When people think about a city council, they usually think about votes. Yes or no. Passed or failed. For or against.
What gets lost in that is the human side of it. The people behind the nameplates. The learning curve. The responsibility that follows you home long after a meeting ends.
I recently sat down with Morgan Murdock and Scott Phillips, two people at very different points in their public service journeys. One is stepping into the role. The other is stepping back.
What stood out most was not policy or politics, but how personal the experience has been for both of them.
Stepping Into the Role.
For Morgan Murdock, the early weeks on Heber City Council have reinforced something he believed going in.
“The job isn’t about having all the answers,” he said. “It’s about how you show up.”
Murdock often talks about collaboration, not as a buzzword, but as something he sees as essential.
“I’m not an expert on every issue,” he explained. “But I really believe in bringing people together. The mayor, the council, city staff, the county, and neighboring communities. That’s how progress actually happens.”
That approach stood out during the council’s recent strategic retreat, where members worked to identify shared priorities and focus their efforts.
“It was exciting to sit down and say, okay, what really matters right now, and how do we move things forward,” he said.
At the same time, Murdock has been honest about the learning curve.
“It can feel like a firehose,” he admitted. “There are issues I’m still learning, and when you’re not fully prepared yet, that can make anyone uneasy.”
Rather than avoiding that discomfort, he has leaned into it.
“I’m putting in the time,” he said. “Reading, researching, asking questions. I want to be ready for those discussions.”
The Part People Do Not See.
There are aspects of Murdock’s life that residents would never learn from a campaign sign or brief biography.
While living in Hawaii, he once sailed from San Diego to the islands with his father and a small crew. It was a weeks-long trip across the open ocean with no land in sight.
“It was one of those experiences that stays with you,” he said. “You learn patience. You learn trust. And you learn pretty quickly how small you really are.”
He still speaks fondly of the time he and his wife lived in Hawaii, where they went to school and started their family. He has also spent more than three decades snowboarding in Park City.
Those experiences, he says, help keep him grounded.
When asked what he hopes someone feels after a brief interaction, maybe a quick conversation in the grocery store, his answer came without hesitation.
“I want people to feel like they were heard,” he said. “That they matter. That this is still a small town, even though it’s growing.”
He paused before adding, “It’s humbling. I don’t feel like I have all the answers. I feel honored to be there and to represent people.”
Looking Back.
Scott Phillips reflects on his time on City Council with the clarity that comes from experience.
One of the most demanding parts of the job, he said, was public engagement.
“What surprised me was how very smart people could hear the same message and walk away with completely different opinions,” he said. “That was really tiring at times.”
At the same time, those interactions were also the most rewarding.
“Dealing with the public was actually the best part,” Phillips said. “Understanding the why behind people’s concerns mattered to me.”
There were moments when the responsibility of the role became especially clear.
“One of the hardest issues we dealt with was ranked choice voting,” he said. “That’s when the weight of what we were doing really hit me.”
Lessons From the Campaign.
Phillips says his mayoral campaign offered a reminder of what drew him to public service in the first place.
“Knocking doors was my favorite part,” he said. “I loved it when people asked questions, even when they were challenging. I would much rather have that engagement than none at all.”
Those conversations helped reconnect him with the community beyond the council chamber.
“It brought me back to the people,” he said. “That’s why I ran.”
Away from city hall, Phillips shared something many residents might not know.
“I played college hockey,” he said with a laugh. “I started at Colorado State and later played at BYU before I got injured.”
When asked what he would tell himself before his first council meeting four years ago, his answer was thoughtful.
“I would say this is going to be hard,” he said. “Not just because of the issues, but because leadership is about working on who you are, not just trying to influence others.”
Different Chapters, Shared Commitment.
Murdock and Phillips find themselves at very different stages of public service.
One is just beginning. The other is reflecting on lessons learned.
Yet both describe the same underlying truth.
Local leadership is not about certainty or recognition. It is about listening when conversations are uncomfortable, showing up when the work is quiet, and caring enough about your community to keep trying.
In a town that continues to grow and change, those efforts often go unnoticed. But they matter.