The next Park City mayoral term will run from early 2026 until early 2030, a four-year stretch critical for City Hall’s planning for the 2034 Winter Olympics.
Either Jack Rubin or Ryan Dickey will lead the Games efforts then. Rubin, with a business background, and Dickey, a member of the Park City Council, are competing for the Marsac Building’s top political office.
The Winter Olympics in 2034 will eventually become an overriding issue for the Park City government, but the municipal progress in the year-plus since the Games were awarded to Salt Lake City has been sporadic. The Park City area will have a large role during the Games. Three competition venues are in the Park City area and the community will also be important to the transportation, security and celebration plans.
The next mayor will take office in early January. That person is anticipated to travel to the Winter Olympics in Italy the next month for fact-finding purposes as part of the delegation from Utah. The mayor and the City Council shortly afterward will craft the City Hall budget that will cover the period from mid-2026 until mid-2027, a spending plan that could include line items addressing the Games work.
The two mayoral candidates addressed the Winter Olympic efforts they envision undertaking once the Games in Italy are over and Park City begins its budget talks next spring, providing prepared responses to an inquiry from The Park Record.
By April 2026, Dickey said, he wants “Park City to be engaged, steady, and organized — with clear priorities, early groundwork underway, and our community meaningfully involved in shaping an Olympic plan that reflects both lessons learned and our future aspirations.”
“By then, we’ll also have launched a local Olympic steering committee that mirrors the Utah organizing structure, with subcommittees on transportation, Main Street activation, and other key issues. Our local listening tour with Olympics CEO Brad Wilson will be underway, ensuring residents’ voices are central from the very beginning,” Dickey said.
He said he wants youngsters in Park City in 2034 “to have the experience of a lifetime right here at home in a way that showcases and protects the unique character of our town.”
Dickey said the Games in 2026, as well as the Winter Olympics in France in 2030, will provide opportunities to learn about the staging of the event in 2034. He noted Park City’s sister city in the French Alps is involved in 2030.
“The Milano-Cortina Games will be a unique chance to learn. Park City leaders will participate in IOC observer workshops and work closely with our European partners. We are especially fortunate that Courchevel — Park City’s sister city — will host events in the 2030 Games. Our mayors already exchange visits, and by working with Courchevel and Cortina, we can share lessons across three Games cycles: 2026, 2030, and 2034. That kind of international collaboration is rare good fortune for Park City, and we’ll put it to work,” he said.
Dickey also said the Park City government will work with other entities to advance the Games work.
“The most important relationships start with the Organizing Committee, where the Park City mayor serves as vice chair of the key Host Communities Committee. From there, it’s about strengthening existing ties with state and federal partners and leaning into regional solutions,” he said. “My approach is straightforward: collaboration over confrontation. Park City will show up and lead as a constructive and reliable partner to deliver results for the community.”
Rubin described Park City’s efforts as having not yet advanced along a proper timeline.
“Park City is way behind. By April 2026, we need to be moving from planning to execution. That means a project management framework tied to the Salt Lake Committee, budgets and timelines in place, and clear assignments for city responsibilities. Transit and circulation plans must already be funded and underway, because in 2002 we managed traffic well, but our community has grown, and so has the region. The challenge is far greater now,” Rubin said.
He said City Hall needs to launch an engagement process with Parkites.
“Some residents welcome the Games. Others fear they will make housing and daily life worse. The current mayor promised the community a conversation on the 2034 Olympics, and many are still waiting for that collaborative public dialogue. If we don’t address community concerns early, we risk exacerbating the affordability crisis that followed 2002. Climate is another reality. We must be clear-eyed about snowmaking, contingency venues, and the possibility that events move if we aren’t prepared. By April 2026, we should have concrete projects under way, not just talks and studies,” he said.
Rubin also addressed relationships important to the Games.
“The Salt Lake Committee is our key partner, and some people with direct ties to Park City are on it. They must be involved in advising us. But Park City is not a junior venue. We are central to the Games and need a seat at the table. Beyond that, relationships with residents and businesses matter most. If locals don’t feel their quality of life is protected, the Games will divide this community instead of uniting it,” he said.
Rubin described a series of other entities important to Park City’s Winter Olympic work, including governments at the state and federal levels, Summit County and the mountain resorts.
