Should Park City and Summit County Hire a “Mountain Accord Czar”

Many of you suspect I’m probably a tea party republican hiding out on the outskirts of Park City. To be truthful, I’m more of a middle of the road sort of guy. On the right you may call me a Moderate Republican. On the left you might call be a Blue Dog Democrat. Either way, it means I’m fiscally conservative.

Yet, as I’ve continued to write on the Mountain Accord, it makes me wonder if Park City and Summit County should actually spend a little more money.

Currently, our local governments’ representatives on the Mountain Accord are Andy Beerman and Chris Robinson. I’ve not always agreed with their stances but I would say they’ve done a decent job representing us on the Accord. With all the varying opinions, it can’t be easy.

Yet, the job seems almost bigger than just a portion of a council member’s time. The implications of Mountain Accord decisions not only impact local jurisdictions but are also as wide ranging as the Olympics. It could impact transportation along I-80, 248, and 224 for years to come. From what I’ve heard (off the record) it is taking a decent amount of city/county personnel time to keep on top of what is happening, as well. It also seems, according to media publications, that other players within the process are very powerful.

How can we expect part time players, no matter how good they are, to achieve the optimal outcome? We have people in a number of niche departments, why not add another under City Manager Diane Foster and County Manager Tom Fisher?

Should we have a Mountain Accord Czar?

By doing this, we could at least track the amount of time and money spent on the Mountain Accord endeavor.