The Summit County government is preparing for the state’s implementation of a new wildfire preparedness law in January, but local officials say they’re still unsure of how the program will work or the impact it will have on residents.

Utah lawmakers passed House Bill 48 last year to mitigate the spread of wildfires in high-risk areas across the state, but the program’s implementation was delayed until Jan. 1, 2027, after the state and local municipalities missed a series of key deadlines outlined in the legislation.

The bill requires the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands to create a statewide map of high-risk areas. Each structure within a high-risk area will receive a rating from an assessor based on the property’s fire hardening measures, such as installing a metal roof or replacing wooden fences with fire-resistant materials.

Property owners will then pay an annual fee between $20 and $100, with the amount determined by the level of preparedness and fire mitigation efforts on the parcel, as well as the structure’s taxable square footage. The funds go back to Forestry, Fire and State Lands to pay for the assessors.

County Manager Shayne Scott said the high-risk map is expected to be released next month, and county staff is preparing to meet the law’s requirements in January, even though they’re not yet sure how assessments will work.

“The state is actually supposed to do the assessments, not only the fees and not only the map,” Scott said. “That’s where we’re wondering, ‘How in the world are they going to do that?’ I think that’s a lot of the delay in implementation because they’re not ready to do what they’ve committed to do, and I think they’ll look to us for assistance.”

Summit County’s only involvement in the process, according to the law, is the collection of fees, which County Treasurer Corrie Forsling will be responsible for. However, Scott said it’s possible the county could be asked to help more down the line.

“If we do have the public clamoring for an assessment from the state of Utah (to lower their fees), if that’s throughout the whole state, I don’t know how they’re going to do that,” Scott said. “It’s not necessarily our problem, but it will be something that I’m sure we’ll have to address on some level. … You’ll do that work, and you’ll be wanting that fee reduced immediately, and I don’t know how soon someone could get to you.”

Park City Fire Chief Peter Emery said the program is meant to help residents obtain and keep homeowners insurance despite the wildfire risks in Utah, but he also expressed skepticism about the state’s ability to implement it.

“It’s to help motivate the citizens of the state of Utah to start taking this wildland issue seriously and assessing that fee for it,” he said. “That being said, we’ll see where this winds up.”

Scott also noted the state Legislature’s hypothesis that encouraging fire hardening could protect Utahns from losing their insurance, but he said he’s not convinced it will work as designed.

“I think there are good intentions,” Scott said. “This is just me speaking, but I wonder about an insurance company taking a map like this and using it in the opposite direction, using it to cancel people’s insurance instead of keeping people on there, which is what I think the intent is.”

South Summit Fire Protection District Chief Scott Thorell said he expects to see more legislative changes to the law in early 2027 because of “significant problems” with how the program works.

“One of the primary problems I see is even if you make improvements on your own property, if your neighbor’s abutting property has not made improvements, then you’re still not going to receive a lower score,” Thorell said. “That’s something that’s really going to cause a lot of tension with our residents.”

Lands and Natural Resources Director Jess Kirby, who volunteered to hold educational sessions on the new law as soon as the county learns more information, said she’s also concerned that residents outside of high-risk areas will think they don’t need to be aware of fire mitigation efforts or fire hardening because of the new map.

“We still need to do mitigation efforts to defeat this catastrophic wildfire risk that we have, so don’t let this be, ‘Oh, I’m not in the red, so I don’t have to do anything,’” Kirby said. “There are still mitigation efforts that we need to keep propelling within our community and educating.”

The post Summit County prepares for new wildfire law, but state still hasn’t given details on how it works appeared first on Park Record.

Fewer Summit County voters participated in the primary election last month than in previous years, and county officials are speculating the lower turnout is tied to the state Legislature’s decision to implement districted County Council seats.

The 2026 election cycle is the first time districts have come into play in Summit County. Seats in two — District 4 in the Snyderville Basin and District 5 in the Jeremy Ranch and Pinebrook neighborhoods — are on the ballot this year, but only Democrats signed up to compete for the open positions.

Voter turnout hovered around 37% this year compared to 2024, with 43%, and 2020, with 65%.

The voter pool for the primary election was already narrowed by limiting the County Council seats to districts instead of allowing at-large candidates, but the lack of any Republican candidates further slimmed the field. Registered Democrats living in District 4 or District 5 automatically received a ballot, but unaffiliated or Republican voters in those districts would have needed to request one weeks before Election Day.

Any voters living outside the boundaries of the two districts were ineligible to participate in the County Council race.

Interim Summit County Clerk Malena Stevens said voters were confused about the County Council process this year, with many residents asking questions about why they weren’t able to participate.

