of spiritual values over short-term material greed. Progress entails protecting natural open spaces so they will be available in their natural state for our children and later generations. That�s what responsible, forward-looking stewardship is about.

Many years ago, North Salt Lake obtained ownership of property within the boundaries of Salt Lake City through condemnation in order to obtain certain water rights. That property, which former North Salt Lake Mayor Kay Briggs characterized as "a treeless bunch of rocks," is an essential part of the unique, irreplaceable Bonneville Shoreline. It is a precious geoantiquity. To sell it to be covered with suburban homes and asphalt would be an outrage�not only toward those who value this astounding, pristine place now, but toward our children and later generations. However, simply to obtain large sums of money, North Salt Lake presently seeks to betray its responsibility of stewardship and the values of preservation by selling the property to whomever brings in the highest bid.

Although Salt Lake City has, for many years, zoned the property as open space, North Salt Lake seeks to defeat that zoning, either through the courts or, most perniciously, through the Legislature while the matter is before the courts. Special legislation to allow this avoidance of the protections provided by our zoning ordinances would be an astounding abuse of the legislative process�and a further insult to the interests of our children and later generations in preserving these few remaining magnificent places. This situation poses a clear conflict of values�a fork in the road leading either to a retreat from preservation or toward progress and the fulfillment of our sacred obligations as responsible stewards.

I am grateful to the members of the City Council who have supported us in this important challenge. I am particularly grateful, as always, to Ed Rutan for his passionate dedication to this matter. Ed believes in the values we are pursuing in this matter as fervently as anyone. He and the remarkable team of lawyers in the City Attorney�s Office perform at an extremely high professional level, handling incredibly complex, diverse matters. Our City is fortunate to have the services of people like Ed Rutan, who lives his commitment to professionalism, public service, and personal generosity of spirit.

Our open space efforts have been expansive. Since the beginning of our administration, we have acquired or converted over 450 acres to open space, including lands as diverse as the eastern part of Library Square, Hidden Hollow in Sugar House, Cottonwood Park in Rose Park, and Willow Heights Conservation Area in Big Cottonwood Canyon. That is tremendously important progress.