Michael Franchek officially announced on Thursday that he filed paperwork to run as a Libertarian candidate for seat E on the Summit County Council.
That seat is currently held by retiring Councilor Glenn Wright, who announced that he would not seek another term earlier this year.
The 57-year-old said his beliefs lean to the conservative end of the political spectrum. Franchek says he chose to run as a Libertarian because he feels candidates for both the Republican and Democratic parties are too often pushed to extremes to the detriment of their constituents.
“We definitely have a more progressive approach than conservatives do," he says. "We believe fundamentally in equal access of rights for all. We believe in smaller government and we’re not saddled with some of the things that I think are somewhat restrictive and not really progressive enough, especially from the GOP side. I think there’s a broad appeal from a libertarian candidate.”
Francheck says he won’t be so bold to say he’ll be a voice for everyone in Summit County, but hopes to relate to a wide swath of voters.
Unless another Libertarian files to run for the same seat, Franchek will appear on the ballot in November.
Franchek made his career in the construction and development industry and says he sees issues like sustainability, transportation, and workforce housing as interconnected.
He says his background working with developers would be an asset when it comes to managing growth in Summit County.
“Most of the people I speak to in Summit County are very concerned and their life has been impacted by the traffic, development, et cetera," says Franchek. "I am a big proponent of putting the brakes on. I’m not calling for a development moratorium, but putting the brakes on and really being able to engage with developers on a joint process for sustainable design.”
Franchek has been embroiled in a legal battle with Park City since an altercation with Park City Police in 2019. The incident resulted in his arrest for interfering with an arresting officer, failure to disclose his identity, and disorderly conduct. Franchek filed a federal lawsuit against the city last fall and alleges his and his son’s civil rights were violated.
He has been outspoken on social media about the incident and government transparency in Park City and says he is confident he will come out on top in court.
A jury trial for the charges against him is scheduled for May 20th.
Franchek says characterizing him as an anti-police activist is incorrect.
“I’m not a hardcore defunder," he says. "I don’t believe in any violence. I believe that we need to raise the awareness and we need to encourage retraining the police. Not defunding, but retraining police so that they better respect the constitutional rights of all citizens.”
Franchek joins Democrats Canice Harte and Coleen Reardon, and Republican Byron Ames in the race for council seat E.