The race for Summit County Council just got more crowded. There are now at least two Democrats and one Republican vying for one seat on the council in November.
On Monday, Coleen Reardon filed to run for the seat held by retiring Councilor Glenn Wright. That sets up a contest with former Snyderville Basin planning commissioner — and fellow Democrat — Canice Harte.
Reardon, 64, is the vice president of marketing at Deer Valley Resort, though she said she’ll be leaving that role at the end of the ski season. She said her business and resort connections would be assets to the council, as would her experience managing people.
“I've been at Deer Valley for 28 years. For 24 of those years, I've lived in Park City — might be 23 — but, a longtime resident of Park City. And I really believe that I can bring a lot to the county council, between my resort operations experience and longtime management experience. And also, just my knowledge of the community,” Reardon said. “I've served on so many boards and committees and really been committed to this community in that way.”
Reardon said she’ll stay on at Deer Valley as a senior advisor, consulting on large projects like the Snow Park Village development and logistics for a possible future Olympic Games. She said she was contemplating how best to give back to the community in this next phase, and decided to run for office.
Reardon lives in Silver Springs and has lived in the Park City area since 1998. She’s been active in the Park City Chamber and Visitors Bureau, including serving as president and on the board of directors. She’s also on the board of Park City Hospital and the advisory board of the Youth Sports Alliance, and said she’s been involved in many other community organizations.
Reardon didn’t point to anything specific she’d like to see changed in the council’s work, but said she’d add a new perspective. In a statement announcing her candidacy, she mentioned housing and transportation as key issues.
She said she worked closely with Park City Transit to plan mass transportation for special events, and would like to see a comprehensive transportation plan that includes Park City and Summit and Wasatch counties.
“The council seems pretty functional to me — I don't know the intimate details of it because I just announced running,” she said. “I think I can bring a different take to the council in that I have so much experience in managing. And we all know that serving means working, and I know how to work hard. So really bringing to the council my skill set, which is not planning commission, it's building consensus. I'm a good listener, I like to hear what people have to say.”
The Democratic Party’s neighborhood caucuses, where voters select party delegates, are scheduled for March 22. Those delegates then vote April 2 to select who will appear on November’s ballot. If no candidate reaches 60% of the delegates’ votes, the contest would go to the voters to decide in a primary.
Former Francis Mayor Byron Ames, a Republican, has also announced his intention to run for the seat. As of Monday, incumbent Democratic Councilor Chris Robinson was running unopposed for the other council seat up for election in November.
