Re-Elect
Margaret Olson
Summit County Attorney
Summit County Attorney Margaret Olson is running for re-election to a second term of office in 2022 to continue to ensure that justice remains integral to the services Summit County provides. During her first term, Margaret:
*provided critical, timely legal counsel to the Summit County Health Department with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic;
*blocked the hostile Hideout annexation;
*oversaw the acquisition and opening of a new Children’s Justice Center;
*filed the first opioid tort litigation in the State of Utah; and
*was elected Outstanding County Attorney of the Year two years in a row (2020 and 2021) (a Utah Association of Counties Award).
Margaret believes in progressive justice. She personally attends the Summit County Drug Court each week as a team member and applied for and received a grant to improve the county’s indigent defense system. During her term Margaret also served as President of the Utah County and District Attorney Association. A hands-on, active, and hardworking County Attorney, Margaret personally attends each County Council meeting and routinely researches, writes, and argues cases in court to make sure the citizens of Summit County continue to receive the outstanding representation they have come to expect from the Summit County Attorney's Office.
Who is Margaret?
Margaret has deep roots in the Summit County community. Her great-great grandfather was the discoverer of ore in the Park City Mountains and the family held the original land patent for the quarter section of land at the base of Thaynes Canyon in Park City. The family also ran a trading post, stage station (and, for a time, Pony Express Station) at nearby Mountain Dell.
More About Margaret
Margaret and her husband Dirk Olson purchased their Summit Park property in 1992 — the same year Margaret graduated from law school at the University of Utah. They still live in the home they built back then and raised two children in the Park City School System. The Olson family enjoys skiing, packrafting, backpacking, and adventuring together.
(Photo: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 2021)
Key Endorsements
Margaret has earned the trust of key community leaders.
Byron Ames, (Former) Mayor of Francis
Roger Armstrong, Summit County Council
Rich Bullough (Retired) Summit County Health Director
Wade Carpenter, Executive Law Enforcement Official in Utah and Vice President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police
Kim Carson, (Former) Summit County Council
Sally Elliott, (Former) Summit County Commissioner
Evelyn Furse, Summit County Clerk
Anita Lewis, Chalk Creek, (Former) Assistant Summit County Manager
Matt McCormick, Mayor of Kamas
Myles Rademan, Community Leader
Chris Robinson, Summit County Council
Malena Stevens, Summit County Council
Nann Worel, Mayor of Park City
What Was the Hideout Controversy About, Anyhow?
Hideout is a township of less than 1000 people in neighboring Wasatch County.
The Hideout controversy was a calculated, intentional, intricate plan with the aim to usurp Summit County’s Land Use Authority and vest that authority in a non-contiguous municipality with no ability to provide services, ENTIRELY AVOIDING ANY PUBLIC PROCESS. Hideout had “agreed, IN ADVANCE,” to allow the Developers to “develop Richardson Flat in the manner they planned and envisioned.”
Developers, Lawyers for Wells Fargo, and Hideout conspired together to defraud the Utah Legislature, obtain for themselves a Special Purpose Law, and build a town ten times the size of existing Hideout around a hazardous soil repository containing arsenic and lead. At the time the plan was hatched, the developers did not even own the land on Richardson Flat. The acquisition of the land was part of the scheme.
Existing laws were intentionally violated.
“North Park”, would have been built on the doorstep of Park City, increased the population of Summit County by 20%, and placed the burden of paying for municipal services on Summit County taxpayers in general.
Margaret led a litigation team that blocked the annexation and development effort. Hideout’s annexation has been declared void ab initio and “of no legal force and effect.” Land use authority remains with Summit County unless and until the area is lawfully annexed under Title 10, Chapter 2 of the Utah Code.
Children’s Justice Center
Children’s Justice Centers (CJCs) are trauma centers. When allegations of child maltreatment are reported to 911 or the DCFS hotline (855-323-3237), an intergovernmental, interdisciplinary, multiagency response is convened. This response involves caseworkers, detectives, medical professionals, victim advocates, trauma therapists, forensic interviewers, and more. The County Attorney is responsible for the operation of the Children’s Justice Center. When Margaret took office, the Summit County CJC was operating out of the county’s Richins Building in proximity to the library and DMV. Margaret and the team worked with the Community for Children’s Justice (a local non-profit supporting the CJC’s mission) to raise funds, renovate, and open a new, private, state-of-the-art CJC for Summit County. The new facility is located in a place that can serve North Summit, South Summit, and Park City equidistantly.
Members of the community may remember the “Zebra House” at the Silver Summit exit off I-40. This house is the new location. The Solomon Children’s Justice Center of Summit County and has received generous support and contributions from every part of the county and dozens and dozens of donors, including Beano Solomon, for whom the Center is named. The Center has a therapy dog, Cali, who agreed to appear as a mascot for this picture celebrating the opening of the new CJC in December 2020.
Margaret made child protection a priority early in her term, and opening the new CJC was one aspect of improving the response for children and families in our community.
Drug Court
Drug Court is a voluntary, outpatient, substance abuse treatment program heavily supported by Summit County and the Utah State Courts. Qualifying criminal offenders participate in the program lasting 18 months to 5 years and can receive a clean criminal record upon successful completion. With the support of the Summit County Sheriff, Summit County Council, the Summit County Health Department, Huntsman Behavioral Health, the Summit County Recovery Foundation, and others, Summit County has a highly successful, premier drug court program that is a model for other jurisdictions.
Community Engagement
As County Attorney, Margaret has offered Internships and Returnships within the office. Margaret believes that developing talent from within the community will pay off in the long term as our children return to live and work in the community and each community member is encouraged to contribute throughout their lifetimes to the common good.
Contact
Check out my Margaret Olson for Summit County Attorney Facebook Page or email me at margaretholson@icloud.com.
© 2022 Committee to Re-Elect Margaret Olson
