Summit County Council Chair Canice Harte is seeking reelection in District 5, saying he hopes another four years will give him time to complete projects started in his first term, especially those involving open space acquisitions and affordable housing.
“Being able to make legislative and policy decisions that help the people of Summit County is what motivates me,” Harte said. “I certainly have a lot of work that I’m in the middle of right now. I’m very actively involved in our open space, the Olympics in 2034 and our transportation, so when we look at the projects going on in Summit County, I’m leading on a good portion of those.”
Harte, a Democrat, is originally from California. He relocated to Summit County in 2006 for work. He’s had experience in sales, marketing and owning a business, with most of his career focused on outdoor industries. Harte said having a background in business is especially helpful in his role on the County Council because councilors often explore financing tools, analyze development proposals and balance the budget, all of which is similar to running a business but at a larger scale.
Before he was elected to the County Council in 2022, Harte served on the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission for 8 years. He said his terms as a planning commissioner provided him with valuable experience, estimating that 30% to 40% of the County Council’s responsibilities involve land use decisions.
Harte also worked to draft an updated Snyderville Basin General Plan as a planning commissioner, which he said was advantageous when he transitioned to the County Council because he was already intimately familiar with the document.
“I love Summit County, and I love everything about our community,” Harte said about his decision to run for County Council four years ago. “My wife and I decided that we want to stay here forever and raise our family, so being involved is something that I was motivated to do. … I recognized that on the County Council, I could weigh in and make decisions in areas that you’re limited on as a planning commissioner.”
Harte said he hopes residents understand the value of having a councilor with one term under their belt, saying the first four years are largely devoted to building relationships and finding your footing. He said the second term is when councilors can “really hit the ground running.”
However, Harte acknowledged that his first term wasn’t always easy and spoke about his vote to approve the Dakota Pacific project, now called Altus Park City. He pointed out his track record of voting against the development when he was a planning commissioner and said he only voted in favor of the project once it became clear that the state Legislature would get involved.
“We had been doing well (fighting it) up until that point, so once the state interfered and made it happen, we knew something was going to physically be built there, so we had to pivot,” he said. “If this is going to happen to us, even against our will, how do we try to get the most out of it?”
Harte said the County Council tried to negotiate to the best of its ability, advocating for a new transit center, library space and other amenities to benefit Summit County residents in addition to pushing for fewer overall units and more affordable housing.
“I think the original proposal had 1,100 units of housing, but we got it down to 725,” he said. “The total project is 55% affordable, so we were fighting it as long as we could, but … we can’t stop it, so let’s try to make the best of it.”
He said Summit County residents who are concerned about growth are actually seeing older projects come to fruition and that the County Council has largely been cautious in approving new developments. But the county still needs some development, especially to boost affordable housing numbers, which should be balanced with the community’s love of open spaces and the natural environment, Harte said.
“We can use open space bond money to secure open space and focus affordable housing on infill projects, areas that are already densified and ideally have a grocery store or transit station nearby,” he said. “It’s a challenge because every time we acquire open space, which we all love and want, we drive housing prices up. The more you limit the ability for housing, the more desirable that housing is because it’s surrounded by beautiful open space.”
Harte touted his work to establish the Summit County Housing Authority, which is run by a board of Summit County residents and two county councilors. Harte doesn’t sit on the board himself, but he spearheaded the organization alongside Park City Councilor Tana Toly before it became exclusively a county project.
He also pointed to his financial track record with the county, including collaboration with other councilors and county officials to balance the $100 million budget. Harte said Summit County hasn’t had a property tax increase in almost 10 years, and he would not support a tax raise.
“We don’t need to think about (a tax increase) for a long time to come because we just benefitted from the emergency services sales tax, which the voters approved,” he said. “It’s worked out wonderfully. It’s going directly to emergency services, and it’s taken a lot of pressure off the general fund.”
Harte said he will “not be voting for a property tax increase” as a county councilor, adding that he hopes voters recognize the progress the county has made over the last few years and give him an opportunity to finish the projects he’s started.
“I’m in place, I’m doing good work and I’m ready to go,” he said.
Information on Harte and his campaign is available at votecanice.com. He will face Park City Board of Education President Meredith Reed in the Democratic primary on June 23. Residents voting by mail or using a dropbox must make sure their ballot is received by 8 p.m. on June 23 for their vote to count due to recent changes in state law.