“I think all of that impacted voter turnout and the numbers that we saw,” Stevens said. “Looking at County Council races decided by 500 to 700 votes is something that we haven’t encountered before in this community.”

However, Republicans countywide still participated in the GOP primary to choose U.S. House District 3 and State House District 59 candidates, who will appear on the November ballot. Approximately 3,800 Republicans filled out and returned ballots to the Clerk’s Office, compared to 1,530 Democrats.

Stevens said turnout for Republicans and Democrats this year was lower than in 2024 and 2020, the most recent election cycles in which each held a primary. More than 5,000 Republicans and 2,600 Democrats voted in the 2024 primary, while 6,900 Republicans and 3,900 Democrats voted in the 2020 primary.

The presidential races in 2020 and 2024 inspired voter turnout, but Stevens said limiting the field with districts and changing mail-in ballot deadlines likely impacted this year’s election cycle.

However, Stevens said it’s still too early to attribute lower voter turnout numbers to just the county’s new districts because it will take a few election cycles to see the long-term effect of the change.

“I think it’ll be interesting … as we go through different cycles that have County Council candidates who are both Democrat and Republican,” Stevens said. “I don’t know exactly what that’s going to look like as we move forward, but I think it will be different when we have general contests versus primary contests for those reasons.”

Stevens said dozens of ballots were ineligible to be counted this year, too, because the state Legislature recently changed deadlines. Instead of requiring ballots be postmarked by 8 p.m. on Election Day, the Clerk’s Office now must have all ballots in hand by 8 p.m., meaning any ballots that arrived late were discounted.

Specifically, Stevens said 102 ballots were received after the 8 p.m. deadline.

“People have to opt-in to vote by mail starting in 2029, so they won’t automatically get a ballot,” Stevens said. “I think this is a community collaboration as to how we can best make sure that every person who is eligible has the opportunity to vote, not just in theory, but also practically, that they understand how to go about it and where.”

Local attorney Christie Babalis won the District 4 race with 436 votes, or 53%. Her competitor, John Kucera, was a former member of the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission and earned 386 votes, or 47%.

Incumbent and County Council Chair Canice Harte won his reelection bid in District 5 with 361 votes, or 51%. His challenger, Park City Board of Education President Meredith Reed, earned 346 votes, or 49%.

The Summit County Council canvassed the election on Tuesday and finalized the primary results.

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The Wasatch County Clerk-Auditor’s Office on Wednesday finalized the results of the county’s GOP primary election, which took place on June 23.

Rachel Kahler has secured the Republican nomination for Wasatch County Council Seat A in the tightest race of this election. She secured 2,722 votes, or 51%, as opposed to Brett Vance’s 2,584 votes, or 49%. The pair have maintained those percentages of the vote since the preliminary results were released, even as final ballots have been counted.

Kahler said she was initially thrown for a tailspin by the closeness of the preliminary results but that the experience has given her a greater appreciation for just how much every vote counts.

“I’m grateful that we now have a final result, so that I can really move forward and focus on part two. This is a long campaign season, almost a year, and I’m excited to look at next steps, work with Wasatch County GOP leadership and really step forward as the Republican nominee,” she said.

Kahler will go on to face Democratic candidate Patrick Saucier in November’s general election.

Wasatch County Council Seat A is currently occupied by Luke Searle, who is running for House District 59, which serves Wasatch and Summit counties. 

Searle secured the Republican nomination over Jeffrey Pierce and will go on to face Democratic candidate and former Midway Mayor Celeste Johnson in the general election.

Searle won over 3,136 votes, or 58%, of Wasatch County voters. Pierce collected 2,247 votes or 42%.

Pierce secured more Summit County votes than Searle, though, with 522 votes compared to Searle’s 256. The Summit County Clerk’s Office’s results are still preliminary, but factoring them in, Searle and Pierce garnered 55% and 45% of the vote, respectively. Summit County will finalize results on Tuesday.

Wasatch County Emergency Management Director Jeremy Hales is the Republican nominee for sheriff. He secured 3,473 votes, or 67%, while incumbent Jared Rigby secured 1,744, or 33%. Hales will go on to face unaffiliated candidate Paul Moore in November.

The clerk-auditor election is the only one with an outcome that’s officially decided before the general election.

Incumbent Joey Granger and Park City Recorder Michelle Kellogg both ran as Republicans, with no opponents from other parties. Kellogg received 2,804 votes, or 53%, and Granger received 2,477, or 47%.

Granger shared some other statistics about the election with the Wasatch County Council when she presented the results on Wednesday. 

