Tonja Hanson has spent the past year learning the intricacies of the Summit County Council since her appointment in the fall of 2022, and the new vice chair still has work she wants to see through after her first term ends later this year.
The fifth-generation Summit County resident who grew up in and lives on the East Side said she has found her bearings and developed an understanding of how the local government functions, but it hasn’t been enough time to dive deep into the issues affecting residents. So Hanson filed to keep Seat B and run for a full term in office.
“It takes a year just to get your feet on the ground in a position like this,” she said. “I feel like I haven’t been on long enough. I need to do another term to make sure I’m getting some work done that needs to be done.”
Hanson, a Democrat, said it’s been fulfilling to serve on the County Council, which is like a full-time job. She was also named vice chair earlier this month. The role will give Hanson greater responsibility in the County Council as she helps keep officials on schedule and serves as a liaison to the rest of the County Courthouse.
She already attends the weekly meeting and also serves on committees that support various programs such as the county Health Department, library system and senior services. The priorities and concerns of each group are relayed to the County Council to determine if there are any funding opportunities or solutions.
Housing has become a particularly important issue for Hanson, who spends time meeting with seniors at the three centers across Summit County. She’s heard about their need for affordable residences and opportunities for continued care as the 55 and older population hopes to age in place.
“Right now, there’s nowhere in Summit County for them to go. They have to go to Salt Lake or Morgan or Heber or Evanston, and they don’t want to do that. They want to be able to age out in their own community and I think that’s a real need that the county has got to address,” Hanson said.
She sees a huge need for generational housing — cradle to grave. Hanson said there needs to be affordable residences for the local workforce as well as the children who have moved away and want to come back as adults and seniors who want to remain in the community until they die. This might look like deed-restricted single-family homes rather than dense apartment buildings.
The vice chair is proud of the county’s dedication to preserving open space. Officials made several large, important property acquisitions in 2023 including the 910 Cattle Ranch and Ure family farm. There’s been an intentional effort to consider land on the East Side, and Hanson said officials plan to spend more time looking in North Summit.
If Hanson is elected to a full term, addressing environmental stewardship and responsible growth will be top priorities.
She said protecting water quality in the Wasatch Back, preserving open space and promoting the county’s sustainable tourism plan are essential to maintaining a high quality of life. Mitigating traffic impacts is another issue Hanson plans to focus on.
Hanson is a former member of the Eastern Summit County Planning Commission and Coalville City Council. Her career was in hospitality and tourism. She was born and raised on a cattle ranch and has lived and worked in nearly every part of Summit County, from Park City and the Snyderville Basin to Democrat Alley.
Betsy Wallace, the former managing director of the Sundance Institute and former executive director of the Park City Institute, is challenging Hanson for Seat B. No Republicans filed for the spot.
The Summit County Democratic Party will host a convention night on March 26 in which delegates chosen at a caucus will vote for either candidate. A primary election would be held in June if neither candidate earns 60% of the vote.