Becker, Buhler quiet on vouchers

"It was so far from the new voucher law (HB148) it is laughable," said Buhler. He said he supported the bill because it was "one tool" that a local board could adopt to help its district in cases of severe student overcrowding. "I didn't think any school board would use this program, but why not let them have that local option. And it cost $40,000 a year," said Buhler, compared to the tens of millions of dollars HB148 could cost over the next decade.

The new voucher law is broad-ranging and expensive over time, yet neither candidate mentions vouchers in their advertisements — leading one to wonder if they are just staying out of a bitter political fight that's not their bailiwick. Both deny that.

Buhler and Becker said there is just not enough time or space in an advertisement to talk about all the issues, so some fall by the wayside. But Web sites, of course, can be long and detailed. And both Buhler and Becker pride themselves on extensive position-taking on their sites. Yet vouchers aren't part of their education positions, either.

"I'm talking about things that I would do as mayor," Buhler said in defense of his voucher-free education plank. "And vouchers will be decided by all the voters before I become mayor" in January.

Still, as a Republican, Buhler more than Becker stands to lose some of his mayoral support by angering pro-voucher city voters — most of whom are actually Republicans, his political base.

Democrat Becker leads Republican Buhler in the latest Morning News/KSL-TV poll by 18 percentage points, according to pollster Dan Jones & Associates. So Buhler needs to broaden his base, not restrict it.

In separate surveys — one only of Salt Lake City registered voters, another statewide survey of registered voters — Jones found that Salt Lakers are more opposed to private school vouchers than are Utahns at large.

Statewide, 60 percent of Utahns said they oppose the new voucher law passed by the 2007 Legislature. Thirty-four percent of Utahns said they favor the new law, which would give between $500 and $3,000 in tuition payments to parents who send their kids to private schools. The exact amount of the payment depends on the parents' income and number of school-age children.

Inside Salt Lake City, Jones found that 66 percent of registered voters oppose vouchers, while 27 percent of voters favor the new law.

Some Republican legislators voted against vouchers. But most GOP lawmakers voted in favor of the main voucher bill, HB148, which was signed into law by GOP Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.