The County Courthouse held a celebration for Malena Stevens on Wednesday to honor her service to Summit County. Stevens, who represented Seat C on the County Council for four years, announced in late 2023 she would not run for reelection.Megan McKenna won the bid for Stevens’ open seat in November and was sworn in earlier the same afternoon.Stevens has a long history of public service and civic involvement in the Summit County area, including a career with the Park City Police Department as a victim advocate years before she decided to run for office.“It was clear from the start that she was a force for good and also a force to be reckoned with,” said Park City Police Chief Wade Carpenter. “With compassion and empathy, she spent countless days and nights helping the citizens of Park City and her colleagues to navigate some of the most challenging moments in their lives.”Four years after joining the police department in 2013, Stevens became Carpenter’s executive assistant — a role that she held for another five years.Carpenter spoke of Stevens’ determination and growth both personally and professionally. While with the police department, Stevens pursued her master’s degree in public administration from the University of Utah. She also took opportunities to hone her leadership skills and played a pivotal role in founding the Utah Women Leading Government group.Malena Stevens with her family while various speakers shared stories and words about the outgoing county councilor. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park Record“She became an invaluable part of the command staff of the organization, a true leader whose talents and influence went far beyond her daily responsibilities,” Carpenter continued. “Her work ethic was unmatched and tenacious. … She embodied commitment and a continuous learning and growth, never settling for ‘good is good enough.’”Stevens served two terms on the Snyderville Basin Planning District before running for a council seat in 2020. Her friend and mentor, former County Councilor Kim Carson, encouraged Stevens to run as her replacement.“When I was contemplating whether to run again, Malena let me know that she thought she was ready, and the rest is history,” Carson said. “Malena, you would have been a natural. She’s caring, attentive, which the employees really recognized and appreciated. She’s sharp, and she was bold. She used her talents and background to work with the public and on special projects.”Carson wasn’t the only person to mention Stevens’ thoughtfulness toward staff members.“I don’t think you ever missed not just a meeting but a conversation with staff where she didn’t stop at the end of it and thank them and tell them that she appreciated their work and made them feel like they were members of the community,” said County Councilor Roger Armstrong. “In times when many of us, me included, get so focused on the business end, Malena always remembers the humanity of what we do.”Armstrong also commended Stevens’ peacemaking abilities, calmness and rational demeanor, particularly in high-stress situations, including conversations with state legislators about the controversial Dakota Pacific Real Estate development.“That [conversation] involved Malena and I taking on a series of meetings that could have been very, very difficult,” he said. “Instead, she always brings a voice of reason. Where I generally bring a gun and a knife, she moderates what’s going on. She’s somebody that I can call when I’m second guessing what I’m thinking. She offers great advice.”Park City Councilor Tana Toly similarly praised Stevens’ perspective on issues and guidance as a fellow elected official, saying that it would have been difficult for her to get through the past year or so without Stevens by her side as a colleague and friend.Park City Councilor Tana Toly hugs Malena Stevens during the farewell celebration. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park Record“There’s just a little bit something different about being an elected official,” Toly said. “I’ll be very honest with you. You question your confidence. You question who you are. You question the decisions you make. All of it is hard. My mental health is very important to me. It’s very important to Malena, and we have connected so much on that. We go to yoga together. We go to coffee together, and she’s the person that when things are hard and I’m venting to her, she will say something back that makes so much sense.”Toly and Armstrong joked that Stevens is their personal therapist and that she would continue to get calls despite no longer being an elected official.“I’ve never met someone who listens more, who is more grounded and just sure of the way things are going,” Toly said. “It’s just been such an honor to be in your presence. You’ve become a mentor. You’ve become such a great friend, and I am honestly so excited for what is next for you. This isn’t the end. We are going to see so many amazing things come from Malena.”Stevens was the last to speak. She called her time as a public servant a privilege, but she also noted that change and local government would not be possible without collaboration.“That’s why it’s so important to me to thank staff and to acknowledge both staff and the community members that are making these things happen,” Stevens said. “It’s not me, although I thank all of you for the lovely words. It’s not our council. It’s not her city council. It is all of us joining hands and moving together in a direction for the betterment of our community, the betterment of our state. I thank all of you for all of your hard work, for everything that you taught me through the last decade or more. It’s been truly magnificent.”The post County hosts farewell celebration for Malena Stevens appeared first on Park Record.