Of the 5,632 ballots received, only 190 were cast in-person.

“I think that means that our voters are pretty confident in the mail-in process. The majority of those were put in drop boxes,” Granger said.

The GOP election saw a 47% turnout from Wasatch County’s active Republican voters. That’s 5,522 votes from 11,725 registered Republican voters, who make up nearly two-thirds of registered voters in the county.

“That’s a pretty good turnout,” Granger said.

The post Wasatch County GOP election results have been finalized appeared first on Park Record.

The Summit County Council race appears to have been determined in Tuesday’s primary election, with Democrats in District 4 and District 5 advancing to the November ballot without any Republican challengers.

However, write-in candidates may still qualify for the Election Day ballot, which could lead to a competitor for the two Democratic candidates.

Christie Babalis, a local attorney with experience in the outdoor recreation industry, garnered the most votes in District 4, which encompasses the Snyderville Basin area. Babalis earned 427 votes, or 53%, while John Kucera earned 378 votes, or 47%, based on preliminary results.

Kucera, who previously served on the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission from 2018 to 2024, said he’s excited for the candidates progressing to the Election Day ballot, calling the next four years “critical” for the Wasatch Back.

“I think they’re going to do a good job,” Kucera said. “Obviously, I would have liked the outcome to be different, but I don’t have any regrets. I worked hard. I tried to represent my message and differentiate where I could, and I think that’s all you can do.”

Babalis said it was an “honor” to be chosen by Summit County voters and that it was an “absolute privilege” to run her first political campaign and speak to so many residents who are passionate about local issues, like open space, growth and development.

“It’s almost surreal because when you sit on a board or when you work for a nonprofit, you have a little impact over a small group that’s helping on one issue,” Babalis said. “This is much broader, and my ability to have a positive impact is thrilling to me. I know it’s going to be a lot of work, and I’m really excited about it.”

Summit County Council Chair Canice Harte appears to have won his reelection bid for District 5, which encompasses Jeremy Ranch and Pinebrook, based on preliminary results. Harte earned 357 votes, or 51%, while Park City Board of Education President Meredith Reed earned 343 votes, or 49%, as of Friday morning.

Harte thanked Summit County voters for allowing him to serve a second term, saying there are a variety of issues, like preparation for the 2034 Winter Olympics or the county’s open space acquisitions, that he’s already deeply involved in and hopes to continue working on over the next four years.

He also said he was grateful to his supporters who helped him with his campaign, noting that he had to balance running for office while still serving as the County Council chair.

“I’ll get back to doing the work for the people of Summit County,” Harte said. “I’m representing my district, but I’m really representing the people of Summit County, our neighbors and our friends, so when I’m making decisions, I’m trying to make a very pragmatic decision that is in the best interest of as many people in the county as possible.”

Reed, whose term on the Park City school board ends in January, will no longer hold public office after seemingly losing the District 5 election. However, Reed said she expects to stay involved in local issues, although she said it’s too early for her to have any specifics about what her involvement may look like.

“I’m very proud of my campaign,” Reed said. “Talking to our voters and community is always a worthwhile endeavor as far as I’m concerned. But in the bigger picture, I wish more people understood how important these elections are. This is not a new phenomenon, but federal races get a lot of attention … and County Council, school board, local races, that’s the level of government that touches your life every single day.”

Republican voters in Summit County still had a primary, but there were no local offices on the ballot. Instead, they participated in two statewide races, determining which Republican candidate should advance to the Election Day ballot for the U.S. House District 3 race and the State House District 59 race.

Incumbent Celeste Maloy led the vote in Summit County in U.S. House District 3, earning 2,284 votes, or 62%, compared to challenger Phil Lyman’s 1,384 votes, or 38%, according to preliminary results.

Statewide, Maloy earned 66,582 votes, or 66%, while Lyman earned 34,660 votes, or 34%, meaning Maloy will progress to the general election in November.

Jeffrey Pierce appears to have won the State House District 59 race in Summit County, with 508 votes, or 67%. Luke Searle, his competitor, earned 252 votes, or 33%.

However, Searle earned more votes than Pierce statewide, with 3,361 votes, or 55%, while Pierce earned 2,736 votes, or 45%. Despite his loss in Summit County, Searle will likely be the Republican candidate to advance to the Election Day ballot.

Total voter turnout in Summit County was 36%.

Official results will be certified on July 7, two weeks after the primary. The general election takes place on Nov. 3.

The post Christie Babalis, Canice Harte poised to take Summit County Council seats in January appeared first on Park Record.

Rachel Kahler has maintained her lead as the Republican candidate for Wasatch County Council Seat A with narrow primary election results.

