Park City is seeking future leaders for the community.

The annual Leadership Park City program is recruiting for its next class. The application deadline is Aug. 21. The program selects approximately 35 people each year from the 100 to 120 anticipated applications.

Leadership Park City is essentially a primer for people who want to learn how the Park City area operates.

The program dates to the 1990s, and the upcoming class will be the 33rd. Leadership Park City launched during an era of change that accompanied a population boom in the community. The program continues to provide class members with a grounding and prepare them to take on more prominent roles in the Park City area.

The program has more than 900 alumni. A series of Leadership Park City graduates have later won elected office in Park City or Summit County. Graduates have also gone on to hold influential roles in various circles, including the not-for-profit sector.

Scott van Hartesvelt, the director of the program, described Leadership Park City as being “built into the fabric of the community.”

“It has established broad community-wide support,” he said.

He described Park City as a place where people choose to live rather than somewhere necessitated by an employer or other reason. That, he said, “almost encourages you to lean in.” People in Park City “take responsibility” for the community, he said.

The program involves a calendar of sessions running on Mondays from early October until the following fall. They are typically scheduled from 3 to 9 p.m. The schedule for the upcoming class includes:

• A welcoming reception on Oct. 2.
• An orientation and ropes course during an overnight session on Oct. 4 and Oct. 5.
• A day at the Utah Capitol on Jan. 25.
• A session dedicated to inclusive leadership on April 19.
• A graduation banquet on Sept. 24.

Attendance is required at each session to graduate.

The program also includes the five-day City Tour to other places in the region for fact-finding. It is planned for May 19-23.

A destination for the 2027 City Tour is not set. The locations are usually similarly sized or larger than Park City and are typically grappling with similar issues. The travelers meet with leaders in the other communities and trade stories about policies, programs and challenges. The City Tour this year traveled to the Colorado mountain resorts of Vail and Breckenridge, two of Park City’s tourism competitors.

Topics Leadership Park City usually addresses include the inner workings of the Park City and Summit County governments, the work of not-for-profit organizations and business trends.

Van Hartesvelt, as an example, said one of the sessions during the current class centered on the state Military Installation Development Authority, which is a critical player in Wasatch County growth matters. Presenters are drawn from the ranks of elected officials, business leaders, not-for-profit executives and thinkers.

Van Hartesvelt described the speakers as “key stakeholders.” Each Leadership Park City class also selects a project that usually is based on an overarching community issue, such as the redistricting of political districts and civility.

The program is open to people who live or work in Park City or surrounding Summit County. Each member of the class receives a scholarship covering the costs for the program. The City Tour, though, is not included in the scholarship and is estimated to cost between $1,000 and $1,200. There is financial assistance available for class members who would otherwise be burdened by the cost of the City Tour.

A panel of approximately 40 Leadership Park City alumni scores the applications and then reviews the field before selecting the class.

Applications are available online at: applyforleadership.com. More information about the program is also available online at: parkcity.gov/community/leadership_park_city/index.php#acc_0_panel_7.

An open house is scheduled from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Park City Library community room for people considering submitting a Leadership Park City application.

“The legacy of Leadership Park City should be a source of civic pride,” said van Hartesvelt, an alum of the program. He called Leadership Park City as a “very authentic Park City experience.”

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At the annual Park City Leadership Symposium on Friday, Park City Mayor Ryan Dickey set up a conversation with Sen. John Curtis by giving his thoughts about increasingly polarized U.S. politics, which he said was often focused on arguing rather than finding solutions.

“In local government, we don’t have the luxury of leading like that. … Every day we’re here to solve problems and bring people together,” Dickey said. “No one cares if the mayor is a Democrat or a Republican when they want to go to work in the morning and the streets aren’t plowed or, God forbid, if they want to get pickleball time and the tennis players are there. These are real issues. The pickleball party rises above partisan politics.”

When Curtis came onstage, Dickey asked whether the senator had observed an increase in political polarization.

Yes, he agreed, polarization has increased over the past decade, particularly due to social media.

“I could post how much we love puppies on my social media, and somebody would say, ‘See, I told you he was an idiot,’” Curtis joked. “It sadly drives a lot of the narrative in Washington, D.C.”

But he also said that polarized narrative overshadows the bipartisan problem-solving that does occur.

“If I could just literally transport all of you into Washington, D.C., into a day in my life … you would see that most Republicans and Democrats actually like each other, that we get along. We travel together. We eat together. We do things together. … In any given week, I’ll bet I hear four or five times, ‘Let’s find a bill to work on together,’” he said. “We’re kind, and we like each other’s personalities. And that, obviously, is boring, right? And it doesn’t make social media.”

Curtis pointed to the Fiscal Commission Act as an example of bipartisan collaboration. He introduced the legislation with the sponsorship of four other Republicans, four Democrats and an Independent this week. The Fiscal Commission Act would create a bipartisan commission focused on finding legislative solutions to decrease the national debt, which now exceeds $38 trillion, according to Curtis’ website.

Climate change is another way Curtis has pushed bipartisan collaboration. He founded the Conservative Climate Caucus in 2021 to address climate change from a Republican perspective.

