Ryan Stack has been on the Heber City Council since 2020. He’s also a deputy county attorney for Summit County and said that’s taking up more of his schedule than when he was a prosecutor earlier in his tenure.
He said the decision to end his time on the council after one term was difficult, but it came down to spending more time with his family.
“I've had a lot of conversations with my family, and over the past couple of years, my kids have made it very clear that I am gone way too much,” Stack said. “It's time to step back and recommit to my family and make sure they're getting my best, and not the leftovers.”
Reflecting on 3.5 busy years on the council, he said he’s proud of the general plan visioning process and economic development opportunities he oversaw, as well as results of those efforts coming to fruition.
He said that includes developments on the hill next to U.S. Highway 40, where councils with Stack approved annexations into Heber City and thousands of new homes and commercial space to be built.
He also highlighted specific projects in and around Heber City during a “very, very active four years.”
“We've got a new splash pad that's going to be coming online,” he said. “We're talking about completion of the eastern bypass later this year. We continue to work with [the Utah Department of Transportation] on the western bypass. The Red Ledges Park opened up last year. We've got another new park coming online here where we just got the fitness court installed.”
Stack said the rest of this year and next term, the council will continue to carry out the general plan and refine how to evolve the downtown area and Main Street.
He said challenges the next council may face include continued growth pressures and the state Legislature limiting local control; he said that’s happening across Utah. Also, the state stripping Heber of its ordinance that required developers to build 10% affordable housing is an example.
He thanked the community and encouraged prospective candidates to run for office, saying it’s time for new voices to be considered.
“I'm just grateful that I've been trusted with the chance to perform the service,”Stack said, “and I genuinely invite people to give it a serious look to consider running for office. It is something that everybody committed to this community should really think about.”
Stack’s seat, as well as those occupied by Rachel Kahler and Mike Johnston, are up for election this year.
Earlier this week, Kahler announced she will not seek a second term, also saying she planned to spend more time with family.
Johnston told KPCW he planned to decide closer to the filing deadline in August. He said he would not run again if there were at least three candidates in the race that he believed were "competent and qualified to make hard decisions and bold plans for a prosperous and sustainable Heber City."
The filing deadline to run for Heber City office in 2023 is Aug. 15. Because Heber City uses ranked choice voting, there will be no primary before the general election Nov. 21.
