County Council candidate Christopher Robinson seeks to find common ground in managing growth pressures

This article is part of an ongoing series at TownLift covering all candidates for the upcoming 2022 local election.

PARK CITY, Utah — Christopher Robinson is a long-time resident of Summit County, 24 years to be exact. Robinson moved to the area with his wife and three children and lauds its ease of access between urban and outdoor lifestyles.

“The best part of living in Summit County has been the distinct four seasons, each punctuated by amazing natural beauty and outdoor opportunity, yet within a half hour of a major metropolitan area,” Robinson said.

Robinson is running for Summit County Council Seat D this year, but this isn’t his first rodeo; he has been serving on the County Council for 14 years. He has seen the issues facing Summit County firsthand and describes the community as “victims of our own success.”

“People want to be here, perhaps to first visit and subsequently to live. The ‘people magnet’ that we’ve created are challenging our roads, transit, workforce, housing affordability, trails, parks, natural environment, water, open spaces, and overall quality of life,” Robinson said. “Managing these growth pressures is the County’s biggest challenge.”

Robinson touts his ability to be a listener, communicator, rational thinker, and problem solver; all great assets when working together on council making decisions for a community. When asked about his platform for this year’s election, he said, “The primary role of the Summit County Council is to counsel and reason together to make collective decisions for the benefit of the whole … I seek to build bridges and find common ground.” Robinson continued, discussing the effect of national issues on smaller communities.

“The world today, including in Summit County, is experiencing unprecedented economic, political, environmental, climatological, and social disturbances and changes. My basic platform is to continue to provide excellent leadership.”

Robinson breaks this leadership down into detail for the community, describing his current goals if re-elected to be the following:

• Continue to help deploy the $50 million in county-wide open space bonds recently issued
• Expand High Valley Transit’s capacity as a regional player
• Develop partnerships with Park City and the east side municipalities, ski resorts, local businesses, developers, Park City Chamber of Commerce, adjacent counties, UDOT (and other state departments), the federal government, and NGOs to solve regional transportation and workforce housing issues
• Seek a fair balance between developers’ rights versus the rights of, and impacts upon, the community

An accounting graduate from the University of Utah and currently CEO of The Ensign Group, Robinson’s experience runs the gamut, including general business, real estate, production agriculture, water, renewable energy, land conservation, and business law.

“My extensive experience in local government and in the private sector (mainly regarding the management, development, and conservation of land, water, and other natural resources) make me an excellent counselor on our Council,” Robinson said.

While currently on County Council, Robinson is also Chair of the Central Wasatch Commission, Chair of the Utah Local Governments Trust, co-Chair of the Northern Advisory Council for the Colorado River Authority of Utah, a Trustee of the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, and the Vice-Chair of The Nature Conservancy of Utah.

Robinson is running against Republican candidate Holly McClure. The deadline to register and receive a vote by mail ballot is October 28 and postmarked by Monday, November 7. If deposited in a drop box, it needs to be deposited in an official drop box by 8 p.m. on November 8. If voting in person, residents can visit the following voting locations.