit County because we’ve got to work with people who have all kinds of beliefs and core values.”
Ioannides said he hopes the local organization can reach all Republicans, including lapsed members who have left the party and disillusioned members who may not completely agree with the Trump administration or the Make America Great Again movement.
“I heard a lot of folks talk when I was campaigning, knocking on doors, even friends, mostly around Park City, say ‘You know, I used to be a Republican,’” Ioannides said. “I think people feel that the party has left them and maybe their values don’t really align that much anymore, and I get it. Part of that is because I feel like, and folks have told me, that there are sort of these litmus tests around, ‘Are you a real Republican?’”
Ioannides added he believes the GOP is mostly defined by left-leaning opponents’ characterizations of Republicans.
“We’re not doing a good job of defining ourselves, especially in a place like Summit County where we’re in such a huge minority and really don’t have a good voice,” he said.
The new leadership team specifically wants to focus on candidate development, which includes supporting already-elected Republicans in municipal and county positions in addition to finding and funding qualified candidates during election cycles.
The overarching goal, though, is to increase Republican representation for East Side voters, who Ioannides said tend to be more conservative than voters in the Snyderville Basin.
“One of the great things about this leadership team is, if you look at who’s on it, you have a group of people who have run or are holding or have held high-profile positions within the county who know what it’s like to run a campaign and know how to be successful,” Ioannides said. “Right now, the Republican Party isn’t ready to step forward and do that. There’s no ground game. There’s no fundraising game.”
As an example, Ioannides pointed to his own bid for Seat C in November. He said his opponent, Megan McKenna, outspent him because of the support she received from the local Democratic Party.
“We need to be ready to compete at that level,” Ioannides said.
According to post-election campaign financial reports submitted to the County Clerk’s Office, McKenna had a total of $36,199.94 in contributions, while Ioannides brought in $28,510.42.
The leadership team elected alongside Ioannides as chair: Tory Welch, who ran unsuccessfully against Democratic incumbent Roger Armstrong for Seat A on the County Council, as vice chair; Pat O’Connell as secretary; Patty Brewer as treasurer; Jay Deuser as the Snyderville regional chair; Marjorie Ellis Manning as the Park City regional chair; Phillip D’Agostini as the South Summit regional chair; Coalville City Councilor Louise Willoughby as the North Summit regional chair; and Tal Adair as the state central committee representative.
Adair, who lives on the East Side, was the last Republican to be elected to the County Council — in 2016.
Jimmy May from Park City was appointed to manage data and analytics.
The team was elected during the County GOP Organizing Convention at Ecker Hill Middle School on Tuesday by acclamation, meaning local members of the Republican Party verbally voted to select who should fill each position rather than filling out a formal ballot.
“Fortifying the voice, image and organization of our conservative community has been a principal objective of mine since joining the Summit County GOP’s executive team two years ago,” Welch said. “I like to think that this team is a direct reflection of that goal — thanks to my, and to a much greater extent, the prior team’s dedication to forwarding the conservative cause.”
As far as policy decisions go, Ioannides said the Republican Party wants to investigate and cut down on spending.
“We’re all looking at our tax bills and knowing they’re going up, but people have a misconstrued perception that it’s because their property values are going up,” he said. “That’s not true. It’s because the county’s spending more, and no one is really looking at that with a sharp eye. … I’m a little concerned about the rate of growth, and I think that’s something that fiscal conservatives can really bring to the mix to help us manage and benefit everybody in the county.”
Ioannides added he aims to be open and transparent by communicating more frequently with the media and the public than the last leadership team, saying he believes it helps educate the community on the Republican Party’s stance and encourages more participation.
“I felt like the more open I was, personally, the better the coverage was [during my campaign],” he explained. “We’re not changing the message, but we’re going to really make sure we’re filling the room. If our opponents are having rallies every week and talking about things and standing up and, in many cases, misrepresenting what we stand for and what we believe in, we need to speak up and actually fill the room with our ideas.”