A judge dismissed separate lawsuits accusing the Francis City Council and South Summit Fire District of violating the state’s Open and Public Meetings Act, which requires municipalities and government agencies to conduct business in public with ample notice for residents interested in attending or speaking on agenda items.

Utah Defenders of Open Government, which describes itself online as a watchdog group dedicated to increasing government transparency, submitted two complaints to Third District Court in May.

The lawsuits claimed the Francis City Council and South Summit Fire District held meetings in February and December, respectively, without giving the necessary 24-hour notice required by state law. The South Summit complaint also alleged that the agency did not upload an audio recording of the meeting within three days in accordance with state law.

The watchdog organization requested Third District Judge Richard Mrazik declare the meetings in question illegal and compel the government agencies to comply with state law.

However, Mrazik last month sided with the City Council and Fire District after they separately filed motions to dismiss their respective cases. The two agencies relied on similar arguments in their motions, telling the judge that Utah Defenders of Open Government failed to note how the late notices had affected the organization.

“Notably absent from the complaint is any allegation that UDOG intended to attend either meeting … or was otherwise affected by the alleged notice deficiencies,” the Francis City Council’s motion said. “Nor does UDOG allege that any discussion, decision or action taken during either meeting affected UDOG in any way.”

The South Summit Fire District’s motion to dismiss also remarked on 30 other lawsuits filed by Utah Defenders of Open Government since April and questioned the validity of the group’s complaints.

“The Fire District believes that most, if not all, of those lawsuits are just like this one — an attempt to be paid attorneys’ fees by alleging technical defects in the public notice of meetings that UDOG never had any desire to attend and that did not result in any decisions that affected UDOG,” the court document said.

The motions claimed the watchdog group lacked standing to file the complaints in Third District Court without citing specific grievances and asked Mrazik to throw out the cases. He complied and filed orders to dismiss both lawsuits last month, although he did not provide details on the reasoning behind his decisions in the court orders.

The post Judge dismisses government watchdog lawsuits filed against Francis City Council, South Summit Fire District appeared first on Park Record.

A government watchdog and media organization has filed separate lawsuits against the Francis City Council and South Summit Fire District for allegedly violating the state’s Open and Public Meetings Act, which requires municipalities and government agencies to conduct business in public with ample notice for residents interested in attending or speaking.

Utah Defenders of Open Government, which describes itself online as a group dedicated to increasing government transparency, submitted two complaints to Third District Court last week.

The lawsuit naming the Francis City Council was based on two meetings held the week of Feb. 23, which were not publicly announced at least 24 hours before the meeting started as required by state law. The lawsuit claimed the location of the meetings, agenda items and other key information about the purpose were not available in advance.

The filing questioned the validity of any decisions made during the two meetings because of the alleged Open and Public Meetings Act violation. The watchdog group requested Third District Judge Richard Mrazik declare the meetings illegal and compel the Francis City Council to comply with state law, as well as award attorney fees.

It is not clear if the City Council would need to vacate specific decisions made during the February meetings or how those agenda items would be rectified if the judge declared the meetings invalid.

The state has a public notices website to display a list of all open meetings in Utah. Local governments are required to post notices and agendas on the website in addition to advertising meetings in at least three other public places, such as a local media outlet or the door of City Hall.

The two Francis incidents appear to be a City Council meeting scheduled for 5:45 p.m. on Feb. 26 and a joint session between the City Council and the Francis City Planning Commission at 6 p.m. the same day. The notices and agendas are currently available on the website, but the information was not uploaded until 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 26 — approximately 8 hours before the meetings started.

Utah Defenders of Open Government filed a similar lawsuit against the South Summit Fire District, alleging the district held a meeting on Dec. 17, 2025, without the necessary 24-hour notice. It also claimed the Fire District failed to create and provide an audio recording of the meeting to the public within three days, as state law requires.

The complaint alleged that a closed meeting held on the same day also violated the Open and Public Meetings Act because it was improperly noticed, which means the conversation should have happened in an open meeting.

The state’s public notices website indicated the South Summit Fire District posted the agenda for the meeting around 8:15 a.m. on Dec. 17, 10 hours before the meeting started.

