‘Bittersweet’ was the word of the day on Wednesday, Dec. 18, as citizens, local leaders and friends gathered in the Carbon County Administration Building to celebrate the career of Commissioner Casey Hopes, who after three terms in office decided not to run for reelection.
Hopes served as a Carbon County Commissioner starting in 2012 and has worked tirelessly to engage with the community within his position. In his time as commissioner, Hopes accomplished several self-established goals, such as boosting tourism within the Carbon Corridor, streamlining the business process within the county and promoting community engagement.
Undoubtedly one of the crowning achievements during his time in office was the creation of the Carbon County Aviation Campus, which will help expand the Utah State University Eastern Aviation program and help aid in the continued growth of the college.
At moments though, as do most public officials, Hopes was on the receiving end of public backlash, mainly stemming from tax increases in the County. Commissioner Tony Martines cited this as an example of how Hopes put the community first and did the right thing, not the popular thing,” when we did the tax increase, that was what needed to happen. He weighs everything out, thinks it through, and is very conscious that way. But it’s always been about nothing about him and all about the community.”
Commissioner Larry Jensen built on this image of Hopes, explaining that it’s rare to see a body of government like a Board of Commissioners work as well together as Carbon County has in recent years. He explained that this was in part due to each Commissioner not holding a personal agenda, and instead working together to better Carbon County, saying Hopes is a prime example of that mindset.
Commissioner Martines also spoke on what he is going to miss most about having Hopes on the Board of Commissioners,” being able to tap into the knowledge he has. I mean, 12 years of experience on all the different boards and committees that he’s been on means so much knowledge that will be walking out the door.”
Speaking directly to Commissioner Hopes, he teared up as we asked him what it meant to him to be able to serve Carbon County,” It’s been good. It’s Bittersweet,” he explained. “We’ve had to make some hard decisions. But I think we’ve done the right things. And honestly, I’m optimistic for our County. There are lots of good things happening. There’s going to be some good things coming down the pipeline and our community is going to benefit. And it’s not just because of us, it’s because we and our partners and everybody is pushing together and we’re working for a good common goal.”
When asked what accomplishments stand out in his mind during his time as Commissioner, he didn’t cite the airport, the tourism, or the businesses he helped bring to the area; rather he spoke on the relationships he’s been able to build with the community. “ I think one of the hardest things and the most rewarding things is building the relationships and bringing the community together in ways that allow for those projects to happen. Working with the college, working with the school district and the cities to build relationships instead of standing alone.”
Castle Country Radio would like to congratulate Hopes on his retirement, although retirement may not be the best word to use, as he plans on continuing to work in the community and pushing for the betterment of Carbon County.