Becker looking past midterm hits and misses

SALT LAKE CITY — Ralph Becker sold his planning firm, but he kept a blueprint, his checklist for transforming Utah's capital into a "great American city."

Two years into his first mayoral term, Becker has plodded through a progressive agenda that includes passing the state's first nondiscrimination ordinance, doubling the city's bicycle lanes and securing a multimillion-dollar bond for a public safety complex.

"We're checking those boxes pretty well," the mayor said in a recent interview with the Deseret News.

Along the way, Becker has had to traverse two dismal budget years and spend some political capital pushing through a number of aggressive initiatives.

Becker took the oath of office on a chilly afternoon, Jan. 8, 2008, taking over the city's top job from outspoken and often controversial Rocky Anderson.

From the beginning, Becker felt his predecessor's lingering effect.

"Rocky was and still is today an enormous figure," Becker said. "He was unabashed in his strong opinions. There were people who loved him, and there were people who hated him for that. There were people, when I came into office, who wanted me to be Rocky. I'm not Rocky."

Becker spent the early days of his administration repairing rifts with Davis County and the Legislature and even within City Hall.

"Often Rocky was interested in making a point and not so interested in making a difference," said outgoing Councilman Eric Jergensen, who served terms on the City Council during both the Anderson and Becker administrations. "To accomplish any other goals, the main goal has to be the smooth operation of the city. … It was a difficult period. I thought we missed out on some things we could have accomplished."

Under Becker, the relationship between the council and the mayor's office substantially improved, Jergensen said. He points to efforts by the Legislature, and particularly support from Davis County lawmakers, to secure $20 million for Salt Lake City to remake the North Temple viaduct as a sign of improved relationships between the city and state.

The 57-year-old Becker fancies himself a "consensus builder" and a champion for transparent government.

But as Becker stood on Library Square last summer and announced the spot was his top choice for a new $125 million public safety complex, a political backlash from residents called both claims into question.

After a dozen public workshops and hearings, Becker relented and named the block just east of Library Square as his preferred site for the complex.