She wrote out a quick memo. "Here's the problem," she told her Eagle Forum colleague. "Go make a phone call."

Jeanne Minert of Layton is the Eagle Forum secretary and handles the phone tree. She called five people, who each called five people, who each called five people and so on. Someone began faxing the opposition letter to a bevy of like-minded organizations and individuals, who in turn faxed it out to their colleagues.

Another Eagle Forum volunteer did the same with a formidable e-mail list.

Meanwhile, Ruzicka went on her conservative talk radio show on KTKK and announced the action. Call the bill sponsor, she told listeners. Call your state representative.

Someone called each lawmaker on the education committee and announced the Eagle Forum's opposition. The next morning, opponents packed the committee meeting room. By then, conservative lawmakers on the committee had made up their minds, Ruzicka said. "That bill didn't have a chance. It was over with."

Karrie Galloway, head of Utah's chapter of the Planned Parenthood, doesn't believe Ruzicka's distinction as a dealbreaker is a positive one. The two women can chat personally about their children and other topics but are often at odds over sex education initiatives. "That's what concerns me most about Gayle's organization, is the perception that they will win at all costs, as opposed to looking for the middle ground."

House Speaker Marty Stephens, R-Farr West, hears a lot about the Eagle Forum during the Legislature's 45-day session each year but says he rarely hears from Ruzicka herself.

"They are good people and they do have an impact," said Stephens, who said Ruzicka's power is often exaggerated. Still he's seen the Eagle Forum in action. "Most of the time it's behind the scenes," he said. "Lots of times (legislators) don't know it's going on until their bill's dead."

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Mayor Rocky Anderson resents the implication of being a "dealbreaker."

"Apparently from the results of your survey, people think that I'm good at stopping things. But I like to view myself also as someone who helps build things." Like the light rail spur to the University of Utah, he said. The mayor was also listed in the newspaper's top 10 most influential people, a distinction Anderson sees as positive.

Anderson gives other reasons for opposing some recent projects:

On killing the "super mall" near the Salt Lake airport: "That was a huge, uh, fight. I tend to think of the mall as a real opportunity . . . as a real opportunity for community dialogue of how to go about long-term community planning and the need to get away from automobile-dependent sprawl development."