Margaret Olson has been the county attorney since 2017, when she was appointed to replace the late Robert Hilder. She told KPCW she loves the job, and on Jan. 2, she filed the paperwork to run again.
“I'm very honored to serve in this position. I have great respect for the rule of law, for it to be equal, transparent, administered without fear or favor,” Olson said. “I think in our office, we've worked very hard to balance justice with dignity, protecting the rights of victims and the rights of the accused, while at the same time fostering community trust in our legal system.”
Olson said criminal matters usually account for one third of her day-to-day, and a third of her time is spent on civil matters. The rest is working with the Summit County Council on its strategic goals.
That changes when major trials come up, as is the case right now.
The Summit County Attorney’s Office is prosecuting Kouri Richins, a Kamas mother of three charged with fatally poisoning her husband before writing a book about grief. The trial is scheduled for late February and March.
During the past three years, the attorney’s office has also handled civil disputes involving Dakota Pacific Real Estate and the town of Hideout.
Olson said she’s particularly proud of securing $1.3 million from a nationwide settlement with opioid pharmaceutical companies. Summit County was the first county in Utah to sue what it called “Big Pharma” in 2018.
“And most recently, we defended The 910 Cattle Ranch from a claim of a lengthy easement heading across the whole property. I personally argued that one and prevailed,” Olson said. “We've applied for accreditation for the Summit County Children's Justice Center, a long standing goal we finally brought to fruition.”
The attorney said a third term would allow her to complete several other unfinished projects she’s committed to seeing through. That includes creating a nonprofit organization with the county sheriff to work on securing transitional housing for people recovering from addiction or reentering civilian life after incarceration.
Olson, a Democrat and 30-year resident of Summit Park, said she enjoys participating in the weekly Summit County Recovery Court program which helps rehabilitate nonviolent drug and alcohol offenders.
The other county offices on the Nov. 3 ballot include county auditor, sheriff and clerk. Summit County will elect councilmembers in Districts 4 and 5 too, covering most neighborhoods in the Snyderville Basin.
