Most Salt Lakers want to loosen liquor laws; so do 2 candidates

Another alternative suggested by retiring Mayor Rocky Anderson, who has been a severe critic of Utah liquor law, is to allow a tourist to buy a temporary private club membership that is honored at any club.

"If a tourist checks into a hotel and there can buy a membership to all downtown private clubs, that sounds like it may be a very good idea," Buhler said. Becker declined comment.

While saying the Legislature should give cities home rule on restaurant liquor licenses, Buhler stopped short of saying cities should also have the power to decide how many private clubs they can have. Nearly a third of all private clubs in the state are located in Salt Lake City. "I just want to start with restaurants," Buhler said. Becker said he doesn't oppose Buhler's home rule idea.

"We need to be hospitable to those who drink (alcohol) responsibly and obey our liquor and traffic rules," said Buhler, a member of the LDS Church who does not drink alcohol himself.

"I don't drink much myself," Becker said. Becker said his goal isn't to make liquor easier to find and consume but to use alcohol consumption as one piece in trying to create a vibrant downtown. It would be like other cities that have places to eat, drink and dance grouped in close proximity "and have a street scene and atmosphere."

The city's liquor ordinances aren't friendly and make that scene hard to come by, Becker said.

Opposition to more lenient liquor law clearly breaks out along political and religious lines, Jones found in the poll. Only 19 percent of city Republicans favored looser liquor laws, while 76 percent of them opposed more liberal liquor laws. Only 10 percent of LDS Salt Lakers favored looser liquor laws, while 72 percent of LDS Church members in the city opposed looser laws.

Just the opposite is found among Democratic and independent non-Mormons, Jones found. Nine out of 10 Salt Lakers who said they belong to no religion want looser liquor laws. Jones found that 83 percent of Democrats want looser liquor laws in the city, while 61 percent of political independents want looser laws.

Buhler said when he was in the Legislature he did not ask the LDS Church's permission to run either of his liquor bills.

However, he said, "on alcohol, you're naive if you don't talk to those folks" — leaders of the LDS Church — "because they have a real interest in, and some influence" on the issue.

Accordingly, Buhler said he called the church's lobbyist to tell him about the credit-card bill change when it was being considered by the Legislature. The man looked at the bill and called him back later to say the church would not oppose this bill. Church opposition is almost a certain kiss of death for a liquor bill before the 104-member part-time Legislature, where about 80 percent are LDS Church members.

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