He said the paper should be focusing on important issues like childhood asthma, which could be pollution-related, along the Wasatch Front instead of "venting your editor's bias against me on your front page."

The paper is "doing a disservice to your readers and really a disservice to the entire state," he said.

As chief executive officer, Anderson said its his purview to suspend administrative policies when he chooses.

The mayor's decision to change the alcohol policy — so that city employees can purchase alcohol with city funds — drew words of caution from one of Anderson's biggest critics.

Salt Lake County Republican County Chairman James Evans, who lives in Salt Lake City, said Anderson should be careful. If city funds are used to purchase alcohol, the city could be held responsible in court for drunken driving accidents or other incidents related to that alcohol consumption, he said.

City attorney Ed Rutan said he hasn't considered the liability issue. However, he says traditionally such cases are directed at the bar or tavern that served the alcohol, not the person who paid for it.

"Usually when people are concerned about the responsibility, the responsibility lies with the person who provided the alcoholic beverage," he said. The city spent tax dollars on alcohol during the 2002 Winter Games — again in violation of city policy.

"I personally was not aware of a prohibition on purchases of alcohol with city funds," former Olympic coordinator John Sittner said in a statement. "As a result, the donations that we received were not segregated but were instead commingled with all of the revenue and expenses associated with the city Olympic effort, including the serving of alcohol at various official functions and receptions. "There was no effort to hide the source of funds," Sittner stated, "nor was there any effort to present the functions as anything other than the city being the most professional and gracious host to the world that we could be."

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E-mail: bsnyder@desnews.com