Poll finds 58% back Initiative 1

Taylorsville Mayor Janice Auger said the initiative looks good on its face but the fine print in the measure tells a different story.

"I believe open-space initiatives should be done on a local level, where local people can decide what they want," she said.

A section of the initiative allotting up to $30 million for convention centers and city buildings has also drawn criticism from Utah Taxpayers Association Vice President Mike Jerman, who said that portion had no place in an initiative "being sold as an open-space" issue.

Despite the opposition, Initiative 1 campaign president Amanda Smith said she is still confident that Utah voters will vote to pay the "equivalent of two movie tickets" to preserve open space in Utah.

Smith said that the initiative, sponsored by Utahns for Clean Water, Clean Air and Quality Growth, has garnered support from both gubernatorial candidates Jon Huntsman Jr. and Scott Matheson Jr., as well as former U.S. Sen. Jake Garn, LaVell Edwards and conservation groups statewide.

"This is something Utahns care about, and they don't mind paying for cleaner drinking water and preservation," Smith said.

Quin Monson, a BYU professor who directs a student-run exit poll, said the initiative still has a good shot at passing despite the strong opposition. The majority of Utahns, he said, are not hearing the opposition's arguments and are more influenced by pro-Initiative 1 television commercials touting open space and clean water.

"They show these ads with kids splashing in water and open fields. If that's how voters see it, it's going to pass," he said.

Monson added that because there are no party lines to guide voters on initiatives, campaign money is often the determining factor at the polls. That's bad news for Initiative 1 opponents, who have spent only $17,000 compared to the $895,000 campaign launched by initiative sponsors.

"It's all about how it's framed. Unless the opposition can define it differently, then it's likely to pass," he said.

Chris Kyler, CEO of the Utah Realtors Association, is part of the coalition against the initiative and said he feared money will indeed be the key in Tuesday's vote. That fact, he said, essentially allows deep-pocketed special-interest groups to buy voters.

"Clearly money talks with initiatives. If you can't get your message out, you can't reach the voters," he said. "Without a doubt we're at a disadvantage."

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