| Salt Lake City |
 |
 |
| GER |
12 |
16 |
7 |
35 |
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| USA |
10 |
13 |
11 |
34 |
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| NOR |
11 |
7 |
6 |
24 |
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| CAN |
6 |
3 |
8 |
17 |
|
| RUS |
6 |
6 |
4 |
16 |
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| AUT |
2 |
4 |
10 |
16 |
|
| ITA |
4 |
4 |
4 |
12 |
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| FRA |
4 |
5 |
2 |
11 |
|
| SUI |
3 |
2 |
6 |
11 |
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| NED |
3 |
5 |
0 |
8 |
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Leavitt, Rocky share face time at Games
Both get more exposure than counterparts
By Bob Bernick Jr. and Diane Urbani
Deseret News staff writers
So, whose face will you remember from the 2002 Winter Olympics?
Canadian skater Jamie Sale weeping when she and her partner lost — and then won — a gold medal?
How about the look of disbelief on short-track skater Apolo Anton Ohno's face after he was knocked down and out of the gold medal in the men's 1,000-meter race?
It may not be Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson's face. Or Gov. Mike Leavitt's.
But the two men are being seen a lot these two weeks, perhaps more so — especially for Leavitt — than the political leaders of other countries who host Winter Olympics.
In fact, Anderson put his face on banners around Pioneer Park. And when the mayor rang the New York Stock Exchange's opening bell on Feb. 11, Leavitt shared the stage — but Anderson did the TV interviews and hosted the press conference afterward.
The governor hasn't had his face put on any specific Olympic-related advertisements or promotions hanging in public view — at least his spokeswoman Natalie Gochnour can't think of any — but Leavitt has been more out front than other state executives in recent Games.
In Atlanta in 1996, Nagano '98 and Sydney 2000, it was more often the host city's mayor who greeted dignitaries and visiting politicians.
This year it's often been Leavitt, not Anderson.
Part of that is pure partisan politics.
Leavitt is a Republican, and one well-known in Washington, D.C. Anderson is a Democrat who likes playing the party outsider. (When Anderson visited Los Angeles during the 2000 National Democratic Convention he didn't even meet with the Utah Democratic delegation, made up of state party leaders. He didn't attend the real convention but rather spoke at an "alternative" convention held outside the Staples Center to talk about drug rehabilitation.)
Leavitt hosted Bush Cabinet members at "think tanks" in the Governor's Mansion, spent Tuesday with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld visiting military men and women and will host former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (also a Republican) next Sunday in a state Capitol speech and in the closing ceremonies.
Leavitt also has money on his side.
The Legislature created the job of state Olympic officer, and from several sources put aside $7.3 million for Olympic promotions and entertainment this fiscal year. Technically, the Olympic officer, former Utah Senate President Lane Beattie, also a Republican, administers the budget. But Beattie's office is under line authority of the governor, says Gochnour.
By comparison, the Salt Lake mayor spent the past two years cajoling the City Council into spending more than $5 million on a downtown festival celebrating local art and culture and a pair of catered parties for city workers and residents. Anderson's invitation list included members of local ethnic organizations — no Salt Lake Organizing Committee VIPs or Bush Cabinet members.
Heard those public announcements at the Olympic venues and Olympic Square?
Yep, that's Anderson and Leavitt welcoming people to the Salt Lake Games.
"SLOC came by with a tape recorder," wanting a message from the host-city mayor, Anderson said. "I read what they told me to read."
But why include the governor?
"We didn't ask for that," says Gochnour. "SLOC called us up (Leavitt, by law, sits on SLOC's executive board). When we were told there would be other famous voices on the tapes (like actor Michael Douglas), we agreed. It wasn't just for (Leavitt)."
Christy Nicolay, executive producer for Sports Productions, the firm SLOC hired to handle all audio and visual media at the venues, says she originally wanted "a lot of mayors" from the venue cites in the announcements. But "we got the governor and Rocky" recorded "and we ran out of time. We ended up with 137 different people, movie celebrities, sports people and a few politicians" before deadlines crept up.
Still, Leavitt is not shying away, or shy, about promoting the state as a whole, nor, sometimes, himself.
"We have a broader range" of responsibility for economic development, says Gochnour. Part of the $7.3 million went to communities around the state who "wanted grants to participate in the Olympics," whether the torch went through their town, or they wanted banners to hang on their Main Streets, arts presentations, whatever Beattie's office felt appropriate.
Leavitt wanted the whole state, not just one city, to feel a part of the Games, she said.
Any pictures of Leavitt around?
"Well, he was shown on the Jumbotron at the opening ceremonies," said Gochnour. "But I don't know if he was on NBC with 3.5 billion people watching. He wasn't introduced in the ceremonies. And to my knowledge he isn't a part of the closing ceremonies at all."
Leavitt is passing out "face cards" to visitors — baseball-like cards with various phone numbers and e-mail addresses on them — and state Olympic pins. "But his face isn't on the pins, just the state seal. His face is on the cards. You can't have face cards without a face."
Anderson, for his part, was faced on opening ceremonies night with what he described as a "weird" situation involving his image. Artist Peter Max presented him with a four-frame portrait of the smiling mayor with his coat slung over his shoulder. Anderson was speechless at the unveiling. Now he doesn't know where to put the piece, saying only that "it seems so narcissistic" to even think about displaying it at the City-County Building. "I can't accept it," due to the mayor's ban on gifts to city officials. He'll have to give it to the city library or to the University of Utah. Right now, however, Anderson has other things on his mind, such as visiting various country houses and inviting more people to the city closing ceremonies party.
E-mail: bbjr@desnews.com; durbani@desnews.com
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February 23, 2002
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