Experience called key for mayor

Ralph Becker and Dave Buhler have both represented Salt Lake City on Capitol Hill. Now, they both want to move into City Hall.

The two mayoral candidates tout their experience as key to helping them lead the capital city, on issues from bridging the religious divide to literally bridging Main Street.

Becker is a Democrat and current House minority leader. Buhler is a Republican who served in the state Senate from 1995-1999 and is now on the City Council. The two men faced off Wednesday at the third meet-the-candidates forum sponsored by KUER FM90 at the University of Utah's Hinckley Institute of Politics.

According to recent polls and the city's political history, Buhler's party affiliation may pose challenges in the mayoral race, and Becker may struggle for never having served in an elected city position.

"While some people want to put people in a box and label people, it's really about working with people," Buhler said.

The mayor's office is officially nonpartisan, but Salt Lake City residents have not elected a Republican mayor since the early 1970s.

Buhler suggested that building relationships with the conservative state Legislature could be "one area where my being a Republican will be an advantage."

But Becker said his alignment with the Democratic Party is important because it illustrates his emphasis on helping people and preserving the environment.

"In a city that is progressive like Salt Lake City, it's important that those values are reflected," he said.

According to a Dan Jones & Associates poll conducted last week for the Deseret Morning News and KSL-TV, 64 percent of Salt Lakers believe previous experience in city government is important for a mayor. But Becker downplayed his lack in that area, noting that he has served in nonelected city positions such as on the Planning Commission and the Housing Advisory Board.

"I certainly can't claim the detailed understanding of the city budget that Dave brings to this," he said. On the other hand, his legislative experience has taught him to "pull together all levels of government," from local to federal.

But Buhler quipped, "64 percent can't be wrong."

Among the candidates' major points of disagreement was the question of a proposed skybridge that would span Main Street downtown. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wants to build the skybridge as part of the City Creek Center development.

"Skybridges can work in very limited circumstances," said Becker, a professional city planner. "I haven't been convinced by everything I've seen" that the bridge is necessary and would not negatively impact street-level pedestrian activity.