The former Heber City councilor secured just over 51% of the vote with 2,694 ballots cast in her favor as of Wednesday afternoon. Her opponent, William Brett Vance, garnered just under 49% of the vote with 2,566 ballots in his favor. 

That 128-vote lead appears to be enough for Kahler to secure her win in the primary election, though results will not be finalized until next Wednesday’s regular County Council meeting. Clerk-auditor Joey Granger estimated there were about 130 challenged ballots that needed to be rectified before they could be counted. Granger has contacted those voters.

Kahler, who ran for City Council in 2019, said she is vying for County Council Seat A to continue the fight for responsible growth and to foster communication with the public. 

Vance echoed Kahler’s concern of “undisciplined, uncontrolled growth.” He also touted an “America first” playbook and traditionally conservative values. 

In a prepared email statement, Vance said that, as a relative newcomer, getting nearly 50% of the vote signaled Republicans resonated with his campaign.

“Our voters told me loud and clear that they have had enough of too much, too soon development, big budget increases, out of control property taxes, encroachment on our open spaces and insufficient stewardship of our water,” Vance said.

He said it’s clear that for Seat A, “voters have decided to maintain the status quo, albeit by a very slim margin.”

Though it was a close race, Kahler said she is happy with the result. She said, however, that the narrow margin shows voters are “divided on every issue.”

“Whether it be growth or bypass or preservation of agricultural lands,” Kahler said. “It did surprise me how close that election was, given my opponent is new to the community and relatively unknown.”

Vance, a Hideout resident, worked to interface with the public throughout his campaign. Ahead of the primary election, he said that involved door knocking to talk with voters and “cut to the truth” of top issues. 

He was also the only Wasatch County Republican Party candidate at the nominating convention in April to secure 60% of the delegate vote. However, Kahler opted out of the convention process and chose the signature-gathering process, which triggered a primary election. 

Kahler said she wanted to meet with voters face-to-face throughout her campaign. She said it was a way to interact with Wasatch County residents she did not already know through her work on the City Council and with the Community Alliance for Main Street. 

It was also a way to explain some of the decisions made in Heber City while Kahler sat on the City Council. She said some of those decisions — surrounding Jordanelle Ridge development, community revitalization and the Heber Valley Airport — remain unpopular, even if Kahler was a “no” vote. 

“There’s a lot of people that are frustrated with the growth and decisions that were made on council,” Kahler said.

That followed Kahler throughout her campaign. 

“Even though people looked at my voting record and started kind of tearing down different elements of who I am, I think it was important that, during the campaign, I tried to stay positive,” Kahler said. 

If Kahler were to do one thing differently, she said, she would try to further connect with voters about why she made certain choices while sitting on the City Council. 

“Even though I didn’t want to dig all that back, I think it’s important now, seeing the results. I think it’s important that people understand (those decisions) in a little more depth,” Kahler said. 

Now, Kahler will move forward to campaign against Democrat Patrick Saucier for Seat A in the general election

Saucier said he is running for Seat A because he wants to see Wasatch County improve. He is the only Democrat seeking the seat, which is currently occupied by Luke Searle, whose term ends in January.

Searle, however, just earned the Republican candidacy for House District 59 in Tuesday’s primary election. Whether he wins or loses the seat against former Midway Mayor Celeste Johnson, a Democrat, in November.

Until then, Republican and Democratic candidates across the board will be campaigning, hopeful for a new role in 2027.  

The post Rachel Kahler leads Republican candidacy for Wasatch County Council Seat A appeared first on Park Record.

Republican voters cast their ballots for change in Tuesday’s primary election, shying away from a strong showing of incumbents and party favorites outlined at the Wasatch County Republican Party nominating convention in April. 

More than 250 party members, a 90% quorum, gathered at the nominating convention as Republican delegates cast and hand-counted ballots for candidates. By the end of that night, there was only one clear winner. 

William Brett Vance, a Republican Wasatch County Council Seat A candidate, was the only GOP nominee to secure 60% of the delegate vote. Vance competed against former Wasatch County Councilor Steve Farrell in the convention. 

Candidates have the option to choose the convention process, the signature-gathering process or both. Both Vance and Farrell opted only for the convention process. 

“My fighter pilot ethos jumped all over the convention process and rejected signature-gathering out of hand,” Vance said in a prepared email statement. “I chose the caucus/nominating convention path because I wanted the scrutiny of hundreds of delegates, precinct officials and party leaders.”

Candidates who choose the signature-gathering process must gather signatures from 3% of registered voters in their party who are residents of the relevant area, according to state code. That’s what Seat A candidate Rachel Kahler opted for. When she meet the requirements to appear on the ballot, a primary election was triggered between Kahler and the convention nominee. 

