Park City School Board: Why I would vote for Nick Hill over Erin Grady

I have met both Erin and Nick on multiple occasions. I personally like them both. Erin is friendly, and she has been in Park City for a long time. If you had a conversation with her over dinner, you’d enjoy it. Likewise, you’ll know you’ve met Nick because of his British accent. He also seems down to earth. Overall, he is practical and organized. If this were a high-school student council election, it would be a toss-up.

Yet, it’s not a popularity contest. It’s more nuanced than that, and those nuances shift my opinion toward Nick Hill. That opinion is based on the actions of PCSD while Erin has been part of the board and the actions of Nick Hill.

While I like Erin, it is undeniable that the school district has faced its darkest time in recent memory. There have been a number of problems:

• Teachers with children in their own schools faced enrollment challenges created by the district and teachers left.
• Mask mandates were not followed at Parley’s Park.
• Child abuse occurred without proper reporting.
• PCSD couldn’t be troubled with getting the right building permits (that many of us know are required), and that will likely cost us time and money.
• PCSD had the chance to lower our taxes, but Erin (and every other board member) voted to keep our taxes higher than they needed to be.
• After all of that, the school board gave the Superintendent a raise and extended her contract.
• Overarching all of that, I feel like decisions by the school board are made somewhere else and then presented to the public. There is little discussion in school board meetings. The problem is that I, as a citizen, don’t understand how the decisions are made.

So, while I personally like Erin, I don’t believe the school board is on the right path. Therefore, I wouldn’t encourage voting for Erin Grady and keeping us on the same, flawed path.

So, you can’t just run away from someone. You should run toward someone. So, why would I vote for Nick Hill?

Nick rose to prominence when he pointed out that Parley’s Park wasn’t following mask orders during the original Covid time frame. Since that time, he has emerged as someone who has experience managing complex projects. He seems to be someone who thinks critically and isn’t afraid of standing up for what he believes. I also have hope that his background as a project manager will serve the board well — in areas like strategic planning.

If Erin hadn’t been part of a board with so many failures, then perhaps I would think differently. However, that’s not the case. Therefore, the best choice is Nick Hill given his willingness to speak out, back that up by taking action, running for the school board, and his experience managing complex projects.