Rush Hotchkiss has an unusual inspiration for his Henefer City Council campaign — “Evan Almighty,” a 2007 comedy starring Steve Carell and Morgan Freeman.
The movie follows Steve Carell’s character, Evan Baxter, from “Bruce Almighty” as he works to build an ark similar to Noah’s story in the Bible. Morgan Freeman, who plays God, offers guidance and direction to Carell to help him navigate the construction and gather animals two-by-two before a massive flood hits the globe.
At one point during the film, Freeman shows Carell a subdivision and, with a wave of his hand, makes the homes disappear. Carell then has a glimpse of what the land looked like before it was developed.
“I feel that way about Summit County,” Hotchkiss said. “We’re becoming a sea of houses and hotels. We’re starting to lose open space. The land looks nothing like it did 40 years ago. … I want responsible growth. I don’t want houses being built for the sake of being built and collecting taxes. There has to be a sense of community.”
Hotchkiss has lived in Summit County for decades, and he said he’s familiar with the individual municipalities and communities populating the Wasatch Back. His family moved to Park City in 1989, and he resided in Coalville for 17 years before moving to Henefer in 2017. Each move was spurred by the growing density in Park City and on the East Side, and Hotchkiss said he eventually chose Henefer because of its more rural environment.
“For me, a sense of reconnecting to the past,” Hotchkiss said. “You don’t want to overpopulate or overextend the land’s use. The land hasn’t changed in over 150 years. There’s a picture from 1850 that shows several Native Americans sitting around, and you can actually go out to that spot today, and it’s exactly the same way it was. I’d like to keep that charm and not overdevelop it.”
Hotchkiss said he hopes Henefer residents continue to attend City Council meetings and advocate for their needs, saying he’s been impressed with the town’s sense of community and involvement in municipal affairs.
“I want to make sure that everybody makes it to the meetings so they have input on what’s going on,” he said. “They have input on what’s going on, and their voices should be heard so they don’t find out about everything that’s going on afterwards.”
The Henefer City Council election in November has been canceled because the number of candidates is equal to the number of open seats. Hotchkiss will be one of three new city councilors alongside Alec Deru and Chad West.