Summit County Council candidates in districts 4 and 5 shared their philosophies on how to control development, prioritize open space, and address affordability issues along the Wasatch Back during a candidate forum on Tuesday. The Park Record and KPCW on Monday co-hosted the forum at the Richins Building in the Snyderville Basin, a key area of the county for both districts because of its traffic impacts and economic importance on bordering neighborhoods. Specifically, District 4 encompasses the central Snyderville Basin area while District 5 covers Pinebrook, Jeremy Ranch and Summit Park. All four County Council candidates in the primary election — Christie Babalis and John Kucera in District 4 and Meredith Reed and incumbent Canice Harte in District 5 — participated in the forum. All four candidates are Democrats. No Republican candidates are running for a County Council seat this year. District 4 Christie Babalis, an attorney with almost 30 years of experience in the legal field, said she’s running for County Council because she cares about the local community she’s lived in for the past three decades. She decided to run after being encouraged by Chris Robinson, a longtime county councilor who announced he would not seek reelection for the first time since 2008. Christie Babalis, an attorney with almost 30 years of experience, is running for the Summit County Council’s District 4 seat. Credit: David Jackson/Park Record “I am faced with complex issues every day where there are competing interests, two parties that don’t necessarily want the same thing and where there are long-term consequences,” Babalis said. “I bring those parties together, and I find solutions to the problems when there isn’t always a great answer and the solution isn’t always going to make both parties happy. That’s what I do every day of my life, and that’s what the council does.” Babalis emphasized her ability to negotiate as an important factor in how she would handle growth and development in Summit County. She noted the county government is somewhat limited in its freedom if the state Legislature decides to become involved in a local issue, which is why she said she would focus on building relationships with state lawmakers. She also said one of her main priorities is the preservation of open space, advocating for conservation on open space parcels instead of creating miles of recreational trails. Babalis specifically said she had some concerns about the 910 Cattle Ranch because it could bring hundreds of visitors from the Salt Lake Valley to the 8,500-acre parcel in Jeremy Ranch, which could disturb wildlife and add to the area’s traffic problems. Babalis commented on the County Council’s goal to have 1,500 affordable housing units by 2035, too, saying she thinks councilors need to consider the price of a truly affordable home in an affluent community like Summit County, which is now also dominated by nightly rentals. “Who can actually afford to live in those affordable units?” Babalis said. “There are a lot of different definitions of what’s affordable, and it depends on the jobs that people have who work here, and we need to use deed restrictions and other means to truly make the housing that we do have proposed affordable and bring the people who work so that they’re able to live in this community.” John Kucera, a former Snyderville Basin Planning Commissioner with 20 years of experience as a financial advisor, said his biggest concern for the Wasatch Back is the preservation of open space, which he thinks will help the county direct growth and development in addition to protecting vital wildlife habitats. John Kucera, a financial advisor with 20 years of experience in the field, is running for the Summit County Council’s District 4 seat. Credit: David Jackson/Park Record “Like so many of you, I’m here for the outdoor environment, the natural beauty and wildlife,” Kucera said. “I think it’s special and unique, and it is absolutely worth fighting for.” Kucera repeatedly called for a slower approach to growth and development in Summit County, saying he would prefer to analyze the economic and environmental impacts of new proposals and approve projects incrementally. He touted his track record on the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission, pointing to his votes against the Highland Flats development and Dakota Pacific project, now called Altus Park City. He also said affordable housing is a nationwide issue, especially in ski resort towns, and that the County Council should focus on existing entitlements before approving more projects. “We have millions of square feet that are entitled. We have an opportunity to shape those, improve those and affect affordable housing,” Kucera said. “We can increase the number of units and lower the (area median income) so that people making less money have an opportunity to live here and we have a complete community. Fundamentally, that is taking a cautious and incremental approach.” District 5 Meredith Reed, a real estate agent and president of the Park City Board of Education, said she’s running for the County Council seat because the Wasatch Back needs strong leadership to guide the county in a time of change and growth. She said the county can balance development and open space preservation, but only if those in charge are committed to thoughtful solutions. Meredith Reed, a realtor who currently serves as the president of the Park City Board of Education, is running for the Summit County Council’s District 5 seat. Credit: David Jackson/Park Record Reed specifically said Altus Park City has the potential to benefit the local community despite widespread pushback from Summit County residents over the location and scope of the project. “It has a lot of really good components that benefit our community, to include a new transportation center, a new library, public gathering spaces, access to public transportation that will improve the traffic flow here,” she said. Reed also said she wants the county to invest in and protect open space, which is why she thinks redevelopment projects, like the current proposal to turn Junction Commons into a mixed-use neighborhood, are a better solution to Summit County’s affordable housing issues than building new apartment complexes. “I would also add that it needs to not just be rentals,” Reed said. “We need to have deed-restricted ownership of housing as well.” Incumbent Canice Harte, the current chair of the County Council and a deputy for the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, said he’s running because he’s proud of the work he’s done so far, especially the acquisition of the 910 Cattle Ranch. Incumbent Canice Harte, a Summit County Sheriff’s Office deputy and the current chair of the Summit County Council, is running for reelection in District 5. Credit: David Jackson/Park Record “Public service has been a guiding principle throughout my adult life,” Harte said. “I believe elected office is about listening and working hard for the people you represent. … I’ve worked to protect open space, preserve our quality of life and address some of the county’s most important challenges.” Harte spoke about his experience with Altus Park City while on the County Council, saying councilors had to pivot to negotiating with the developer to create a project manageable for the Wasatch Back after it became evident that the state Legislature wouldn’t side with the county government. He emphasized his ability to navigate tough situations with developers and build relationships with state lawmakers in addition to his passion for preserving open space. “We must continue protecting open space and preserving the rural character of Summit County,” Harte said. “We must continue improving transportation and reducing congestion so residents can spend less time in traffic and more time with their families and communities, and we must remain responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars while delivering the services our residents expect.” He also touched on affordable housing, echoing Kucera’s sentiments that the county should evaluate what it has available now and reject any new proposals until Altus Park City, the Utah Olympic Park expansion and Cline Dahle projects are completed, as well as the Junction Commons redevelopment, if approved by the County Council. “You can’t just ignore buildings that are going up. You have to look at the whole picture,” Harte said. “Fundamentally, in the General Plan … it says let’s not give any new entitlements until we draw down on the density that’s already been given out, and that’s what we need to stay focused on. I helped craft that in the General Plan, and I still stand by it.” How to vote in the primary election Primary election ballots were mailed to voters on June 2. All four candidates are running as Democrats. The local Democratic Party holds an open primary, meaning registered voters may request a ballot regardless of their political affiliation. The deadline to request a ballot is June 12. Election Day is June 23. Residents voting by mail or using a dropbox must make sure their ballot is received by 8 p.m. on June 23 for their vote to count due to recent changes in state law. Information on the primary election in Summit County is available at summitcountyutah.gov/2661/Election-FAQ. 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