The watchdog organization requested Mrazik declare the South Summit Fire District meeting illegal, too, as well as order the public release of the closed meeting’s recording and official minutes.

A spokesperson for the South Summit Fire District said he was unaware of the filing Monday afternoon. Francis City Mayor Jeremie Forman declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing ongoing litigation.

The post Government watchdog group sues South Summit Fire, Francis City Council for alleged open meeting violations appeared first on Park Record.

A group of Francis residents who sued the city over its decision to greenlight a Best Western hotel on the corner of S.R. 32 and Lambert Lane is now requesting that a judge issue a decision on the case as it approaches the first anniversary of its filing.

The lawsuit focused on the hotel’s proximity to residential neighborhoods in addition to the development’s potential effect on wetlands in the area. The complaint claimed Harwood Development LLC, the company spearheading the hotel’s construction, placed the hotel next to The Village at Lambert Lane, a nearby subdivision, even though the company owned 10 acres of land and could have distanced the hotel from existing homes.

“There are also multiple wetlands on or next to the proposed development, but Harwood did not submit any of the required application materials for environmentally sensitive lands,” the complaint said.

The plaintiffs also alleged that the Francis City Council purposefully opted not to follow city code, which prohibited “late-night facilities” from being located near residential areas.

However, Francis city planner Katie Henneuse repeatedly told the City Council that the code was too vague to enforce because it did not include any specifics, such as explicit, measurable descriptions of the distance a 24-hour business needs to be from a neighborhood. She said denying the hotel’s conditional use permit because of the late-night facilities stipulation would likely trigger a lawsuit.

“In making its decision, the City Council openly stated it would not follow the Code’s requirement that late night facilities be located away from residential areas because it believed Harwood would sue the City,” the complaint said. “In addition, the City Council never considered requiring Harwood to move the hotel to mitigate its substantial negative effects on the surrounding neighborhoods.”

The lawsuit said the City Council “illegally ignored” the code relating to late-night facilities and failed to follow city procedure regarding developments on sensitive environmental lands. It also claimed the City Council “failed to impose reasonable mitigating conditions for the proposed hotel” despite its issuance of a conditional use permit.

“The City Council never considered moving the hotel to a different part of the 9.92-acre parcel,” court documents said. “The single most impactful thing the City Council could have (and should have) considered in mitigating the hotel’s harmful effects was to require Harwood to place the hotel on the eastern boundary next to State Route 32. … None of the City Council’s adopted conditions could counteract ‘the reasonably anticipated detrimental effects’ of the hotel’s 24-hour noise, light and customers.”

The plaintiffs requested Third District Judge Richard Mrazik reverse the hotel’s conditional use permit as part of a summary judgment, which is a court ruling issued before a case heads to trial. 

Mrazik had not published an order on the case as of Tuesday afternoon, and there are currently no hearings scheduled.

The post Francis residents ask judge to decide Best Western’s future in legal proceedings appeared first on Park Record.

The Francis City Council unanimously approved an ordinance that makes sweeping changes to the city code, including a prohibition of any further hotel developments in the city center zone.

Outspoken Francis residents spent months campaigning against two proposed hotel developments: a Best Western on the corner of S.R. 32 and Lambert Lane and an unfranchised hotel on the corner of S.R. 35 and Spring Hollow Road. They voiced privacy concerns for nearby neighbors and expressed frustration with the City Council for allowing large-scale developments in the historically rural area.

In the wake of hours-long public hearings, a protest in the City Hall parking lot and the continued controversy surrounding the city center projects, the Francis City Planning Commission and city staff worked together to clarify portions of the code — and ban certain types of development going forward.

The code amendments specifically alter Title 18, which outlines zoning and development regulations, as well as review procedures for conditional use permits.

Francis City Planner Katie Henneuse last week told city councilors she’s been working on the amendments since February and outlined the major changes, namely how the city measures building heights, where the city should or should not allow hotel developments and how to regulate short-term nightly rentals.

For example, the Planning Commission didn’t want to modify the allowed building heights in the city, but commissioners were in favor of changing how the heights are measured, suggesting the city use the natural grade of the property as its starting point rather than the finished grade.