“If you can flip climate to be a bipartisan issue, we can flip about anything. And I think that’s one of the things that I’m really proud of, is getting Republicans to actually say the word climate,” he said. “The reality of it is, look, we’re Utahns, and every Utahn, in my opinion, cares deeply about this Earth and leaving it better than we found it. Now, all of a sudden, that’s a basis for a conversation.”

He pointed to artificial intelligence as one way conversations around energy have changed in recent years. 

“Years ago, we were talking about 1, 2% growth in energy,” Curtis said. He believed that made it easy to have conversations about which power sources were best. 

Due to advances in artificial intelligence, “We’re really in a world right now where we need every electron we can get,” he said.

“And this challenges both sides of this debate,” he continued. “We’ve got the current executive branch trying to undermine wind and solar. … And some of my colleagues that have been traditionally against the fossil fuels are realizing themselves, ‘Wow. We’ve got to think about this.’”

He believes changing the narrative to focus on energy growth rather than the sources it comes from will lead the market to naturally “take control” and provide energy that is clean, reliable and affordable.

Water conservation is another issue Curtis believes is an issue that must be addressed at all levels of government and by individuals, particularly after the 2034 Olympics.

“There’s zero question in my mind that we will pull off the best Olympics in the history of the world,” Curtis said.

He said Utah must prepare for growth that may occur as a result of the 2034 Olympics. It’s something he observed after the 2002 Olympics, when people across the globe increasingly realized Colorado wasn’t the only state worth skiing in. He said that growth will create a need to address issues ranging from water conservation to transportation and infrastructure.

Wrapping up the panel, Dickey asked for advice from Curtis, who was Provo mayor from 2010 to 2017, about how to approach his first term as Park City mayor.

Firstly, Curtis recommended adapting the format of town hall meetings. When he was Provo mayor, he allowed public commenters to use their allotted time to meet with him one-on-one instead of speaking in front of a crowd. 

“It totally changed the dynamic of the information I was getting back,” he said.

Secondly, Curtis relayed something he’d heard recently from Brett Hart, the president of United Airlines — a leader is responsible for culture. He said the same is true of a mayor. Whether it’s how police officers treat residents or whether a pesky pothole gets filled, the mayor takes responsibility for everything that happens in their municipality. Similarly, the mayor is responsible for ensuring every resident feels heard.

Finally, Curtis told Dickey to enjoy it. 

“I’m now eight years away from being mayor. Nobody in Provo cares about what the tax rates were when I was mayor. You know what they care about? They will tell stories of the day you showed up at the elementary school in your pajamas to read stories to the kids,” he said. 

Dickey’s final question for Curtis was whether he had any advice about how to address Park City’s parking woes. Dickey said Curtis was spotted on Main Street during Halloween in a past year, dressed as SpongeBob Squarepants, rushing to his car, which was seconds away from being towed. Sadly, Dickey did not provide any photo evidence of Curtis dressed as the cartoon sea sponge. 

Curtis didn’t have any specific advice about parking, but urged Dickey to “figure it out.”

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Leadership Park City announced Monday the members of its 31st Leadership Class.

The organization also recognized its most recent graduating class. 

The selection committee chose 37 new  members from over 106 applicants.

Applicants hail from Summit, Wasatch, Utah and Salt Lake counties, though all have some connection to Park City through their work or personal life, the organization said.

“Class 30 will always hold a special place as the last for the incomparable Myles Rademan, the founder of the program. It’s a thrill to congratulate them on their successful year, and welcome my first new and impressive class,” said Scott van Hartesvelt, Leadership Park City director.

The following people comprise the new, 31st class:

• Brooke Ahlberg
• Jackson Gready
• Heidi Matthews
• Julia Rametta
• Samuel Beaves-Fisher
• Molly Guinan
• Justin May-West
• Kristen Schulz
• Polly Choque-Mendoza
• Robyn Hase
• Tarra McDonald
• Henry Sigg
• Katy Heddens
• Andrei Neacsu
• Danielle Snelson
• Ingrid Contreras
• Makaela Herran
• Elle O’Brien
• Diana Sylvester
• Trilby Cox
• Kaitlynn Hoffman
• John O’Brien
• Sydney Thorson
• Pete Deininger
• Luisa Katoa
• Susan Odell
• Grant Tilson
• Claire Desilets
• Lewis Kogan
• Lynne Offret
• Sally White
• Mitchell Elliott
• Alex Malmborg
• Benjamin Pearson
• Megan Fleming
• Sarah Mangano
• Sierra Prothers

The following people comprise the graduating class:

• Caren Bell
• Miriam Garcia
• Andrea Morgan
• Steven Rowe
• Rebecca Blanchette
• Danny Glasser
• Courtney Morrison
• Victoria Schlaepfer
• Kristal Bowman-Carter
• Chantal Guadarrama
• Helen Nadel
• Heleena Sideris
• Brandon Brady
• Frank Hammond
• Matthew Nagie
• Nancy Stoaks
• Rebecca Brenner
• Brittnie Hecht
• Jen O’Brien
• David Swartz
• Daniel Cherkis
• Seychelle Marcus
• Roberto Olivares
• Joseph Urankar
• Rhea Cone
• Scout Maziarz
• Kyle Osborne
• David Wilcox
• Gage Farinacci
• Melissa Mendez
• Shelley Pierce
• Joel Zarrow
• Eve Furse
• Gretchen Milliken
• Margaret Plane
• Emma Zevallos

More information about the Leadership program may be found at parkcity.org/departments/leadership-park-city.

