Park City residents deserve local government based on fairness, transparency and merit; not favoritism, insider deals or divisive tactics. Recent events reveal a troubling pattern. As Park Record Editor Don Rogers noted in his column this week, Election Night exposed deep divisions: exclusive ce lebrations for Tana Toly, Diego Zegarra and Ryan Dickey, with no crossover from other candidates or supporters. For the record, I hosted no party. I spent the evening at home with family, then after congratulating the elected, briefly stopped by a couple frequented watering holes to thank supporters for backing my positive, issue-focused campaign. Had I been invited to other events, I would have gladly joined. The self-proclaimed “inclusive” team of Toly, Zegarra and Dickey repeatedly declined or ignored invitations to joint voter events and extended none to me. Their campaigns relied on personal smears and factual distortions while avoiding substantive debate on key issues like public safety, traffic, fiscal responsibility and city operations. Jack Rubin was the exception. He focused on issues and attended some of my events, while inviting me to some of his, purely to foster open dialogue and nonpartisan engagement with voters, the way democracy is supposed to work. With Dickey as mayor, he, Toly, and Zegarra now control the appointment of the vacated City Council seat, potentially adding to their bloc while bypassing voters and Councilors Parigian and Ciraco entirely. Consider the hypocrisy: In 2021, when I suggested diversifying the council with a highly qualified senior, Dickey, promoting himself, objected strongly to considering demographics. Yet recently, he told me it would be “hard not to appoint a woman” to a vacancy, predetermining identity factors before any open process. Several accomplished women with Planning Commission experience and significant public service records would excel in the role, and I hope they applied. But prioritizing identity quotas over merit and transparency is not progress. It’s discriminatory. Fellow voters: The appointment process is underway. Demand transparency and merit-based selection. Judge by actions unfolding before your eyes. Will they prioritize inclusivity through broad community representation and welcome healthy debate from the most qualified applicant, or attempt to rationalize strengthening their bloc of control through identity politics? The applicants are public. Let’s all hope they do the right thing. Jeremy Rubell Former Park City Council Member The post The right thing appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less