The City Council last summer increased the allowed building height in the city center zone from 40 feet to 45 feet, but Francis residents decried the decision. They said tall structures take away from the area’s rural charm and that the change was only meant to benefit the two hotel developers.

More than 450 people in January signed a petition asking the City Council to repeal the maximum building height change, and petitioner David Sutherland at the time pointed out that residential construction is required to use measurements from the natural grade to determine building heights. He urged the City Council to require commercial developers to abide by the same standards as residential ones.

However, the City Council disagreed with the Planning Commission’s switch to a natural grade measurement. Councilors said they were worried it would be too confusing and decided to stick with measuring from the finished grade, but they also voted to require specific architectural design elements to prevent a developer from taking advantage of city code.

Developers will now be required to receive the City Council’s approval on building materials, too, to help give the city more control over the design and appearance of commercial buildings in the city center.

The Francis City Council agreed with removing hotels from the zone use table for city center and commercial zones, meaning hotel developments will no longer be allowed in those areas or be able to seek approval through a conditional use permit. The two already-approved hotels are grandfathered in and allowed to continue development, though, according to Henneuse.

The code amendment additionally includes regulations for short-term nightly rentals, including a new permitting system. City staff will now review the permits to ensure the structure complies with code, capping the number of issuable permits at 3% of “rooftops in the city,” or 18 total short-term rental units citywide as of publication.

Moreover, each short-term rental location needs to be at least 500 feet away from the next closest short-term rental unit, and the owner or property manager would be required to respond to the city if staff receive complaints about the property.

The permit is also not transferable if ownership of the property changes.

The City Council unanimously voted to approve the code amendments in a 5-0 decision.

The post Francis City Council adopts sweeping code ordinance changes appeared first on Park Record.

Francis voters narrowed the playing field for the Francis City Council race in November, selecting four candidates who will progress to the general election and compete for two available council seats on Election Day.

The four candidates advancing to the November ballot based on preliminary results from the Summit County Clerk’s Office are Riley Atkinson and Lynsi Stone, as well as incumbents Clayton Querry and Shana Fryer.

Atkinson, a full-time firefighter with the South Summit Fire District, was the top vote-getter with 176 votes, or 29%. During the primary campaign, Atkinson stressed his family values and commitment to retaining the city’s “small-town, rural feel” as it faces growing pressure from developers interested in capitalizing on Summit County and Park City’s tourism economies.

“I’m excited for the opportunity and the trust that the people of Francis seem to have in me,” Atkinson said about the preliminary results. “My family has been here for generations and has always been involved in some way or another, and I feel like with the desires and the wants of the Francis citizens, where they want to keep it local with a small town and agriculture, a vote for me is definitely in that direction because that’s what I want.”

Stone and Querry closely followed Atkinson. Stone had 122 votes, or 20%, as of Wednesday afternoon while Querry had 121 votes, or almost 20%.

Querry is also a full-time firefighter for the South Summit Fire District who said he wants to keep the rural charm of Francis alive while recognizing some commercial developments are necessary to help the city stay afloat financially.

Stone, meanwhile, is a single mother raising four boys who says she knows what it takes to juggle work, family and community on the East Side. She previously told The Park Record she was running for the opportunity to provide the City Council with her perspective as a hardworking, lifelong resident in the area. Stone works full-time as an administrative assistant for the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, and she agreed that growth and development will be the biggest challenges facing the City Council over the next four years.

Neither Querry nor Stone responded to a request for comment on the preliminary primary election results as of Wednesday afternoon.

Fryer is the fourth candidate heading to the general election ballot in November with 97 votes, or just about 16%. The incumbent has already served two terms on the Francis City Council. During the primary elections, she touted her almost 10 years of experience as a city official and her understanding of the fine line the municipality needs to tread legally when it comes to denying developments.

“I honestly didn’t think I would make it past the primaries, but I’m glad I did. I wouldn’t have put my name in if I didn’t want to run, so let’s just see how the real election goes,” Fryer said.

Justin Ciampi and Scott Buchanan, both of whom sit on the Francis City Planning Commission, were eliminated from the race. Ciampi earned 59 votes, or around 10%, while Buchanan won 32 votes, or 5%.

The election results so far are still preliminary. Formal results remain pending certification. Election Day to determine the winners of each race is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 4.

