There will be two Summit County Council seats on the ballot this November, those currently occupied by Glenn Wright and Chair Chris Robinson.
Wright said he won’t run again. But Robinson had been less definitive, at least until the council comments portion of Wednesday’s County Council meeting.
“Many of you have inquired as to my desires to continue on the County Council inasmuch as my term expires at the end of this year. And I have decided to file again and run for another term,” Robinson said. “I’ve put a lot of thought into this, and some of you have encouraged me to do so. I just wanted to make that short announcement.”
The five-member council is the highest-ranking electoral body in unincorporated Summit County. All five members are Democrats; four of the five are men.
In the most recent council election, no Republicans ran for office.
Robinson lives in the Snyderville Basin. He is a rancher and developer who, with various business entities, owns hundreds of thousands of acres in the Intermountain West.
He was first elected in 2008 as the county switched from a three-person commission to a council and county manager form of government.
Robinson acknowledged that fresh ideas and new perspectives can be helpful in elected positions. But he touted his experience in what he suggested were tumultuous times, and ahead of what he predicted would be turnover on the council.
“In many facets of what we're experiencing these days, there's a lot of stresses on systems and a lot of, I don't want to say commotion, but it seems things are getting more difficult. And I feel like I have the experience and the skill set to help chart a steady course,” Robinson said.
County Council candidates must file to run for office the week of March 7 to March 11. The filing window closes at 5 p.m. that Friday.