Candidates who were not selected are encouraged to reapply in 2025, the organization said.

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Leadership Park City, a city program designed to identify and train individuals for leadership roles, creates a legacy project each year that aims for an overall positive impact in Park City and Summit County.

Past projects have included civility, water conservation, local trails and a children’s book about civic responsibility.

This year’s project for Leadership Class 23 will be to support Park City Municipal and the coalition of outdoor and conservation nonprofits working to save Bonanza Flat — sometimes called Bonanza Flats — the approximately 1,350-acre parcel of land located in Wasatch County downhill from Guardsman Pass.

To date, there is $2.8 million left of a $38 million price purchase that needs to be met by June 15.

Local recreational, environmental and conservation nonprofits — including Utah Open Lands, Save Our Canyons, Mountain Trails Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Summit Land Conservancy, Sierra Club, Wasatch Backcountry Alliance, Friends of Alta and Winter Wildlands Alliance — have formed a coalition to raise funds.

One of the ways the class will help the effort is through an online auction, Class 23 member Sara Jo Dickens said to The Park Record.

“There is so much passion behind this whole effort and it didn’t take much to get everybody stoked to be a part of it,” Dickens said during a joint interview with fellow class member Colleen McGinn. “It’s hard to watch this whole thing happen and not want to participate, so this is the perfect opportunity for us to do something.”

Dickens, who works for Summit Land Conservancy, a nonprofit that preserves open space, said members of Park City Chamber of Commerce approached the nonprofit and said small businesses in Park City wanted to help with the effort to preserve Bonanza Flat.

“The problem was that they couldn’t turn their budgets around fast enough to pull money to donate,” Dickens said. “They did say they had items they could donate if there was a way to monetize them for the cause. So, this is how the idea of the online auction started. We had a lot of small businesses reach out to donate to the auction.”

The auction will run May 12-26 and the public can bid on items by visiting http://www.biddingforgood.com/savebonanzaflat.

Some items include a private chef dinner for eight at Gallery MAR with Savory Kitchen, a two-night stay at The Homestead and a spa day at the Waldorf Astoria.

Other items include a membership to the new Summit/Park City bike share program, an Orange Theory Fitness Package, a Salt Pilates class package worth $100, dinner for two at Tupelo, ski and summer mountain bike passes at Deer Valley, 10-punch yoga pass for Tadasana Yoga Studio, a Zodi portable shower and Renegade hiking boots from LOWA Boots LLC.

Kodiak Cakes will match the 5K race registrations for the Park City Trail Series up to $10,000 for all registrations that come in by June 10. And Flying Aces All Stars, which puts on freestyle jumping shows at Utah Olympic Park during the summer, has donated tickets and a private training session by Ashley Caldwell.

Friends of Alta will donate auction items that include a Nau International gift certificate, two one-day travel certificates to any city on JetBlue and tickets to the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, as well as a 2017 limited edition Sundance Film Festival poster.

“There are other items including camping and climbing gear from Liberty Mountain and Mountainsmith and ski equipment from Scott Sports,” Dickens said.

“Hopefully, since this is an online auction, we can reach people from around the world who have visited Park City or who know about Bonanza Flat through friends,” McGinn said.

“We will even accept donations after the auction starts, because we can post them as New Items,” Dickens said.

While the online auction is a major part of Class 23’s project, there’s more.

“We have Save Bonanza Flat T-shirts that were made by Jameson Harper that are on sale,” McGinn said. “We teamed up with Motherlode Park City, a t-shirt company to do this, and the shirts are available for $25 and half of the proceeds goes to Bonanza Flat.”

Also, Uinta Brewing Company has created a Bonanza Beer.

“One of the guys in our group used to work for the Uinta Brewing Company and he asked them to make a beer,” McGinn said. “The beer will be on tap at Flanagan’s, Boneyard and No Name and some other local taverns.”

Like the T-shirts, most of the proceeds from the beer sales will benefit Bonanza Flat.

If, by chance, the $2.8 million isn’t raised by June 15, donors will have a choice to get refunds or give their money to another open-land project, Dickens said.

“We know our auction alone isn’t going to raise $2.8 million, but it will raise some money and also raise awareness for the overall thing,” Dickens said. “Every piece of the nonprofit coalition is working with other donors. This is a way for Leadership to do something. If we can do anything to raise awareness, we will. To have new energy come in is a great way to add to the efforts.”

Leadership Park City Class 23 will host an online auction at http://www.biddingforgood.com/savebonanzaflat from May 12-26 to help raise money to preserve Bonanza Flat. For information or to donate items, contact Sara Jo Dickens at sarajo@wesaveland.org or Colleen McCinn at mcginn.colleen@gmail.com.

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