The post Voters narrow the candidate field in the race for Francis City Council appeared first on Park Record.

The Francis City Council reluctantly approved the architectural plans for a hotel on the corner of S.R. 35 and Spring Hollow Road last week after an informal mediation process, as part of an ongoing lawsuit, resulted in an opinion favoring the development company rather than the city.

Rusty Webster, the developer spearheading the hotel known as The Stonewright, appealed the City Council’s decision to deny the architectural plans for the building in Summit County’s Third District Court last month. His complaint primarily centered on the definition of an attic in the Francis City Code compared to the International Building Code, as well as the City Council’s seemingly subjective interpretation of the design.

The lawsuit was spurred by the City Council’s decision to reject Webster’s proposed blueprints for the second time because of concerns regarding a supposed attic above the third floor.

Developers presented plans for a four-story building with commercial space for retail businesses and restaurants in addition to the actual hotel earlier this year in the hopes that the City Council would approve an ordinance increasing the maximum allowed number of stories in the town center from three to four. The City Council was ultimately against the change and declined to adopt the ordinance in a 3-1 vote in March.

The hotel’s developers at the time said the decision would not affect their proposal because they had a backup plan — a three-story building with the fourth story converted into an attic instead of another floor for hotel rooms.

However, councilors said they were worried the building wasn’t a three-story structure when developers appeared before the City Council in April. The updated plans showed balconies on the fourth floor, and the interior plan showed walls and doors, similar to the lower floors intended for hotel rooms. The City Council denied the design in a 3-2 vote and asked developers to return with new blueprints at a later date.

Webster then submitted a revision to the City Council in June showing he had removed the attic balconies and non-structural interior walls and added shutters over the attic windows. The developer’s legal counsel additionally sent a memo to the City Council outlining the definition of an attic and claiming the three-story limitation “does not apply to the attic” or the proposed rooftop deck.

But the City Council wasn’t convinced and denied the architectural plans for a second time in another 3-2 vote, spurring Webster’s decision to file a lawsuit in July.

Francis City officials confirmed on Thursday that Webster and the city agreed to informal mediation as part of the ongoing litigation, and the intermediary involved in the case subsequently issued an informal opinion siding with developers.

The city then negotiated with Webster and acquiesced to holding a special-called meeting last week to resolve the conflict in exchange for dismissing the lawsuit.

City councilors were clear that they still disagreed with the building’s design, however. They said they believed the developer was no longer considering the town’s residents when making decisions or working with the City Council “in good faith.”

“We’re not trying to be stubborn. We told you what we wanted, and I think we all know what was presented,” said Francis City Councilor Clint Summers.

City Councilor Sam Hunter said he would vote to approve the architectural plans to save the city and its taxpayers from dealing with the financial repercussions of fighting the developers in court, but he similarly criticized developers for how they handled conversations with the city.

“I do not like the outcome,” he said. “They’re forcing a four-story building down our throats. … The ombudsman’s informal report came back against us. I feel it’s our duty as councilpeople to do what’s best for the city. To keep denying this, forcing us into a lawsuit, ultimately, the state Legislature will probably side against us, and it’s going to cost the city money needlessly. It’s with great reservation that I will approve it tonight, but I really don’t like it.”

The Francis City Council then unanimously voted to approve The Stonewright’s architectural design in a unanimous decision. Francis City Mayor Jeremie Forman, who is also a voting member on City Council decisions, did not attend the meeting.

The post Francis City Council reluctantly approves hotel’s architectural design appeared first on Park Record.

Lynsi Stone was born and raised in the Kamas Valley, and as a single mother raising four boys, she knows what it takes to juggle work, family and community to build a good life on the East Side.

That’s why, Stone said, she’s running for a spot on the Francis City Council — to provide the perspective of a working mom and lifelong resident as the city navigates a period of growth and development.

“I just feel like we need to keep people on the council who are thoughtful and responsible,” Stone said. “I know that growth is inevitable, but I think it needs to be managed properly. I want to make sure that as we grow, we do it in a way that protects what makes our town special and to be able to help plan for infrastructure, housing and other services smartly and properly.”

