Elections, Urquhart, Legacy provide food for thought

Three political events last week deserve some commentary.

Municipal elections

Pignanelli: The race in Salt Lake City for Council District 3 (Avenues/Capital Hill) was Rocky II — a minisequel to the Mayor Rocky Anderson's first two campaigns. Anderson invested tremendous personal capital in Janneke House, the candidate he recruited to challenge his nemesis, incumbent Eric Jergensen. Rocky repeatedly attacked Jergensen for not supporting his specific programs. Thus, this council election became a referendum on the mayor in an area of the city where he is well-liked. Although defeated by Jergensen, House is credited for running a spirited effort. Conversely, the mayor's inability to convert his popularity into a victory for House demonstrates his support is derived from outspoken activities, but he does not possess a legacy of quantifiable accomplishments easily identified by the electorate. Four years ago, Jergensen's victory was considered a fluke by some politicos (because he is an LDS moderate Republican). Thus, Jergensen's re-election is a vindication of his achievements in office.

Soren Simonsen's election to District 7 was preordained. Simonsen has the perfect profile for a politician in Salt Lake City: historic architect, participant in progressive urban developments, active in environmental causes and a natty dresser. Jill Remington-Love's unopposed election in District 5 cannot be ignored. In prior elections, this Council seat fostered bloody battles between liberal and moderate Democrats. Remington-Love is maybe the city's best politician for securing support from all factions and bringing peace to this neighborhood.

On a personal note, I wish to extend gratitude to Holladay residents for electing my mother, Patricia Murphy Pignanelli, to their City Council. They selected an energetic woman who will serve them well. Further, they saved me from years of therapy needed to deflect all the guilty emotion — imposed by family members and me — if the results had been different.

Webb: No overarching theme seemed apparent in the Utah municipal election. Voters weren't in a "throw-the-incumbents-out" sort of mood, as some incumbents won, and others lost. A number of big-box stores and development issues had voters riled up, but there wasn't a consistent pro-development or anti-development theme. Voters, for the most part, seemed pretty happy with the direction of their cities. So the individual races really hinged on local issues and the quality of candidates.

One interesting development is the sophistication and expense of some of the municipal races. If you want to become mayor of one of Utah's large to medium-size cities, you had better plan to raise a lot of money and use the latest campaign techniques and tools.