Democrat supports an inquiry on Rocky

Republican County Chairman James Evans sent a letter last week to Yocom asking him to check into Anderson expenditures. In particular, his paying a tab that included alcohol for a dinner group he hosted this past July as well as allowing his girlfriend and others to join a city-sponsored trek to Torino, Italy, to deliver the mayor's Olympic message. Olympic tradition calls for the city hosting the most recent Winter Olympics to deliver a message of hope to the city holding the next Games.

Risbon made her position public during a debate broadcast on KCPW radio, during which she was questioned by Evans and the radio host.

"Let the district attorney do his job and appoint an independent counsel like he did with Mayor Workman and find out if there is any merit behind it. I mean, let him do his job," Risbon said. "That's what (Yocom) did with Mayor Workman. I don't see how this is any different."

None of the repeated Morning News calls to Anderson seeking comment the past week have been returned. The mayor's designated news media contact also hasn't returned calls and the newspaper is excluded from the list of news outlets being sent press releases on the matter.

During the European leg of the Torino trek, noncity employees, including Deputy Mayor Rocky Fluhart's wife, a Park City couple Anderson calls friends, Anderson's girlfriend and others, had room and meal expenses paid by private donations the mayor raised to fund the trip.

Anderson said when asked initially about the trip that no tax dollars were used on the European leg of the trip, although $35,000 in tax monies were used for initial portions. All those tax dollars are being paid back through the private donations and the mayor has noted that the noncity employees that he allowed to participate had to pay their own air fare.

Evans maintains that even donations are considered "public monies" by law and therefore Anderson misused those public monies by allowing his girlfriend and other noncity employees to have their meals or rooms paid.

On the one hand, Anderson seemed to realize the noncity employees shouldn't have their expenses paid because he made them pay their own airfare, Evans said. On the other hand, Anderson has argued it was proper to allow these noncity employees to have their meal and room expenses paid. Evans claims the mayor's actions were not consistent.

Evans has also seized on Anderson's assertions regarding the $35,000 in tax dollars initially paid Dunn Communications to make a documentary about the Torino trek. Evans has said the mayor violated the city's written contract with Dunn that states in part: "The parties acknowledge that the public relations services and the video documentary to be provided by (Dunn Communications) hereunder must be limited to and paid by donations and not from city funds."

County Republicans also want a $457 tab for food and drinks in the Grand America hotel lobby lounge in July looked into.

Anderson has said the tab possibly contained food, alcohol and private club memberships but said he "can't remember" the exact breakdown of what he paid for or what was being served that night.

His city reimbursement sheet lists a few people by name and then states "others" were also paid for on the city's dime. Anderson said people came and went throughout the evening and that the group included visiting mayors, city employees and musicians in town for the Salt Lake City International Jazz Festival.

Anderson has said he was unaware of a city policy forbidding the use of city dollars to purchase alcohol. Anderson actually signed off on a group of policies in 2003 that included the alcohol ban, but the mayor maintains he was unaware of the alcohol provision when he signed the policy.

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E-mail: bsnyder@desnews.com