Wallace says the overarching issue facing the county right now is growth.
“Growth really means that you need to have an infrastructure that's in play. You need to solve transportation issues. You need to solve affordable or accessible housing. You need to solve—really, how does childcare work for all our employers?” she said.
For Wallace, growth makes those issues more complex, and she says she has the skills to handle complexity.
She has served on the boards of the Park City Institute and Sundance Institute. But what she says really prepares her to manage growth and development is her time at American Skiing Company, which formerly owned The Canyons, now Canyons Village.
As the company’s chief financial officer, she worked within The Canyons’ development agreement and with the Canyons Village Management Association.
She wants to apply those skills to help all of Summit County, especially the east side where growth is accelerating.
Wallace is running for council seat B held by Coalville resident Tonja Hanson, the council’s vice chair. Wallace says Hanson is a good friend and councilmember, but she wants to give voters more choices.
“It's really trying to make sure we are providing the greater part of Summit County—that’s east-west—the ability to have the best results. And if it's Tonja, and that's where people think we should be going, it's Tonja. If it is my side, and people vote for me, that's great,” Wallace said. “But realize, I may live here [in Park City], but I am really active all over [the county].”
Wallace ran for Park City Council last year and withdrew her candidacy in August. At the time, she cited work-life balance concerns.
Now she says a conversation with incumbent Summit County Councilmember Roger Armstrong was a factor in her decision to leave the Park City race. Armstrong was not planning to run for reelection last year; Wallace says he encouraged her to run for his seat.
Armstrong has since announced he’ll run for reelection to seat A, and Wallace is challenging Hanson.
Both women are Democrats, so party delegates will decide who wins. Only if the margin is narrow enough at Summit County’s Democratic convention will there be a direct primary election.
No other candidates filed to challenge Hanson in seat B. The filing period closed Jan. 8.
