Her first and only term on the council will end next December.
“It's been an honor to serve Summit County in this capacity, and I look forward to my final year on council, and continuing to serve in different ways into the future,” Stevens told KPCW.
She said opportunities and obligations in her personal and professional life would prevent her from giving council the time and attention it requires.
But it’s a timing, not a time-commitment issue, she said. Stevens would consider running again in the future if circumstances change.
“The work with government never ends,” she said. “We have an Olympics now that is likely to come, and that is going to require a lot of planning, a lot of time, a lot of forethought.”
Since joining the council in 2020, Stevens says she’s most proud of the council’s work on open space acquisitions, behavioral health programs and criminal justice.
This year, Stevens was the councilmember who served on Summit County’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, one of several convened across the state to improve Utah’s criminal justice system.
Summit County Attorney Margaret Olson credits Stevens with putting in extra time outside their meetings to produce a strategic plan for improving the county’s justice system.
Stevens’ decision not to run comes after Council Chair Roger Armstrong and Councilmember Tonja Hanson both announced they will run for another term. All three are registered Democrats.
Candidates may begin filing to run Jan. 2. No one else has announced they will run for council.
Besides the three council seats, the other county positions on next year’s ballot are the assessor, treasurer and recorder.