Kahler appeared to secure her Republican candidacy for Seat A in Tuesday’s primary election, earning over 51% of the vote and 2,694 ballots in her favor while Vance held just under 49% of the vote with 2,566 ballots cast for him. 

“The signature route really met my personal objective in running for County Council, and that was connecting with people,” Kahler said, adding that she met with more than 400 people. “It’s a legal pathway to putting your name on the ballot, and I still stand by that.”

Kahler is not the only upset in the primary race when it comes to Republican Party favorites.

After two rounds of voting at the nominating convention, Wasatch County Sheriff Jared Rigby walked out as the top vote-getter, though he failed to secure the 60% needed to become the party nominee. 

The first count found Rigby with 116 votes in his favor while Wasatch County Emergency Management Director Jeremy Hales had 89 and Summit County Detective Eric Mainord had 44. A second vote without Mainord found Rigby with 115 ballots in his favor and Hales with 104. 

Because all the sheriff candidates chose the signature-gathering process as well as the convention process, and because no one earned 60% of the delegate vote, a primary election was required. Mainord eventually dropped out of the race ahead of the primary election. 

But on Tuesday, Rigby did not end the night with a win. According to preliminary election results, Hales earned 1,715 more votes than Rigby. Primary results show Hales leading with more than 66% of the vote or 3,442 ballots cast in his favor while Rigby held just over 33% of the vote with 1,727 ballots cast in his favor. 

Hales said that though he did not win at the nominating convention, the slim margin in April was enough to make him hopeful moving forward and he began to further his campaign. 

“It was really a lot of work, getting out there and meeting people,” Hales said. “I feel like the people saw that I was, my campaign was, who I exactly was. I was open, I was honest and I was transparent.”

Meanwhile, Rigby continued his work as Wasatch County sheriff. He also became ensnared in a criminal investigation by the Summit County Attorney’s Office for obstruction of justice. 

Rigby did not respond to numerous requests for comment by the time of publication.

Park City Recorder Michelle Kellogg was only GOP candidate who performed well at both the nominating convention and in the election. She is leading in the race for Wasatch County clerk-auditor.

In April, Kellogg succeeded at the nominating convention over incumbent Clerk-Auditor Joey Granger, who worked the election while campaigning to retain her seat. Kellogg walked away with 59% of the vote and 148 ballots in her favor — nearly making her the party nominee. 

“After I got that majority vote at the convention, it was very encouraging to me to keep going and keep getting my message out there,” Kellogg said. 

Wasatch County GOP Vice Chair Patty Sprunt said she is a great believer in the convention process. Before she became vice chair, Sprunt was a fellow delegate looking to represent her community at the caucus and nominating convention. 

Talking as “just Patty” and not as the Republican Party vice chair, Sprunt said she believes the convention process provides a way for the community to gather and work toward a common goal: electing the best candidates for their party. 

As a state delegate, Sprunt said she would walk from door to door to better understand the wants and needs of her community. 

“I try to not favor one candidate or another, I just give them my impressions from the candidate meetings I’ve gone to,” Sprunt said. “That’s what I love about convention, caucus … this is something that’s gone on in other states for decades, and it’s just a way to basically reach into neighborhoods and get people who represent their values and their concerns.”

Sprunt said, in a time where the Wasatch County community relies on the news for most information, gathering as a party removes bias and offers connection. 

“When you have just neighborhood human beings trying to do their best and care about our communities, I feel like the best results happen,” Sprunt said. 

Though Sprunt recognizes that some Republican Party favorites did not win the primary election, she said she has had a “front row seat” to the candidates’ campaigns. 

“I will just say this, I respect anyone who’s willing to get out there and run for office,” Sprunt said.

Results of the primary election will be finalized at the upcoming County Council meeting on Wednesday. Some winners of the primary election will go on to face challengers in the general election this November.

The post Primary election results diverge from Wasatch County Republican Party convention picks appeared first on Park Record.

Rachel Kahler said she has learned a great deal from the community as a candidate for Wasatch County Council Seat A. It has been a time to listen and understand the Wasatch Back’s top issues. 

Kahler, a Republican, is facing Brett Vance in the primary election, which will be held on June 23. Vance, who was the only Wasatch County Republican Party nominee at the nominating convention in April, chose the convention process. Kahler, however, said she chose the signature gathering process to connect more with her community. 

That triggered a primary election for the two candidates. In November, the winner of the GOP primary election will face Democrat Patrick Saucier for the seat. 

