Severini, a town councilmember and former planning commissioner, won the election 2-1.
He and his opponent, fellow Councilmember Chris Baier, abstained from the vote. State law says they may not vote for themselves, and they didn’t want to give their opponent an advantage.
After winning the vote, Severini thanked Baier for her service as mayor pro tempore during the month-long mayoral vacancy.
“First of all, I want to say kudos to someone who I've always appreciated. We just, you know, we may have different styles, but I think we all want the same results, so thank you, Chris,” Severini said. “Mayor, Phil … I can't think of a better person that I've worked with and you, you've imparted some great things to me in the past.”
Baier had been mayor pro tempore since Mayor Phil Rubin resigned last month, citing health problems. In her opening remarks, she said that was the main reason she applied to continue as interim.
“I’m already doing the job,” she said, listing a litany of meetings and items she’d tended to in the past three and a half weeks. The council had elected her as mayor pro tempore to replace the mayor during emergencies.
But after nearly an hour of questions from councilmembers, 10 minutes each — Baier and Severini had the opportunity to question each other, and Severini yielded his time — Severini came out on top.
Councilmembers Bob Nadelberg and Jonathan Gunn said they voted for him because of his “background and experience.”
Councilmember Carol Haselton voted for Baier for similar reasons, citing her mayor pro tempore tenure as well as her long history of involvement with the town of Hideout.
“Whoever wins, I will pledge my full support as a councilmember,” Haselton said.
Former Mayor Phil Rubin gave remarks during the Q&A portion of the meeting, noting how he didn’t have any municipal experience when he was elected in 2017. He said the town’s growing roster of staff has been an asset.
“I remind everyone to keep that in mind: there's a great team behind you, and you should use it,” Rubin said.
Hideout is a relatively young town on the eastern shore of the Jordanelle Reservoir. It was founded in 2008 and is made up mostly of housing subdivisions.
But it recently annexed property in Richardson Flat across the Summit County line where it hopes Larry H. Miller Real Estate can build a town center with commercial offerings and gathering spaces.
During his interview, Severini highlighted his business experience and said he wants Hideout to have more “community interaction” and “connectivity” in the future.
He said it’s time for a “management change” to put the town on firm footing not just for the rest of the year but the next four years after that, announcing a run for mayor once his interim term is up.
In the short-term, the council will need to appoint a new interim councilmember to replace Severini this year.
The town will share how to apply in the coming days. According to Recorder Alicia Fairbourne, interested residents will need to have lived in Hideout for long enough and be registered to vote there.
The council must choose its next member at a special meeting within 30 days, which is before its regularly scheduled June 12 meeting.
