That changed in January 2001, when Democrat Shauna Kerr was sworn in as the first female commissioner in Summit County's 150-year history.

"At our first break, two commissioners went into the men's room and one went into the ladies' room," Kerr recalled of her inaugural day. "I told them, 'If you make any decisions in there, pound on the wall.' "

She can joke about it now that she has left office, choosing not to seek re-election. Park City resident Sally Elliott took her place this week.

Kerr and her colleagues tackled significant challenges brought on by unprecedented development in Summit County - one of the nation's fastest-growing areas. Kerr helped spearhead a controversial unification of small and failing water systems; presided over recent amendments to the Snyderville Basin Development Code that critics called a de facto downzoning; and grappled with a transportation mess that still clogs Kimball Junction during busy seasons.

Her term on the commission also saw an expanded bus system, completion of a pipeline from the Weber River to western Summit County and voter approval of a $10 million county bond for open space in Snyderville Basin.

Not everyone received those actions warmly. But Kerr, known for her quick wit and sense of humor, is no stranger to adversity. Four years ago, her arrival at the county seat in insular Coalville wasn't exactly a love-in.

"My fellow commissioners, Pat Cone and Eric Schifferli, were gracious," Kerr remembered. "But for a lot of other officeholders and staff, it was uncomfortable, because the commissioners had always been men."

Cone, who left office two years ago, is less diplomatic. "There are some men who don't want to be subservient to a woman," he said. "She broke new ground. It had to be broken. But there was a lot of anger at Shauna."

Among her accomplishments, Kerr said, was her ability to bridge the gender gap and the built-in suspicion in rural eastern Summit County toward the Park City side, where she has lived for 15 years.

"In the end, it was very rewarding in that the staff - the real unsung heroes of government - accepted me and supported me," she said.

Kerr believes her rural roots helped her narrow the cultural divide between eastern and western Summit County. She grew up on a small farm outside of Logan, participated in 4-H and even reigned as Junior Dairy Darling.

But the small-town girl graduated from Utah State University and went on to earn a law degree from California's Pepperdine University. She landed a job in Park City's legal department in the late 1980s, and she and her young family relocated to the booming ski town.

Caught up in the heady resort atmosphere, Kerr got a spot on the Park City Council. She left halfway through her second four-year term after winning a seat on the County Commission.

"That experience gave me a good background in government procedure and it taught me how to get things done," she said of her city tenure. "And it led to better cooperation between Summit County and Park City."

But once in Coalville, Kerr and Cone came under fire when they attempted to "professionalize" county government.

"County government has always been Coalville's biggest employer," she said. "Many of the problems we experienced were the result of the good ol' boy network."

That unrest led to Cone's ouster in 2002 by fellow Oakley Democrat Ken Woolstenhulme, a rancher-retailer who is seen as more in tune with eastern Summit County's traditional ways.

Known for his good humor but no-nonsense approach, Woolstenhulme took office in January 2003 and looked to be on a collision course with Kerr.

"The first six months were pretty rough," Woolstenhulme said. "But, in the end, it was all right. We didn't always agree, but we did respect each other."

Nonetheless, Woolstenhulme criticized Kerr and his predecessors, Cone and Schifferli, for attempting to condemn the Summit Water Distribution Co. Privately held Summit Water is suing the county for attempting to take it over when commissioners formed the Mountain Regional Special Service District.

Kerr concedes that heavy-handed bid to bring the financially successful Summit Water into a public regionalized system made up of a dozen small and failing water companies was a mistake.

"We made the decision to go forward based on the best information we had at the time," she said. "For a complete regionalization, Summit Water would have to be part of it. And what some people don't understand is that condemnation isn't just taking property but providing just compensation."

But for another major initiative - the "hard-zoning" of Snyderville Basin to one housing unit per 20 acres - Kerr doesn't apologize.

"Unfortunately, Summit County did allow development in unincorporated areas in the '70s and '80s. It was pure speculation, a way to jump-start the economy," she said. "The goal is different in 2005, when we are trying to maintain a mountain resort economy."

Although Kerr is stepping away from politics - for now - she isn't giving up her position as ski host at Deer Valley, where she works two days a week during the winter season.

"It's been the best therapy for me. It makes me feel young to be up there with the lifties, whose main goal is to get a beer at the end of the day," she said. "I ski with interesting people from all over the world. I get to tell some lies and a few jokes, too."

csmart@sltrib.com

SHAUNA KERR

Former Summit County commissioner

Shauna Kerr

l Age, party: 48, Democrat

l Education: Bachelor's degree, Utah State University; law degree, Pepperdine University.

l Work: Assistant Park City attorney, two years.

l Politics: Park City Council, six years; Summit County Commission, four years.

l Fun facts: Former Cache County Junior Dairy Darling; currently ski host at Deer Valley.