Lifelong resident Steven B. Richins is hoping to return to his seat on the Coalville City Council after stepping down in January 2024, concluding almost 20 years of service.
Richins resigned midway through his sixth term, at the time believing it was the right moment to step away. However, he says the past year and a half has given him a renewed sense of purpose to address the work that still needs to be done to help Coalville stay on the right path. Now, he’s looking to reclaim his City Council seat and use his experience to help guide the city’s future.
“I’ve had 18 years of experience,” Richins said. “I pretty much know how things should run, and how they are running.”
Richins was born in the old Summit County Hospital, which closed in 1982, and after renovations, now houses a branch of the Summit County Health Department. He recalled experiencing a simple, small-town life — one he was fond of. Richins grew up in a house right by North Summit High School, north of the swimming pool.
After graduating in a class of about 45 seniors, Richins attended a trade tech program to study construction. He helped erect the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building on Main Street. Then, he traveled around building churches in places like Eureka and Granby, Colorado. Richins also worked on commercial buildings like gas plants and oil fields.
He’s been retired for about 12 years, now focused on caring for horses, operating a small feed store and pretty much doing whatever he wants to do.
Richins was first elected to the Coalville City Council in 1978 and served until 1982. He ran again in 2004, serving until 2016, and again from 2022 to 2024. Richins would have been up for reelection this year had he not resigned from his seat.
“I decided to run again because I just think that there are some things in Coalville that need to be improved on, and I’d like to try and do that,” he said.
When he first took office, Richins said there wasn’t much happening in Coalville. But that’s not true anymore.
Richins recognized that the community is changing. He noted the number of new houses and new people in Coalville since he’s been here, particularly the increase in subdivisions. However, Richins was adamant that officials need to manage development so taxpayers aren’t stuck paying for fixing potential issues that may arise.
“I think we need to weigh the options of what’s going on, make the best decision for the residents of Coalville and make sure that the infrastructure is going to handle everything,” he said. “I’d say the bigger (Coalville) gets, the more there’s going to be a challenge.”
Richins said he wouldn’t have voted in favor of the Hidden Meadow Village annexation proposal from Larry H. Miller Real Estate — which was recently denied by the City Council — because the existing roads and services wouldn’t be able to handle the project right now. He said if the developer were to pay for the improvements, the council would likely have to approve the project, but Richins didn’t want to see residents footing the bill.
The candidate also described changes he’s observed at the city level over the past two decades, including a shift away from committees in 2017 and a lack of involvement from the City Council. Richins said he fears members have become alienated, and he wants to see them more involved because they’re the city’s decision makers.
If elected, Richins said he didn’t have any specific priorities. However, he’d focus on growth: making sure everyone is ready for it and that everything is in place to manage it. He’d also like to see the return of committees, such as streets, water and sewer, personnel and events.
“(Coalville) was a nice, quiet place, and I’d like to keep it as much as possible that way,” Richins said.
Richins is among several candidates seeking one of two Coalville City Council seats on the November ballot. The other individuals who declared their candidacy are Matthew Boyer, Andrew Nelson, Jeff Peterson, Colleen Goodman and Chris Tomczyk.
A primary election will be held on Aug. 12 to cut the candidate field in half before the general election. Ballots were mailed on Tuesday.