Stone, an administrative assistant for the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, said she sees growth in Francis as the biggest challenge for the City Council over the next four years. As developers propose new projects, Stone said, she wants to make sure someone on the City Council is advocating for the safety of local families.

“Our safe neighborhoods are important because we’ve grown up always knowing your neighbor,” she said. “You always knew everyone in school, and I think it’s important to know the people you’re surrounded by.”

Two controversial hotel proposals, which have spurred separate lawsuits in Summit County’s Third District Court, have been top of mind for many Francis residents who oppose the developments because of safety concerns and questions about economic viability. Stone said she has mixed feelings about the hotels because she shares many of the same concerns, but she also recognizes the need for more commercial businesses in the area.

“Having a business like that could bring some good things to our town, like income and people who want to see the valley, but it’s hard to watch stuff like that come in when you’ve grown up here because it used to be open fields,” Stone said. “I know it’s coming because it’s inevitable. We can’t stop it, so we have to learn to adjust to it. … I think it can bring some good to our town, but it’s scary in other ways, and it makes my heart hurt to see things grow and change how they are.”

Stone said she thinks her perspective as a hardworking, lifelong resident and single mother would benefit the City Council because of her firsthand experience of building a life in the area.

“I know what it means to juggle responsibilities,” she said. “I want to bring that real world perspective to the council to help make decisions that support working families and preserve our small-town feel. I think my experience keeps me grounded, and my motivation comes from wanting to make it a great place, not just for my child, but for every family in our community to be able to live and grow up in.”

Stone is one of six people vying for two open Francis City Council seats in November. Because of the large number of candidates, including Riley Atkinson, planning commissioners Justin Ciampi and Scott Buchanan, and incumbents Shana Fryer and Clayton Querry, the city will hold a primary election on Aug. 12 to narrow the playing field for Election Day.

The post Francis mother of four seeks City Council seat appeared first on Park Record.

Shana Fryer is proud to be a lifelong resident of the Kamas Valley, serving her community as a dedicated employee of the post office for over 30 years and a seasoned elected official on the Francis City Council. 

Now, Fryer, who has already served two terms as a city councilor, is throwing her hat in the ring for a third time, touting her almost 10 years of experience.

“I used to just go by my heart and say, ‘You’re not going to build this. You’re not going to build that, and I have all the say,’ but I’ve learned over the years that I have to say yes to certain things because that’s the law,” Fryer said. “I can’t tell you what you can do with your land if it’s your land and it’s zoned correctly, so I think I’ve learned throughout the years that I can help keep the town small, but I can also help it grow in the right way.”

There’s often a steep learning curve when it comes to grasping the ins and outs of local government, and Fryer said she hopes her knowledge stands out to voters, especially as the town works to attract more businesses and increase its commercial base.

“Our roads are taking a hit, and we need to work on those, so we need to either raise taxes or get some businesses here to fix them,” she said. “Everybody complains about our roads, and we do our best, but we don’t have the funds to maintain them every single year.”

Fryer acknowledged not every business will be popular among Francis residents, though, specifically pointing out two controversial hotels planned for the city center zone. The Francis City Council has already issued conditional use permits for both developments despite opposition from many outspoken constituents, and while Fryer said she sympathized with their concerns, there’s little the City Council can do to prevent growth entirely.

“I grew up in Kamas on a dirt road. I don’t want the city to come here. I don’t want this growth, but it’s coming, and we can’t say no,” she said. “I would be the first one to say no to both of these hotels if I could, but they’re zoned correctly. … We need something that’s going to bring in a tax base and help the more lowly people like me, the residents, so that we’re not paying for all of the roads and infrastructure and all that.”

However, Fryer said she has voted against quite a few housing developments, preferring to boost the city’s funds through commercial development rather than opening the door to a large number of new residents all at once.

“If there’s any way around it, I will say no … unless it is helping the city,” Fryer said. “I try to think from my heart about what would be best for the city because otherwise I would just lock the gate and nobody else would come here, but we can’t do that.”

The Kamas Valley has changed dramatically since Fryer was a kid, but knowing the minutiae of state law and having two terms of previous experience dealing with developers gives Fryer an edge when it comes to controlling growth, she said.

