After criticism for using his free airport parking for personal trips and not just for business, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson is responding by banning free parking there for journalists covering news events.

He also converted the two parking spots at City Hall that had been reserved for reporters into regular metered parking for the public.

Anderson acknowledges that is in response to a Deseret Morning News story last month that looked at which public officials receive free airport parking. Most use it only for business, but Anderson is among a few who also use it for personal travel.

For example, he used short-term parking next to the terminal last May 6-13 during a personal trip to watch his son graduate from college in New York City. That would have generated a $152 bill for anyone not on the free-parking list.

In the earlier story, Anthony Musci, chairman of the watchdog group Common Cause of Utah, criticized any use by public officials of free parking for personal trips. "On principle it is wrong, and I can't understand why any politician receives a perk like this for personal travel," he said.

Anderson said on Thursday, "I find it amazing that the Deseret News — after 30 or more years of these parking policies — reports this as if it is some great piece of investigative reporting. They presented it as if it were some great expose, and it is silly."

He added, "The article brought our focus to the issue of who's getting privileged parking."

He said, as the Morning News story also had reported in the earlier story, journalists visiting the airport to cover news stories had been offered free parking validation.

"That has ended now," Anderson said. "All sorts of people do business at the airport, and there is absolutely no reason for the special treatment."

Actually, it may be a privilege that few reporters knew existed — and that few used.

Morning News staffers were asked in an e-mail Thursday if any had used the privilege in recent years. Most were surprised that it had existed. Only one reporter said he had used it on rare occasions covering airport news events.

Morning News Editor John Hughes said, "I certainly don't think we should get free parking." He said any special favors should be limited to traditional accommodation that police and fire officials give press vehicles to help cover breaking news such as fires and airplane crashes. "Otherwise, we should pay for our parking."

The mayor also decided to yank reporter parking at City Hall because of the story.

"I couldn't see any justification for it. There are lots of people who do business at City Hall without reserved parking," Anderson said. He added that parking for the public is sometimes hard to find there, so converting the two reporter-only slots into public parking would help resolve that problem.

Anderson said no other changes have been made to city parking policies — apparently including allowing those officials with free airport parking to continue to use it for private purposes if they so choose.

The new ban continues years of stormy relations between the press and the mayor, who often criticizes news coverage of him, his office and even national and international events. As a sign of those relations, the mayor took seven days to respond to repeated inquiries about the free-parking ban for this story.

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E-mail: lee@desnews.com