Anderson has come under fire recently for issues surrounding the city's effort to take an Olympic message to Torino, Italy, last summer. The mayor allowed his girlfriend and other friends to attend the city-sponsored trip.

Critics, including leaders in the Salt Lake County Republican Party, have said Anderson should have had a more open selection process for the Torino trip, which was funded by private donations Anderson raised. Those donations are still public funds, Republicans say, and therefore any expenditures of those funds should be subject to the city's procurement and bid rules.

"The public must get an answer to the question as to how Mayor Anderson's friends were selected for the opportunity to travel through Europe," Republican attorney Lohra Miller said Friday. "Was the city's application and bid processes followed? Why were the mayor's friends from Park City selected? How was the mayor's girlfriend selected?"

County GOP Chairman James Evans has called for District Attorney David Yocom to investigate Anderson, and County Democratic Chairwoman Megan Risbon has followed suit, also calling for an investigation. Yocom, a Democrat, set a precedent last year when he investigated and prosecuted Salt Lake County Mayor Nancy Workman, a Republican, for misusing public funds. Workman was acquitted but resigned in order to prepare her legal defense.

Evans said Workman offered to pay back the nearly $20,000 in county funds she used to create a position at the boys and girls club where her daughter worked. Yocom said paying the money back couldn't get Workman out of hot water so he shouldn't let Anderson's paying back the $457 bill affect his decision to investigate, Evans said.

"I'll be curious to see if the district attorney allows the mayor to pay back funds when he didn't allow that same options for Mayor Workman."

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E-mail: bsnyder@desnews.com