Initiative's defeat surprises backers and opponents

Voters defeating a proposed statewide bond that proponents said would have kept Utah's water clean and its growth under control might signal a renewed battle over conservation.

"We will continue to fight because we've seen an outpouring of concern about open space," said Maura Carabello, vice president of the Initiative 1 campaign.

Fifty-five percent of Utahns voted against Initiative 1, which would have paid to clean water, build parks, construct city buildings and preserve open space through a $150 million bond backed by a .05-cent sales tax increase. The initiative, sponsored by Utahns for Clean Water, Clean Air & Quality Growth, had the strongest opposition from rural areas and nearly split support from Salt Lake County.

The measure's defeat came as a surprise to both backers and opponents of Initiative 1, particularly because its sponsor group had launched an extensive campaign complete with pricey television advertisements.

Initiative backers spent more than $895,000 on their campaign, while a coalition against the measure shelled out only $20,000.

Mike Jerman, vice president of the Utah Taxpayer's Association, was opposed to the bond but said he was convinced the well-funded campaign by initiative sponsors would quell the opposition's meager word-of-mouth efforts.

Jerman credited the defeat to concerns over allotting up to $30 million of the bond for city buildings and dedicating the state's sales tax revenue as a backstop for bond costs.

Carabello said she was confused by the bond's defeat because exit polls and several previous polls by Dan Jones & Associates showed the measure passing by a slim margin.

"We still believe in what we were fighting for," she said. "We hope now that the Legislature realizes that open space is a top priority for many Utahns."

Newly elected Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. had previously endorsed the initiative and said its failure at the polls meant his new administration would "look at alternative pathways" to funding its objectives.

House Majority Leader Greg Curtis joined House and Senate leadership in opposition to Initiative 1 but said the Legislature will likely address open space in its 2005 session.

"We need to at least have the discussion in the Legislature," he said. "It's an issue that's important to a number of constituents and we respect that."

But Rep. Mike Styler, R-Delta, cautioned that open space funding has a bad legislative track record, and chances are slim that the Legislature will pass anything as expansive as the $150 million bond.

"After having seen this tax increase go down, I'm afraid some of them will say that this was our signal that we don't need to spend money on open space," he said.