“It’s not achievable to keep it how it was when I grew up here,” she said. “The road to Park City has opened us up, so we have a lot of traffic, and we have a lot of the millionaires getting pushed out of Park City coming over here because it’s still close enough. … I understand the legalities and the codes and the restrictions that we can put on developments, or the ones we can’t, like the hotels, that we have to say yes to or we’ll get in a lawsuit, so I think my experience is important.”

Fryer is one of six people vying for two open Francis City Council seats in November. Because of the large number of candidates, including Lynsi Stone, Riley Atkinson, planning commissioners Justin Ciampi and Scott Buchanan and fellow incumbent Clayton Querry, the city will hold a primary election on Aug. 12 to narrow the playing field for Election Day.

The post Incumbent Shana Fryer touts experience, past voting record in Francis City Council run appeared first on Park Record.

With just over three weeks until the primary election, voters in Park City and some parts of the East Side who want a say in who appears on the November ballot should prepare to make their decisions soon.

A large number of candidates are campaigning for the Park City Council, Francis City Council, Henefer mayor and Coalville City Council and mayoral elections. So voters living in those municipalities will help narrow the field by voting for the candidate of their choice on Aug. 12. 

City council elections allow voters to choose up to two candidates — the number of open seats — while only one pick is allowed for mayor. The top vote-getters will appear on the general election ballot. Four candidates will keep campaigning on for the city council seats, and two will advance in the race for the mayor’s office. 

Primary ballots will be mailed out on Tuesday, meaning they could start arriving in mailboxes as early as next week. 

Ballots must then be returned to the Clerk’s Office or a drop box before 8 p.m. on Aug. 12. Drop boxes are located at the Summit County Courthouse, the Coalville and Kamas branches of the Summit County Library, the Park City Library, The Market at Park City, Francis City Hall and Henefer Town Hall.

Early in-person voting is also permitted in the week leading up to the primary as well as the day of. Early voting will be available from Wednesday, Aug. 6, to Saturday, Aug. 9, at the Summit County Clerk’s Office and the Marsac Building. The Clerk’s Office will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. Park City Hall will be open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Election Day voting locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. on Aug. 12 at Coalville City Hall, the Kamas branch of the Summit County Library and the Marsac Building.

The Park Record and KPCW will host a primary election forum on Tuesday, the same day that ballots go out introducing the eight Park City Council candidates: Park City Community Foundation Vice President of Impact Diego Zegarra; incumbent Park City Councilor Jeremy Rubell; former People’s Health Clinic Executive Director Beth Armstrong; former communications firm owner Molly Miller; former Park City Planning Commissioner John “J.K.” Kenworthy; former National Ability Center CEO Danny Glasser; incumbent Park City Councilor Tana Toly; and Mountain Trails Foundation Resource Manager Ian Hartley. 

The primary forum will start at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at the Jim Santy Auditorium in the Park City Library on 1255 Park Ave. Candidates will have limited time to provide opening statements, answer lightning, general and audience questions, and issue closing statements. There is a prompt 8 p.m. end time. KPCW will livestream the candidate forum at kpcw.org.

The Park Record continues to publish candidate profiles highlighting those who are appearing on the primary ballot. A voter guide featuring the candidates will be published before the primary. 

Editor and Publisher Don Rogers said questionnaires have been emailed to candidates in primary municipal elections in Summit and Wasatch counties, and he hopes the candidates will complete their forms by Monday so that the guide can be published with the Saturday, July 26, edition of The Park Record as well as sent to every resident’s post office box address.

The Francis City Council candidates:

• Scott Ian Buchanan
• Justin Ciampi
• Riley J. Atkinson
• Lynsi Stone
• Shana Jai Fryer, incumbent
• Clayton Wilson Querry, incumbent

The Henefer Town Mayor candidates:

• James Alfred Rees
• Kay H. Richins, incumbent
• Dawn M. Langston

The Coalville candidates:

• Walter William Brock, mayor
• Lynn Wood, mayor
• Tyler J. Rowser, mayor
• Rory Thomas Swensen, mayor
• Matthew Boyer, city council
• Steven Bingham Richins, city council
• Andrew Edward Nelson, city council
• Colleen C. Goodman, city council
• Chris Tomczyk, city council
• Jeff M. Peterson, city council

