Salt Lake welcomes friends from north

To all of Salt Lake City's "friends from the north," the City Council is putting out the welcome mat.

In response to Mayor Rocky Anderson's controversial State of the City speech, which seems to have irritated much of Davis County, the Salt Lake City Council is expected to pass a policy statement tonight "expressing the council's policy regarding relationships with neighboring communities."

Council chair Dale Lambert said the statement is directly tied to Anderson's speech, in which the mayor blamed commuters for much of the Wasatch Front's dismal air quality.

In the speech, Anderson said he didn't want the city's "friends from the north" to "increase our city's traffic, further foul our air, undermine the quality of our lives and make us sick simply because of the choices they make about where they live and how they get around."

Outgoing Speaker of the Utah House of Representatives Marty Stephens, R-Farr West, mocked Anderson as he left his seat Monday.

Stephens remarked that the "unwashed heathens" from the suburbs north of Salt Lake City, who face regular traffic jams, "appreciate the opportunity to visit this great city, and we promise to behave ourselves when we're here."

The council's policy statement, which will have to be approved with a formal vote tonight, is a "recognition of how important our neighbors are to us and that we encourage them and welcome them to Salt Lake City," Lambert said.

While the statement comes as a rebuttal to Anderson's speech, Lambert said the mayor won't be mentioned.

"We're not trying to pick a fight with him, but we are trying to let our neighbors know that we appreciate them passing the transit tax and other issues," Lambert said. "They're a big asset to Salt Lake City."

Councilman Dave Buhler, who challenged Anderson and his statements in a public meeting last week, said it's important for city leaders to realize many suburbanites consider Salt Lake City to be "their" city. The council, he said, should have polices that reflect that connection with other communities.

"Lots of people claim it as their city even though they don't live in it," Buhler said.

Anderson, who traveled to Washington, D.C. over the weekend, could not be reached for comment Monday.

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E-mail: bsnyder@desnews.com