After finishing his undergraduate degree at the University of Vermont, Matt Dias came to Park City to volunteer for the 2002 Winter Games organizing committee while waiting tables at the Main Street restaurant Chimayo.
He later moved to Washington, D.C. and worked for members of Congress, along with a stint at the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
It was a professor in graduate school who initially recommended the Boston-area native try city management.
Dias later spent five years helping run the municipality of Somerville, Massachusetts — a suburb northwest of Boston.
He joined Park City Municipal in 2014 as deputy city manager.
When he first arrived, Dias said there was a harmony between resident quality of life, the tourism economy and historic and environmental preservation.
“I’d come from an urban area that was gentrifying and there was lots of upheaval about growth and traffic and congestion, and that’s sort of the irony,” Dias said. “Because when I came here, it felt very, very balanced. And obviously I was here for a decade or so where there was a tremendous amount of growth, traffic, congestion — some of the imbalances that can happen — and we’ve been working to mitigate those ever since, just like we did in my old community.”
Dias became Park City Manager in December 2019, months before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the town to shut down.
“I don’t like to talk about this one, but I think I probably declared the first city emergency ever in the history of Park City,” he told KPCW. “I’m not sure it’d really been done before.”
Despite the uncertainty at the time, Dias said Park City and other mountains towns have fared well amidst the pandemic, largely thanks to their recreation amenities like trails and open space.
Accomplishments the outgoing city manager is proud of include the preservation of open space on Treasure Hill and in Bonanza Flat, along with capital projects like the 3Kings Water Treatment Plant. He also noted recent public-private partnership agreements relating to the Engine House affordable housing project and Deer Valley’s Snow Park Village development.
Dias said it’s rewarding but not always easy work in a city of competing priorities and engaged residents with conflicting visions of the town’s future.
“Sometimes I think it’s elusive to suggest that we’re always going to gain consensus and please every constituency,” he said. “Sometimes that comes at the expense of progress.”
Dias said social media and news reports can play a “destructive” role and contribute to polarization by amplifying narratives he says don’t tell the full story.
Managing Park City’s unique relationship with the state has been another major focus during his tenure, especially regarding local land use control.
“The state is largely looking at things at a macro level. They are very interested in growth and development and creating jobs… most of the time, there’s always going to be a constructive tension there,” he said. “I think Park City has done an incredible job playing defense. We have kept our gunpowder dry for when we need to play offense, and my estimation is that’s what we’ll see in this next decade.”
Going forward, he said managing the “large, transformational transportation projects” are going to be the most important and most difficult tasks for Park City. But Dias expressed confidence in the competency of City Hall as he plans for his last day Sept. 15.
The municipality has dealt with staff turnover due to the high cost of living in Park City and the limited advancement opportunities in small government. However, the attrition rate during the latest fiscal year was the lowest since the pandemic.
“I think we probably have the strongest department manager-level team — supervisory-level team — we’ve ever had,” Dias said. “It’s a really nice combination of tenured and experienced managers and new managers with fresh ideas and fresh perspectives.”
He said managing affordability in town will continue to be a leading issue.
“The workforce of this town is the backbone. Fundamentally,” he said. “Don’t think we can afford to lose our middle class and I don’t think we can afford to lose our workforce.”
Dias will be moving on to work for a New York City-based startup, and will continue living and raising his family in Park City.
He said he’ll miss the dynamic nature of local government where you never know what’s next.
At Dias’ final city council meeting Sept. 4, Park City Mayor Nann Worel delivered a teary-eyed statement thanking him for his service.
“You’re leaving us with a strong financial position and with an extremely talented and dedicated staff,” Worel said. “We’re going to miss your ability to find the positive when things look bleak and your willingness to always do the extra mile, even if that means working nights, weekends and the occasional holiday.”
Councilmembers also offered their appreciation and remarked on Dias’ wisdom and dedication to the role.
Jodi Emery, who joined City Hall earlier this year, has been tapped as acting city manager until a permanent replacement is found.
The next mayor, who will be elected by Parkites in November, will be charged with appointing a permanent city manager next year.
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