Arrogance and bad judgement

My town of Park City is slightly under 9,000 people strong, so we have one elected mayor and five city council members. 

Last week, this fine group of people decided to vote themselves a big raise in salary, a move quite legal as under Utah law and Park City’s municipal code, the mayor and city council are legally authorized to vote on their own compensation, provided the process follows open‑meeting and budget‑approval requirements, which it did.

That vote to more than double the salaries of Park City’s elected officials has been deeply troubling to me. Mayor Ryan Dickey’s annual compensation will jumped from $55,209 to $116,666, while councilors’ pays rose from $28,520 to $58,333. 

These figures place Park City far above peer ski towns and even larger cities like Phoenix and Dallas, where mayors earn less despite far greater responsibilities. What makes this decision worse is the timing. Only months into their terms, the majority chose to enrich themselves rather than wait until the next election cycle. 

This erodes public trust and creates the appearance of self‑dealing. Only one councilor, Bill Ciraco (left on the photo), dissented, reminding us that public service is meant to be service, not a full‑time career with executive‑level pay. Arrogance might be tolerated. Bad judgment might be forgiven. 

But arrogance combined with bad judgment is a dangerous mix. Parkites should remember this vote when the next election arrives. Accountability is the only antidote.