An Army veteran and small business owner living in Hoytsville hopes his underdog campaign will bring a balanced perspective to the solid-blue government in Summit County, where Democrats currently hold all elected positions.Republican Tory Welch emphasized his candidacy as a necessary voice on the County Council to ensure diverse viewpoints are represented. He’s challenging longtime incumbent Roger Armstrong for Seat A to help ease a divide between the East Side of the county and the west.Welch grew up in northern Arizona and moved to Peterson in Morgan County with his mother after his parents’ divorce around 2000. He worked on a ranch and in landscaping before he graduated a year early from high school. His interactions with recruiters inspired Welch to enlist in the military.He worked as a heavy construction equipment operator. Welch was responsible for maintaining machinery such as bulldozers, excavators and cranes used to assist with construction and ensure troops had the facilities they needed to complete missions.Welch spent five years in the Army, including two years in Iraq. He was discharged in 2008, and Welch went on to work for a construction company with plans to become a lineman using the foundation he built in the military. Then, Rocky Mountain Power hired Welch as a groundman. He completed a three-and-a-half-year apprenticeship to become a journeyman lineman tasked with building, maintaining and repairing electrical power systems.Welch started in Layton, spent some time in Smithfield, worked in Evanston and ended up being a journeyman in Price before moving to the Park City shop. Welch and his high school sweetheart looked around for a place to live, originally considering Heber City but found a place in Hoytsville after making a connection at the local Post Office. The family of six has lived there since.Although Welch has been involved with the Utah Republican Party as the Summit County representative on the state committee, he’s relatively new to the local political sphere. He explained that he’s not a lawyer, but rather, a regular guy — and that’s why Welch said people living in rural, eastern Summit County have gravitated toward his message of fairness.“It is a little tough with all the name recognition that exists. That creates a challenge for me to get my message out, to make my name at the top of people’s minds come Election Day or when they send their ballot in,” Welch said. “But at the same time, I think a lot of people can recognize that as a positive. My opponent’s been on the Council for 12 years, and a lot of people, especially when they see things that are happening that they’re a little frustrated with and don’t think you’re going in the proper direction, see that as an opportunity for change.”Welch also sees his background in construction as an asset because he has experience working under county regulations such as the permitting and zoning process. He recognizes the difficulties homeowners and developers face, which he said has a direct impact on the affordability and quality of life in Summit County.The Republican wanted to venture into public office to continue a life of service while giving back to the community he loves.“I see so many communities around the country that were once really good places, and now are being recognized as going in not a positive direction. A lot of times it feels like it’s because there’s just not quite enough balance,” Welch said.He noted all five County Council seats are held by Democrats and only one member resides on the East Side. All of the other elected offices in the County Courthouse — assessor, attorney, auditor, clerk, recorder, sheriff and treasurer — are also held by Democrats. Welch was critical of one political party holding the majority of power in Summit County. He feared everyone was moving in one direction for the sake of unity without taking time to consider new perspectives or ideas, and Welch thought the field of Democratic candidates that emerged would continue the cycle.“I think that’s important on a council that’s dealing with people’s money, taxpayer’s money, and they’re dealing with subjects that have a real effect on our daily lives. I think that’s critical: having different opinions, different perspectives and viewpoints,” Welch said. “It’s not to say we need to slam on the brakes … but I don’t think it’s harmful to have someone on there that could say, ‘Hey, let’s think about this in a different way.’”As a lifelong Republican, Welch emphasized he’s a principled conservative. He acknowledged the national divide within the GOP and said there’s been a shift to a populist mentality rather than following the traditional understanding of the nation’s forefathers and Constitutional rights.“Everybody’s got to turn off the news. We just do a terrible job as Republicans of expressing our actual values and concerns. What a Republican is, is a conservative. For me, I didn’t vote for Donald Trump the first time because even though he was the Republican nominee, he never said the word constitution. You never heard him talk about upholding the Constitution or any of those foundational principles. That’s where the Republican Party, I feel, has kind of veered away,” Welch said.He continued that many in the GOP care more about following the former president than the Constitution or party platform, which Welch disagreed with. He wants to show people that a Republican can have “conversations that matter” and find points of connection on local issues to find some sort of consensus without compromising principles and values. Welch didn’t say whether he would vote for Trump in the 2024 election.Welch recognized a philosophical divide between eastern Summit County and the Snyderville Basin that has left many East Side residents feeling underrepresented on the County Council. Serving on the state committee has also given Welch plenty of insight into the state party and the divides that can form. It’s also allowed him to develop relationships with other party members that may be beneficial to the county, he said.Growth and planning, addressing the budget and improving representation are top priorities for Welch. He emphasized the need to engage residents and clearly communicate the county’s goals. Welch views the role of the County Council as the guiding force intended to provide oversight to staffers, whom should be trusted to execute the vision.Welch didn’t identify any projects he has a firm stance against, instead saying he wants to gauge the community’s appetite in each area before making a decision. He doesn’t want to chase good intentions without achieving any results.“If we don’t get planning right, this will become a community that we don’t enjoy anymore. That’s so important. That’s one of the biggest reasons I’m running: because I genuinely like the place I live and I want it to stay a good place,” he said, warning that the community could resemble somewhere like Logan or Heber City without thinking ahead.With less than three weeks to go until Election Day, Welch is planning to continue canvassing efforts by knocking on doors, making calls and being visible in the community. He acknowledged it’s a tough race, but Welch is hopeful it’s an important step in increasing representation and improving diversity on the County Council.“I think hopefully everybody will recognize that I care about my community just as much as they do, and we may have different ideas of how it needs to end up or how we need to get there, but the endpoint is the same. We both want it to be a good place,” Welch said.If Welch is unsuccessful in his council campaign, he said, he isn’t ruling out a future in local politics. The Republican said he’d consider running again in the future.The post Underdog Tory Welch seeks to break one-party control in Summit County appeared first on Park Record.