The Heber City candidates:

• Heidi Franco, incumbent mayor
• D. Scott Phillips, mayor
• Mike Hewlett, mayor
• Yvonne M Barney, incumbent city councilor
• Lori Wikert Rutland, city council
• Gregory D Royall, city council
• Corey Noyes, city council
• Morgan Murdock, city council
• Nick Lopez, city council
• Christen Thompson, city council
• Jami Hewlett, city council
• Ken Davis, city council

The Midway City Council candidates:

• Craig Knight, city council
• Starr Stratford, city council
• Jared (JC) Simonsen, incumbent city councilor
• Andy Garland, city council
• Randy Lundin, city council
• Genene Probst-Miles, city council

The Summit County Clerk’s Office will conduct a logic and accuracy test of the equipment that will be used during the primary election at 10 a.m. on Monday in the County Courthouse, 60 N. Main Street in Coalville. It is open to the public.

In October, The Park Record and KPCW will host another forum with the mayoral and final council candidates appearing on the general election ballot. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4.

Individuals must be registered to vote no later than 11 days before an election to receive a mail-in ballot. Contact the Clerk’s Office with any questions by calling 435-336-3040.

An earlier version of this article stated ballots could be postmarked by Monday, Aug. 11, to be counted. A new state law removed the postmark deadline, and the only standard is that ballots are returned to the Clerk’s Office by 8 p.m. on election day. The article has been updated.

The post Primary election ballots to be mailed Tuesday; candidate forum that evening appeared first on Park Record.

Riley Atkinson takes pride in serving his community full-time as a firefighter with the South Summit Fire District, but he hopes to try his hand at a new form of community involvement this year: a spot on the Francis City Council.

“I care deeply about this community,” Atkinson said. “Through my job, I see a lot of what’s happening here, what people need, what concerns them and what makes Francis special. I felt like I could take that insight and contribute in another way by serving on the City Council. It’s just another way I can show up for the place I call home.”

Atkinson was born and raised in Francis, but he briefly left the area to go to school. He and his wife, whom he met on his journey to find himself and his career path, moved back to Francis a little over three years ago. Atkinson said he returned because he wants to keep his roots and raise his family in the same place he grew up.

But the place where he grew up is changing, and Atkinson said he wants to be part of the decision-making team determining future developments and the direction of the city.

“We’re starting to see more interest from developers, and with that comes the potential for lots of growth, like new businesses, more traffic and changes to the land,” he said. “I understand progress is part of the picture, but we also need to protect what makes this valley so unique. Once you lose that small-town, rural feel, it’s difficult to go back. I think the challenge will be finding a balance between smart growth and protecting our open space and community values.”

Atkinson pointed out two controversial hotel proposals in Francis, one of which has become the subject of a lawsuit in Summit County’s Third District Court, as examples of concerning developments that may alter the face of the city.

“What matters most to me is that any development reflects the values of the people who live here,” Atkinson said. “Francis isn’t Park City, and it shouldn’t try to be. People live here because they love the peace, the space and the sense of community. As someone with family roots in farming and a real appreciation for this land, I want to make sure we’re not trading away the best parts of Francis for short-term gain. If we plan carefully and keep the community’s priorities front and center, I believe we can grow in a way that strengthens what makes this town special.”

Atkinson said he’s levelheaded and used to staying calm under pressure because of his career in emergency services. He stressed the importance of fair, thoughtful decisions, adding that he wants to be a voice for the people and make sure residents feel heard.

“I’m here because I care,” Atkinson said. “I’m not a politician; I’m a public servant who wants to give back in another way. I’ve spent my life helping people in emergencies, and now I want to help make steady, thoughtful decisions before emergencies happen. This town raised me, and I want to do my part to protect what makes it great.”

Atkinson is one of six people vying for two open Francis City Council seats in November. Because of the large number of candidates, including Lynsi Stone, planning commissioners Justin Ciampi and Scott Buchanan and incumbents Shana Fryer and Clayton Querry, the city will hold a primary election on Aug. 12 to narrow the playing field for Election Day.

The post Homegrown firefighter runs for Francis City Council appeared first on Park Record.