Mayoral donors hedging their bets

After their shouting match, Hansen vowed not to do business with the city until it has a new mayor, while Anderson asked law enforcement officials to look into charging Hansen with assault for bumping him.

So whom does Hansen want as the new mayor?

He gave $7,000 to Buhler, who is not backed by Anderson. But he also gave $7,000 to Anderson's personal choice as his successor: Christensen. Both of those candidates are Republicans, as is Hansen.

Hansen did not respond to phone calls seeking explanations for his donations.

Of course, donations do not guarantee that a mayor will look favorably on a donor. After all, Hansen's Wasatch Property Management gave Anderson $5,000 in his last race four years ago.

Anderson told the Deseret Morning News that he has done a bit of fund-raising for Christensen, but not much. "I probably will do more," said the mayor, who added that despite recent media stories he has no plans to run a write-in campaign after the Sept. 11 primary.

Giving to two candidates "in a large field" may not be so bad, Anderson said. "Maybe they're looking to level the playing field some."

But political donations must always be looked at askance, the mayor said, because too often those giving expect something in return. "I always told my donors: All you get is me," working fairly on issues he believes in, Anderson said.

Spreading $ around

Spreading its money among the most candidates — four — was the Exoro Group lobbying/political consulting firm. It gave $100 each to four candidates: Buhler; Christensen; state Rep. Ralph Becker, a Democrat; and Wilson.

The GOP principal in Exoro, LaVarr Webb (a former Deseret Morning News staff member), said he and Democratic partner Maura Carabello "are friends with these four candidates and just decided to give to them all. It is not a lot of money."

"True, we could have decided not to give to any of them" and that would have been about the same as giving to all of them, Webb said. "But we get requests" for funds "and so decided to give to all four of them. Later, we may decide to give more to one or another. We have good relationships with all of the candidates" — and no doubt wants to keep them.

Five other donors gave to three candidates each: Zions Bank President A. Scott Anderson (to Becker, Buhler and now-withdrawn candidate Meg Holbrook); Capitol Hill Community Council Chairwoman Polly Hart (to Becker, Holbrook and Wilson); Reagan Outdoor Advertising (to Buhler, Christensen and Wilson); former Senate Democratic candidate Scott Leckman (to Becker, J.P. Hughes and Wilson); and Internet access firm Xmission (to Becker, now-withdrawn candidate Nancy Saxton and Wilson).