A former Heber City Council member, Kahler said she is running for Wasatch County Council to continue the fight for responsible growth. And, to foster communication with the public. 

Throughout her campaign, Kahler said she has heard one repeated concern. 

“Obviously, growth is always top of mind,” Kahler said. “But property taxes increased and cost of living, those are things that are really concerning people right now.”

Kahler said the community is looking to elected officials to mitigate increasing costs, but she has heard that Wasatch County residents “just don’t see an end in sight.”

In preparation to take on such challenges, Kahler has begun acting like a County Council member herself. She has been attending current council meetings, looking at the agendas and deepening her understanding of decisions being made. 

“What I have been most impressed with this current council is their desire to protect and preserve the rural environment of our community,” Kahler said. “To not just approve development on every piece of land, but to actually thoughtfully create plans that reflect the desire to the community to preserve and protect.”

If elected, Kahler said in the first few months, she plans to review where the county stands in terms of utilities. That includes looking at water, sewer and power to learn where the county’s capacity is and really understand what’s available for future growth.

“I think it’s also important that we look at our road system, not just the big picture with UDOT,” Kahler said.

The Utah Department of Transportation is currently planning a bypass route around Heber City that will divert traffic from Main Street. But Kahler said it’s also important to examine what works with county roads, side streets and where growth will occur. 

Kahler said she has the necessary experience to “hit the ground running” because of her participation with the Heber City Council, but also her willingness to learn ahead of the election on County Council matters. 

“I think that is something that really sets me apart from my competitor, is that I have experience making these decisions and understanding the lay of the land,” Kahler said.

When she was elected to the City Council in 2019, Kahler said she had a lot of catching up to do. She hopes to make a change on that front this time around. 

“I’m really trying to use this year to understand the issues so that if the constituents vote for me and have the trust that I’m going to make those decisions, I have done my homework, and I’m ready to get to work come January,” Kahler said. 

All primary election ballots, including those sent by mail, must be received by the county offices by June 23, which is also when in-person voting will take place. 

Secure ballot drop box locations have been open 24 hours since June 3 and close at 8 p.m. on June 23. Election Day voting will be held from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Wasatch County Administration building.

The post Rachel Kahler is ready to ‘get to work’ as a Wasatch County Council member  appeared first on Park Record.

William Brett Vance said he has observed that for voters, it’s “undisciplined, uncontrolled growth” that needs the most attention in Wasatch County.

If elected to Wasatch County Council Seat A, Vance said he would give the matter his full attention.

Vance, a Republican, will face Rachel Kahler in the primary election, on June 23. Vance was the only Wasatch County Republican Party candidate at the nominating convention in April to secure 60% of the delegate vote. However, Kahler chose the signature-gathering process, which triggered a primary election.

In November, the winner of the GOP primary election will face Democrat Patrick Saucier for the seat. 

Vance is a self-proclaimed “America-first” candidate with a nearly 31-year military career as a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and test pilot. In February, Vance asserted that it’s time to bring “conservative values” back to the County Council. 

In a prepared email statement, Vance said he has gone door-to-door throughout his campaign to talk with voters and “cut to the truth” of top issues. After months of talking with the community, Vance said people’s priorities stayed the same. 

First, Vance said that there has been “poor planning and resource management” when it comes to development. He said the “skyrocketing rate” of development is not mirrored by the supporting number of population growth. 

The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute in November estimated that Wasatch County is expected to be home to 84,126 residents by 2065. That’s double the county’s current population of just under 40,000. 

“My concern — and that of all the folks I’ve been talking to for months during the campaign — is that we are building and approving new development projects too much, too soon,” Vance said.

Vance also said that the County Council should be “rooting out and ending fraud, waste and abuse.” Though Vance did not provide examples of alleged fraud on the county level, he asserted that income tax could be eliminated “if the money went to where it was actually appropriated.”

Vance cited fraud investigations at the national level by Vice President JD Vance.

“I just want to ensure that we don’t have similar circumstances here,” Vance said. “That’s simply good stewardship.”

The Republican candidate also said he has heard qualms from the community in regard to property taxes. 

“I’ve been talking to people for months during the campaign, and this problem is always in the top three concerns,” Vance said. 

His plan is to work with other councilors, the county manager and assessor to seek different income sources and cap current property tax rates. 

“A great place to start the reductions would be properties belonging to seniors with paid-for homes,” Vance said. 

On the current council, Vance said he appreciates the volume of topics addressed and that each council member is able to offer their opinion on a given topic. 

“What I would change would be our budgeting process. Given the tripling of the budget in just a few years, it is time for a zero-based analysis and budget reset,” Vance said. 

