City Council Candidate Jeremy Rubell Wants to Earn Your Vote

Jeremy Rubell. Photo: Jeremy Rubell for City Council 2021

PARK CITY, Utah. – With eyes on one of the two open spots on the City Council, Jeremy Rubell talks about life as a Parkite. The candidate is a businessman and family man turned civic servant, but not the stereotypical type that may come to mind. Rubell likes to tell Parkites his thoughts and stances on topics and says more than most may feel comfortable revealing.

During the campaign, I’m going to show you what I’m going to be like as a Councilor,” said Rubell. “And if you like it, I’d love to earn your vote. I’m not going to pander to what I think you want to hear because that doesn’t serve anyone well.

“During the campaign, I’m going to show you what I’m going to be like as a Councilor,” said Rubell. “And if you like it, I’d love to earn your vote. I’m not going to pander to what I think you want to hear because that doesn’t serve anyone well. I’m big on leading with empathy and humility; it doesn’t mean you can’t have teeth and are not strong on issues. It just means that I want to hear the voices out there and reflect the community.”

So, let’s talk about the different dimensions of this candidate. Like many full-time Parkites, Rubell was first a visitor. Since the age of two, his family had a vacation home and visited regularly. The town left an impression on Rubell, so much so that making it home was always the plan.

Rubell and his wife, Gretchen, were married halfway up Payday at Park City Mountain Resort and their reception at the Kimball Art Center when it was just off Main Street.

Their daughters Charlotte, 6, and Claire, 3, attend Parley’s Park Elementary and McPolin Elementary and are on their way to become better skiers than mom and dad.

“My memories coming here were always positive,” said Rubell. “The family and community aspects are second to none; the benefits of raising kids here, it’s a safe community, all the amenities for children, the schools are great, our natural surroundings, our culture of kindness, the list goes on.”

With over 20-years’ experience as a business consultant in the energy and utilities industry, Rubell traveled often and worked with people from all backgrounds and with municipal governments and investor-owned public utilities, representing various types of commodities. The onset of COVID-19 allowed Rubell to work from home and root down more in the community.

Rubell noticed parallels between the accelerated growth of Park City (and its accompanying goals) and the organizations with whom he consults. He aims to bring balance and success to all Park City stakeholders: longtime locals, new locals, vacation homeowners, tourists, and commercial entities.

“The organizations are in a similar situation [as Park City] where they have all these different stakeholders and lofty goals. But the big question is, how do we achieve these goals? It’s easy to dream, but it’s a lot tougher to execute. I do strategic planning, capital planning, and financial analysis and can find our path of the highest value with the least cost and risk to get to those goals. All of it is underscored with significant negotiation, infrastructure, and sustainability experience. Those are all skills that would benefit the city and the community. And now I have the opportunity to give back and keep this the special place that we love.”

Like many longtime Parkites, Rubell knows that what brought us here initially isn’t what ultimately keeps us here.

We’re still a community of locals. To me, it comes down to Park City is not a theme park. We’re a community, we have a culture, and we’re all here for a reason.

“We’re still a community of locals. To me, it comes down to Park City is not a theme park. We’re a community, we have a culture, and we’re all here for a reason… I’m a big believer that governments should be focused on health, safety, the well-being of the community, and partnering with the business sector, but not responsible for it. We have an amazing Chamber to lean on, who are experts at what they do and are more than happy to pursue sustainable tourism goals together. Let’s focus on what we’re good at as a municipal government, focus on quality-of-life, and all the community priorities defined in Vision 2020. We have to change our community’s trajectory, and that’s per 99% of the visioning survey respondents. The only way to do that is being inclusive, creative, and bringing in some fresh perspective. I’m looking forward to serving this community with the skills and experience I’ve acquired through my professional career.”