At Thursday's Council meeting, Councilmember Tim Henney brought up the failed attempt to prohibit Park City’s plastic bag ordinance in the context of local control. Quinn there’s an argument to be made for cities and counties being political subdivisions of the state, and that some policies—like income tax—shouldn’t be left to local municipalities. In general, though, Quinn says he’ll fight for local control.
“It's an easy argument for Park City, or for me to argue for Park City, because you are so unique in so many ways, that who knows better than the citizens and the local elected officials in Park City to let you guys control your own destiny,” Quinn said.
Quinn’s main legislative effort this session was the tax reform bill, which was ultimately shelved for later debate in a special session. He gave a brief summary of the bill, saying that he could talk for days about the nearly 300-page legislation. Something he admitted to not having much expertise in, though, was conservation and sustainability. Quinn said something like House Bill 411, which allows participating communities to move toward 100% renewably sourced electricity, struck a good balance between environmental stewardship and limited government interference.
“At least from my perspective in the legislature, I don't think any of us want dirty air or dirty water—it’s just how do we go about getting it," Quinn said. "I think there's some smart ways, such as 411, that does that that doesn't harm anybody's ideology or lifestyle. So, hopefully we can continue to have those types of solutions and policies come forward.”
This past session marked the start of Quinn’s second term in office, after narrowly defeating his Democratic opponent in the 2018 election. Quinn says one of the big surprises when he entered the legislature was how well he, as a Republican from Heber, works with the more left-leaning Park City Council.
“We can disagree on some ideology and still have a very good, cordial, civil, respectful conversation, no matter what we're discussing," Quinn said. "That, to me, speaks volumes about this body and about the state of Utah as a whole.”
Quinn left the meeting with gifts from the council: a reusable bag and a Park City snow globe. He’ll join KPCW for a conversation about the legislative session on Utah Politics Now, Wednesday, April 24 from 10-11 a.m.
