"(Anderson) has told me it is his intent to recruit (challengers to incumbent council members)," Love said. "Obviously, I hope the mayor would support me. I hope I'm someone he sees as ideologically in the same place."

Still, even if Anderson does recruit candidates and stumps for them, voters will have the final say. In 2003, Anderson tapped Dennis Guy-Sell to run against his arch-nemesis, incumbent Councilwoman Nancy Saxton. Despite Anderson's efforts, Saxton retained her seat.

Anderson raised concerns about the council's religious affiliation during an interview regarding the mayor's desire to amend a city ordinance to permit more than two bars per block face.

A previous council voted the idea down, and Anderson had proposed it to new council leadership last year. The mayor backed off after Love told him that a council member had asked the LDS Church for its opinion, and the church said it didn't support Anderson's plan.

"I was informed that it was basically dead on arrival after a council member spoke with a representative of the LDS Church," Anderson said.

The mayor has been critical of the council's past decisions on issues involving the church. In Anderson's tenure, the council didn't decide against the church in the two major issues the church has weighed in on — Main Street Plaza and Nordstrom relocation.

Incumbent council members said they are disappointed Anderson would make religion a part of the upcoming council races.

"It's a poor basis in which to make support," Christensen said.

In Christensen's District 1, Anderson received his lowest vote total of any district in the 2003 mayoral election.

"If he wants to stump (against me), he's more than welcome," Christensen said. "He only got 35 percent of the vote in my district, so it might help actually."

Jergensen, whose district supported the mayor in 2003, said Anderson's desire to get rid of LDS council members is the "antithesis of tolerance."

"It seems hard for me to believe that in a city as diverse as Salt Lake City that an individual could serve or not serve or attempt to serve a district because they are or are not a specific religion," he said.

---

E-MAIL: bsnyder@desnews.com