From Deseret News archives:

Anderson is no quiet lame duck

Term over in 6 months, but mayor's got goals

Published: Friday, June 22, 2007 12:03 a.m. MDT
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
Anderson has created a list of about 100 priorities he hopes to accomplish before he leaves office. He wants to start a Sunday Farmers Market at the city's west-side Jordan Park, complete the Grant Tower rail realignment and replace the light bulbs in all city-run buildings with more efficient types. He also has broader aims, which include explaining to the general public ways to combat global warming.

A full list of his goals is available at www.slcgov.com/mayor/. He has plenty he wants to do, both in his last days as mayor and beyond.

"I want to do whatever is going to be most effective in my remaining days to bring about positive change," Anderson said.

Council relations

Council members told the Deseret Morning News that they are open to the mayor's ideas and don't expect to consciously treat him as a lame duck.

"I think that our council always tries to look at everything on its merits and always has," said councilman Dave Buhler, a candidate for mayor. "I hope he will be engaged until his last day in office."

Councilman Carlton Christensen said he will treat the mayor's initiatives in the coming months the same way he has previous efforts: "If I agree, I'll support him, and if not, I'll politely say, 'no."' Christensen said he doubts there is enough time to take on all the mayor's goals.

Story continues below
Anderson said he's "seeing some promise" with the council recently, noting its unanimous approval of an ordinance he requested that requires all city-owned or city-run buildings to be certified by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.

Still, he said, he is frustrated with inaction on some of his other proposals, such as a citywide helmet requirement for bicyclists.

"I don't think we need to wait until somebody else is dead before we do the responsible thing there," he said.

Many of the mayor's initiatives are either administrative functions that won't require council action or are reflections of his personal efforts to change the way business is done in the city, the state and nationwide.

Among his top priorities, Anderson said, is to give one final push in his often fruitless efforts to change Utah's liquor laws.

He has put together a "broad-based" committee to tackle hospitality issues, including "anachronistic, absurd" private-club and 1-ounce-drink laws.

"There's so many great things about this community," he said. "I want us to move forward and stop being our own worst enemy in terms of the perceptions of others outside the community."

Rocky.org?

Anderson has been far from specific on his plans for life after City Hall. That, he says, is because he doesn't yet know what he'll be doing next year.

Comments

You can be the first to comment on this story.

Image

Rocky Anderson intends to focus next on human rights and global warming.

Related content
previousnext

Latest comments

You would obviously only have second hand information about Obama's foreign...

I don't understand why we can't destroy opium fields, and cut off other main...

Cougs begin bowl preparations

You need to join Dennis as co-poster child in the, "Max was actually right,"...

As an active member and Past Master of the Blue Lodge, and as the lone active...

Jazz win 6th in 7 games

Just get feztheb more minutes.

Hall reprimanded by MWC

I remember as a student at BYU, President Jeffrey R. Holland reprimanding the...

LA to submit bid to host World Cup

...

Utahns growing tired of Bennett

Tired, not because he's not conservative enough (which he isn't), but because...

Sure. President Obama uses the fear card in an attempt to help the american...

Jazz win 6th in 7 games

Okurs not that bad when he isn't tired, or trying to save his energy; its...

Advertisements