Park City School Board President enters County Council race

Meredith Reed, president of the Park City Board of Education, announced her candidacy for Summit County Council on Monday. Reed, who has served on the school board since 2022, said her campaign will focus on housing, transportation, and future planning. Photo: Meredith Reed

PARK CITY, Utah — Meredith Reed, president of the Park City Board of Education, announced her candidacy for County Council on Monday, emphasizing her background in military service and public education leadership.

Reed, who was elected to the school board in 2022, said she plans to focus her campaign on housing, transportation, and future planning through what she called “thoughtful, healthy collaboration.”

“We have a series of critical decisions ahead of us,” Reed said in a statement. “It’s important that we view issues like housing, transportation, and future planning through a lens of thoughtful, healthy collaboration, which has been the hallmark of my career in the military, in private and public industry, and in elected and volunteer community service.”

Reed served as a commissioned chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, primarily stationed at Landstuhl Medical Center in Germany, where she provided pastoral care to wounded service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

After her military service, Reed held senior leadership roles supporting wounded warriors and military families at the national level before returning to Park City in 2017. She became a small business owner and realtor with Coldwell Banker.

Reed’s tenure has coincided with environmental controversies at the Treasure Mountain demolition site, the 2025 departure of Chief Operating Officer Michael Tanner following investigations into compensation and remote work arrangements, and the transition from Superintendent Jill Gildea, who retired in 2024 amid community criticism, to Lyndsay Huntsman.

Reed currently serves as programming director and board member of the Park City Rotary Club and sits on the Park City Chamber of Commerce board of directors.

As school board president, Reed said she has focused on governance, prioritizing strategic planning and student-centered outcomes. She highlighted the board’s approach to incorporating community and taxpayer feedback in budget decisions.

“Leadership matters. Organizational management matters,” Reed said. “The quality of leadership directly affects how residents experience local government and the services it provides.”

Reed said her campaign will address responsible growth, balancing competing community needs and collaborating with other government organizations.

She is currently serving a four-year term on the school board that extends beyond the county council election cycle.