Yocom may investigate Rocky, too

Salt Lake County District Attorney David Yocom has another mayor to investigate.

On the heels of Yocom's filing of charges against Salt Lake County Mayor Nancy Workman, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson now believes he also has broken the law and has asked Yocom to investigate his actions during the mayor's 2003 re-election campaign.

At issue are more than 142 e-mails Anderson wrote to or received from campaign workers during the 2003 election — an apparent violation of laws forbidding office holders from using taxpayer resources for campaign purposes.

Anderson's spokeswoman, Deeda Seed, said there were more e-mails than the 142 provided to the Deseret Morning News as part of an open records request but the mayor had deleted them. Seed didn't know how many e-mails were deleted.

In those existing 142 e-mails — sent and received on the mayor's city e-mail address — Anderson discussed campaign newspaper advertising, radio spots, television ads, paying campaign bills, campaign budget issues, obtaining endorsements of various people, voter lists, political surveys and questionnaires, among other campaign issues.

"I specifically asked that we buy from Univision, as well as Telemundo," Anderson wrote in one e-mail to his advertising coordinator Skip Branch of Riester-Robb. "Maintaining the relations I have developed is crucial."

In another e-mail to Branch, Anderson discussed the cost and timing of some ads.

"When you and I spoke about the Reagan guy, you told me Dewey promised $15k. That was a condition to the buy. Where are we on that? Are you sure (Massachusetts Gov.) Mitt (Romney) shouldn't be last rather than first? I worry that the effect will be lost by the election."

In one e-mail from Mike Korologos, also of Riester-Robb, the mayor received some advice on how to respond to media questions about his large campaign war chest: "I see no need to embellish or alter at this time," Korologos wrote.

The mayor now realizes he violated a state statute forbidding municipal employees from using taxpayer resources for political purposes and has asked Yocom to investigate, Seed said.

That law states: "A municipal officer or employee may not engage in political campaigning or solicit political contributions during hours of employment" and "a municipal officer or employee may not use municipal equipment while engaged in political activity."

Anderson's realization that he might have broken the law came a few days after the Morning News printed an article discussing concerns some City Council members had about the political e-mails.