3 underdogs discuss quest for mayoral job

They may be far from the top tier in a crowded field of candidates, but three candidates — a schoolteacher, a colorectal surgeon and a longtime community activist — insist they have what it takes to be Salt Lake City's next mayor.

Middle-school wood-shop teacher Robert Comstock, surgeon J.P. Hughes and Centro Civico Mexicano director John Renteria faced off Wednesday at the final of four meet-the-candidates forums hosted by KUER FM90 at the University of Utah's Hinckley Institute of Politics. Together, the three garnered the support of less than 2 percent of respondents to a Dan Jones & Associates poll conducted in early April. But the three candidates seemed unperturbed by those numbers.

"You don't have to click away through any training sessions to be part of American politics," Hughes said.

The underdogs tackled a handful of issues head-on Wednesday, from downtown development to presidential politics, and they didn't pull any punches.

"I was somewhat disturbed or bothered by a billion-dollar investment by a religious institution into a business venture in a downtown," Renteria said in reference to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' plans to build the 20-acre City Creek Center. "Of course, they can do whatever they want with their money. On the other hand, there is a lot of humanitarian need they could do with their money."

On Mayor Rocky Anderson's outspoken opposition to the war in Iraq and his history of protesting during President Bush's visits to Salt Lake City, Hughes said, "It's very inappropriate. (Anderson's) seat is a seat of power. My seat would be a seat of service."

On the controversial issue of a skybridge proposed for City Creek Center, Hughes said, "I love the idea of the skywalk."

Comstock also said he could support a skybridge but was less emphatic.

"We should acknowledge the tremendous investment the LDS Church is making," he said. "The office of mayor is to mediate that with the interests of the rest of the community, so everyone is represented and the interests of every interest group is represented in the development of the downtown area."

He said the City Council and Planning Commission must pore over the plans very carefully before signing off on the final design.

Renteria said the skybridge would serve the needs of City Creek Center tenants but would do little for the rest of downtown.

The three all agreed more effort should be made to draw business to the west side, an issue that has long been a focal point of Renteria's.

"I've got some real concerns in terms of economic development that we're not paying attention to the west side," Renteria said.

Hughes expressed optimism that the west's time is coming. "The future of the city is the west side," he said.