Vance said he has made it clear that the voters’ priorities are his priorities, too. He plans to promote increased communication with the community and work toward more conservative values in Wasatch County.

All primary election ballots, including those sent by mail, must be received by the county offices by June 23, which is also when in-person voting will take place. 

Secure ballot drop box locations have been open 24 hours since June 3 and close at 8 p.m. on June 23. Election Day voting will be held from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Wasatch County Administration building.

The post ‘Conservative values’ matter to Wasatch County Council candidate Brett Vance appeared first on Park Record.

John Kucera has spent two decades of his life working as a financial analyst, balancing budgets, asking tough questions about business operations and proposing solutions for clients.

Now, he hopes to bring his expertise to a new arena — Summit County Council District 4.

“Whatever you want to do with a county initiative, regardless of what it is, it usually takes money,” Kucera said. “There are financial considerations, and those need to be evaluated. The better you do that, the more freedom you have and the more flexibility you have. … This is a critical part of getting anything done.”

Kucera, a Democrat, grew up in the Salt Lake Valley and studied finance at the University of Utah. After he graduated, Kucera moved to New York City and worked as a financial analyst before returning to Utah around 14 years ago to be closer to his family.

But instead of moving back to the Salt Lake area, Kucera settled in Summit County. He immediately fell in love with the local community, landscape and culture of the Wasatch Back, which he hopes to protect if elected to the County Council.

“I’m passionate about the community,” Kucera said. “We’re at a critical moment because, over the last five years, we’ve seen unprecedented growth pressures unlike anything we’ve seen before and an increasing financial complexity at the county level with an over $100 million budget, and I’m trying to bring a skillset that I think isn’t present on council with my financial background.”

Kucera previously served on the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission from 2018 to 2024, which gave him experience studying proposals, negotiating with developers and working with county officials.

Altus Park City in Kimball Junction, which was formerly referred to as the Dakota Pacific project, was the most notable proposal Kucera handled as a planning commissioner. He emphasized his track record of voting against the development as a sign of how he would handle growth on the County Council.

“The important thing is that we need to be planning for cumulative impacts,” Kucera said, referring to Altus Park City, the Utah Olympic Park expansion and the potential redevelopment of Junction Commons into a mixed-use neighborhood. “My approach is that these are complex problems, and we should not be doing things that we can’t undo, so smaller, more cautious, more incremental projects with redevelopment or a focus on existing entitlements is what I would be looking to do.”

Kucera said he was partly inspired to run for County Council because of his desire to conserve open space. He said he didn’t want the county’s accelerated growth to come at the expense of the natural environment, which is why so many people visit or move to the Wasatch Back.

“The natural environment is our most critical asset,” Kucera said. “The wildlife, the natural beauty, water, those things are so important to both the economic interests of the Wasatch Back, but also to our quality of life and what makes it such a great place that we live in.”

He said his love of open space is why he favors redevelopment over new housing complexes, adding that there is a “tremendous opportunity” for developers to transform the Snyderville Basin into a more affordable, pedestrian-friendly community without creating dozens of new projects.

“I still come back to the idea that there are many urban environments and very few vibrant mountain towns,” Kucera said. “I would like to focus on that vibrant mountain town feel as opposed to overurbanization. Let’s build on the asphalt that’s already existing and allow rights that are already being used to be used better for things like affordable housing.”

Kucera said he would approach being on the County Council through a “lens of risk mitigation,” balancing the negatives of a project or proposal with its benefits and other impacts it would have on the community. He also committed to transparent communication with residents, saying county councilors need to be able to explain the rationale behind decisions, whether the community is in favor of the proposal or not.

“We have an incredible opportunity to do more and to do better,” he said. “Residents have, at times, not felt heard. … I’m a person who likes more information than less information, so I want to hear all views. I want to try to distill it into what I ultimately think will best serve the residents, but I absolutely want to hear and represent this community and engage with them.”

Kucera is also interested in working on the county’s $100 million budget, saying a property tax raise “should be an absolute last priority” because the county likely has opportunities to increase its financial efficiency before officials would need to ask for more funding.

“It’s a healthy process for every organization to be challenged,” Kucera said. “Businesses and residents are really feeling that affordability pressure right now, and we need to be very sensitive to that. We can do more with less. … I wouldn’t be in favor of any massive or wholesale cuts, but I think we need to challenge each department and ask where we have the opportunity to narrow our focus, but also redirect some of those resources so we’re not having to raise taxes and put an additional burden on residents.”

Information on Kucera and his campaign is available at john4council.com. He will face Christie Babalis, a Snyderville Basin attorney, 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.

The post John Kucera, a former Snyderville Basin planning commissioner, touts financial expertise in campaign for Summit County Council appeared first on Park Record.

Christie Babalis grew up in the Salt Lake Valley near the base of Parley’s Canyon, often sneaking away in her parents’ car to make the 15-minute drive to Park City, where she would shirk her teenage responsibilities in favor of a hike or ski run.

Now, more than 30 years later, Babalis is hoping to add to her responsibilities by running for the District 4 seat on the Summit County Council, with a focus on conservation to protect the natural environment she fell in love with as a child.

Her love of the outdoors sparked an early passion for politics, and Babalis was a fervent reader of Edward Abbey, an environmental essayist, by the time she graduated from high school. She described herself as “obsessed” with learning about water conservation, the Colorado River and sustainability, which led her to advocate for environmental issues in front of state lawmakers when she was still a student in high school.

Babalis’ friends and family encouraged her to become an attorney because of her passion for policy issues and ability to succinctly argue her position, and Babalis listened. She obtained a master’s degree in public administration before enrolling in the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah.

Law school opened another door for Babalis, too, who started working as a clerk for the Park City Attorney’s Office in the 1990s. The job allowed her to move permanently to the Wasatch Back, where she has lived for the past three decades.

Babalis, a Democrat, has been involved in the local Snyderville Basin community for years, serving on boards for Recycle Utah, Park City Ski and Snowboard and the Image Reborn Foundation. But this year, Babalis is angling for another type of community involvement — a run for the District 4 seat on the Summit County Council.

“This is the next thing that I’d like to try to do to be of service to this community because it’s my community, and I care about all of these things,” Babalis said. “There are people who I’ve known for so long, my friends and my coworkers. It’s my home and the place where I raised my kids.”

County Attorney Margaret Olson encouraged Babalis to run in addition to county councilors Tonja Hanson and Chris Robinson, whom Babalis would replace if she were to win.

“They felt like my experience with negotiating complicated problems, bringing parties together who don’t always see eye-to-eye, my business background and my governance background meant I had the right skills to run,” Babalis said. “There are so many big issues facing us, and they’re complicated issues that require real leadership, and I’ve been an executive leader for a long time.”

Babalis said she views growth and development as the most pressing issue for Summit County, with much of the pressure centered in the heart of her district because it includes Kimball Junction.

“There’s a constant balance here, and we have to get it right because we’re going to continue to grow,” she said. “We’re going to need to develop, and it’s a balance between that need and the parts of this community … that draw people here, keep people here and why we want to be here.”

She advocated for long-term planning at the county level, saying it’s important for officials to consider the implications a project will have for the area in the next 25 years, not only the immediate future. She also said the County Council should make an effort to communicate directly with residents when there are big proposals, pointing to deliberations over Altus Park City, formerly known as the Dakota Pacific project, and the tension it caused between the County Council and residents who were struggling to understand the process.

“I don’t think the community understood how big it was and how bad it could potentially become until it was too late,” Babalis said. “A lot of folks in the county would say that what we ended up with has a lot of great community benefits, but I don’t know that we ended up with enough community benefits for what we had to give up. Even still, the transparency was lacking, in my opinion.”

Babalis said the County Council needs to establish good relationships with state lawmakers before the general session starts, allowing councilors and the Legislature to collaborate and communicate about Wasatch Back issues instead of only interacting in times of tension, especially because any state mandates would automatically overrule local decisions.

However, Babalis said she favors redevelopment and open space conservation instead of new development projects. Kimball Junction in particular has a lot of redevelopment opportunities that she said could transform the area from a “massive parking lot” into a community center where people live, dine, shop and socialize.

“There’s already infrastructure, so we don’t have to spend a ton of money on roads,” she said. “We can take what we’ve already built and make it better. Every time we’re looking at a new development, we have to also factor in affordable housing.”

Babalis said the true price of affordable housing in Summit County needs to be part of the broader discussion among officials, too. Most developers suggest prices around 80% area median income, or AMI, when they propose affordable housing units, but a studio apartment at 80% AMI in Summit County would be between $2,360 and $2,950, which is actually higher than the $1,700 market rate value, according to the Summit County Housing Authority.

“That AMI percentage isn’t always the right calculation, so we need to look at who needs to live here? Who are these units for? Who do we need to find housing for and what can they afford?” Babalis said. “Then we need to actually build that and not ask people to try to figure out what they’re going to give up to be able to live in this community.”

Information on Babalis and her campaign is available at votebabalis.com. She will face John Kucera, a financial analyst and former Snyderville Basin planning commissioner, 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.

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